Skip to content

Castle Class NZ – HMNZS Awatere (T25/T397)

HMNZSAwatere (T25/T 397)

  • by

HMNZS Awatere on a slipway in Wellington

HMNZS Awatere (T 397) Only photo I can find

MS Trawler of the Manuka class
Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy
Type MS Trawler
Class Manuka
Pennant T 397
Built by Parten Slip (Wellington, New Zealand)
Ordered Aug 1941
Laid down
Launched 26 Sep 1942
Commissioned 26 Jun 1943
End service
History
Sold in 1946

Commands listed for HMNZS Awatere (T 397)

Commander From To
1 Lt. Eric Mortimer Conrad Stevens, RNZNR 26 Jun 1943 25 Mar 1944
2 Lt. David Lennox Millar, RNZNVR 25 Mar 1944
Notable events involving Awatere include:

8 Aug 1945
HMS Vox (Lt. W.E.I. Littlejohn, DSC, RANVR) conducted A/S exercises off Wellington with HMNZS Awatere (Lt. D.L. Millar, RNZNVR), HMNZS Maimai (T/Lt. W.W. Gunson, RNZNVR) and HMNZS Pahau (T/Lt. W.H.K. Mollard, RNZNVR). (1)

9 Aug 1945
HMS Vox (Lt. W.E.I. Littlejohn, DSC, RANVR) conducted A/S exercises off Wellington with HMNZS Awatere (Lt. D.L. Millar, RNZNVR), HMNZS Maimai (T/Lt. W.W. Gunson, RNZNVR) and HMNZS Pahau (T/Lt. W.H.K. Mollard, RNZNVR). (1)

13 Aug 1945
HMS Vox (Lt. W.E.I. Littlejohn, DSC, RANVR) conducted A/S exercises off Wellington with HMNZS Awatere (Lt. D.L. Millar, RNZNVR), HMNZS Maimai (T/Lt. W.W. Gunson, RNZNVR), HMNZS Hautapu (T/Lt. W. Strong, RNZNVR) and HMNZS Pahau (T/Lt. W.H.K. Mollard, RNZNVR). (1)

Sources

ADM 173/20355
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.

Castle Class at HMNZS Cook, Shelly Bay, Wellington

HMNZS Awatere was one of eight steel New Zealand-built Castle-class ships built and commissioned by the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II.

Background[edit]

The vessel was ordered after the New Zealand government, facing a requirement for more minesweepers to operate in home waters, chose the Castle-class design because it was simple enough to be built with the country’s limited ship construction facilities at the time.[1]

Operational history[edit]

Awatere was the second of the nine steel minesweepers constructed for the Royal New Zealand Navy and was commissioned on 28 July 1943. the others being Aroha, Hautapu, Maimai, Pahau, Waiho, Waima, Waipu, and Waikato (never commissioned). She served with the 95th Auxiliary Minesweeping Group, located at Wellington.[2] On 27 July 1945, Awatere would ram the Maimai stern-to-stern at Shelly Bay, with minor damage.[3] In March 1946, Awatere would be sold to Arthur. A. Murrel of Sydney along with Pahau. [3][2] In October 1946, Awatere was brought by the Australian Commonwealth Government and was allocated to the UNNRA to rebuild the decimated Chinese fishing industry.[3] She was last seen with the Pahau and Tawhai fishing at Formosa (now Taiwan)