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HMS/HMNZS Janie Seddon

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Scotland
1901
Built 1901 for NZ Government with a sister Lady Roberts.

She is reported to have laid a minefield at Wellington in WW1 and was used as an examination vessel in WW2.
She was HMS Janie Seddon 1939-1941 and HMNZS Janie Seddon 1941-1944

Janie Seddon also served as a liberty boat for the naval base at HMNZS Cook, Shelly Bay in Wellington.

HMS/HMNZS Janie Seddon at Queens Wharf – c1926 The ‘Janie Seddon’ in the foreground –
The ‘Mararoa’ (1885-1931) can also be seen
Sign on left reads: Eastbourne Ferry Service

HMNZS Janie Seddon –
Evans Bay Slip Way the three vessel’s are Uss Co SS TAKAPUNA , JANIE SEDDON , USS SS KOMATA

In 1946 she was purchased by Ivan Talley for the Motueka Trawling Co Ltd. and adapted to trawl fishing. This proved to be uneconomic as vessels of this size were not permitted to fish within three miles of the coast, so she was unable to fish in Tasman Bay which was rich in snapper. As her small coal capacity only allowed her to spend five days at sea at a time she often came into Port with her fish holds half empty. She was laid up at the Motueka Wharf in 1950 then beached near the ‘Old Wharf’ in 1955, and broken up for scrap. Her hull remains lying in the sand, a sad reminder of a once proud ship.

The Twin Screw Steamer, Janie Seddon (originally named Janie Spotswood), was built by Fleming & Fergusson Ltd at Paisley, Scotland in 1901 as a submarine mining vessel. Due to the fear of Russian invasion, she was the second such ship ordered and purchased by the NZ Government to lay mines in harbours around NZ.

Built of steel, 90′ long and 18′ wide and capable of 7 knots, she was powered by a single 320 hp steam engine driving two shafts. She was renamed ‘Janie Seddon’ after Prime Minister Richard Seddon’s daughter on 29 Nov 1900 and sailed for NZ in company with near identical sister ‘Lady Roberts’ via the Mediterranean through the Suez canal and the Indian Ocean, arriving in Wellington 16 Jan 1902.
It is believed that she was used in her original role as a mine layer in Wellington during the war.
Although personnel carried a Bren gun aboard for firing warning shots across the bows of errant vessels, Janie was not armed during the wars. When not on examination duty, she carried out gunnery target towing duties and served as a liberty boat for the naval base at Shelly Bay.

The Janie Seddon was the last surviving military ship to have served in both World Wars. She sank at her mooring in Motueka harbour on 23 April 1953. Over the next two years she was stripped of fittings until all that remained was her hull … lots more interesting info on her life (& great photos) at this link: http://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/22334/wreck-janie-seddon

The Janie Seddon was commissioned as an examination vessel in Wellington Harbour in both World Wars. She fired the first shots of World War II for the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy over the bow of a vessel entering the harbour. In 1946 she was purchased by Ivan Talley for the Motueka Trawling Co Ltd. and adapted to trawl fishing. This proved to be uneconomic as vessels of this size were not permitted to fish within three miles of the coast, so she was unable to fish in Tasman Bay which was rich in snapper. As her small coal capacity only allowed her to spend five days at sea at a time she often came into Port with her fish holds half empty. She was laid up at the Motueka Wharf in 1950 then beached near the ‘Old Wharf’ in 1955, and broken up for scrap. Her hull remains lying in the sand, a sad reminder of a once proud ship.

Castle Class – RNZN built, not completed as HMNZS Tawhai, later transferred to UNRRA still named Tawhai

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Tawhai launch

Tawhai sandwiched in the middle

Just a peek of Tawhai

Tawhai alongside

HMNZS Tawhai was a New Zealand-built composite Castle-class trawler built for the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II for the intention for use as a minesweeper, later being converted into a fishing trawler.

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]

The launching of the minesweeper Tawhai at Auckland.

Tawhai was the last of four composite minesweepers to be built for the RNZN, the others being Hinau, Manuka, and Rimu. Tawhai was originally built for use as an LL Magnetic minesweeper, but by mid 1943, it was clear Tawhai was not needed as another LL minesweeper, so was to be completed as a conventional minesweeper.[2] At the 28 September 1943 Navy Office conference, use of the Tawhai as a servicing vessel was considered but was declined.[2] Tawhai would be ‘work suspended’ at the date of delivery when 95% complete and was declared surplus to the War Assets Realisation board in October 1944 for disposal.[2] In 1946, she would be purchased by the UNRRA to rebuild the decimated Chinese fishing industry.[2] [3] She was last seen with the Awatere and Pahau fishing at Formosa (now Taiwan)

Castle Class – RNZN built, not completed as HMNZS Waikato, later SS Taiaroa (1943)

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HMNZS Waikato under construction, 1943 – Not commissioned

HMNZS Waikato under construction, 1943

Waikato being launched, 1943

The minesweeper HMNZS Waikato in the Waitematā Harbour immediately after launching, crowds attending the launch ceremony at the Marine Departments Construction Yard in the foreground

Castle Class – RNZN built, not completed as HMNZS Waikato, later SS Taiaroa (1943)
Vessel Taiaroa, crossing the roadway from the slipway at Evans Bay, Wellington. Evening post (Newspaper. 1865-2002) :Photographic negatives and prints of the Evening Post newspaper. Ref: EP/1956/2260-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22311999

HMNZS Waikato (Now Taiaroa in this photo – fishing trawler)

As she was being used for the movie Savage Islands,

with Ex Fairmile Kahu alongside, both sad stories

SS Taiaroa was a New Zealand-built Castle-class ship built for the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II with the intention for use as a minesweeper, later being converted into a fishing trawler.

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]

History[edit]

Waikato on launch day

Originally launched as HMNZS Waikato in 1943, she was planned to have been commissioned in 1944, and was to serve in the 97th Auxiliary minesweeping group.[2] But construction would be stopped when she was 95% complete and was declared war surplus.[2]

In 1946, she was sold to the National Mortgage and Agency Company, being renamed to Taiaroa, and was converted into a fishing trawler, and would operate at Dunedin.[2][3] She would be sold to New Zealand Fisheries LTD in 1952.[4] Later that year on 28 July 1952, a man was found dead on the deck of Taiaroa, having fallen head first.[5] a member of the crew, Charles Munday told the police that he was walking with the man on the wharf, and while he was climbing down to the trawler, the man fell head first onto Taiaroa.[5] Charles would report this to the fireman of Taiaroa, but because he did not see the man because of the darkness, the fireman presumed he was under the influence of liquor, told him to get off the ship.[5] Charles would then report the accident to the police, and when the police arrived, they found the man dead.[5] In September 1974, she was laid up in Wellington, where for almost a decade, she would be badly vandalised. In April 1982, she was sold by the Wellington Harbour Board to recover costs, and was to be used for the movie Savage Islands, and would sail to Tauranga under her own power to be converted.[2][6] In one of the final scenes of the movie, she was to be blown up, which was only meant to damage deck structures, unfortunately she caught fire, also setting fire to a wildlife reserve on Motoura island.[2] After a lengthy court case, Taiaroa was stripped, and given to the Royal New Zealand Air Force to be sunk

HMNZSWaipu (T32/T357)

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HMNZS Waipu (T32/T357 ) outboard of HMNZS Kiwi (T102)

Ex-HMNZS Waipu as a fishing trawler

HMNZS Waipu
HMNZS Waipu – New Zealand minesweeper from the period of World War II , one of the thirteen built units of type Castle . The ship was launched on July 31, 1943 at the Stevenson & Cook shipyard in Dunedin , and the Royal New Zealand Navy entered in November 1943. The unit was withdrawn from service in 1946.
Design and construction
The ship’s construction was based on a project of British Castle trawlers , built massively from the First World War [1] [2] . Of the planned seventeen units of this type, thirteen were completed, with a hull with a wooden shell made of agatisa , using metal frames [3] .

HMNZS [a] “Waipu” was launched on July 31, 1943 at the Stevenson & Cook shipyard in Dunedin, and entered service in the Navy on November 17, 1943 [2] [3] .

Tactical and technical data
The length between the ship’s risers was 38.1 meters , the width was 7.16 meters and the maximum draft was 4.27 meters [1] [2] . The standard displacement was 447 tons , and the full standard was 635 tons [1] [4] . The ship was powered by a 480- hp triple-expansion steam machine , to which steam supplied a single cylindrical boiler , fired with coal [1] [3] . The maximum speed of the unit driven by one screw was 10 knots [1] [5] .

Artillery equipment consisted of a single 12-pound running universal caliber of 76 mm (3 inches ) QF HA L / 40 [1] [2] . The small-caliber anti-aircraft weapon was a single Oerlikon automatic gun cal. 20 mm L / 70 [1] [2] [b] . For anti-submarine serving pitcher depth charge with a supply of four bomb [1] [2] . Anti-mine equipment was sea ​​trawl [2] .

The ship’s crew consisted of 42 officers, non-commissioned officers and seamen [1] [2] [c] .

Service
“Waipu” served in the RNZN for less than three years, initially marked with the T32 side sign , then changed to T357 [2] . The list of the fleet was written down in 1946 and then sold to the fisheries sector

HMNZS Waima (T 349)

MS Trawler of the Manuka class

NavyThe Royal New Zealand Navy
TypeMS Trawler
ClassManuka 
PennantT 349 
Built byStevenson & Cook (Port Chalmers, New Zealand) : A.G. Price (Thames, New Zealand) 
Ordered19 Sep 1941 
Laid down 
Launched11 Dec 1943 
Commissioned28 Mar 1944 
End service 
HistorySold in 1946 

Commands listed for HMNZS Waima (T 349)

Please note that we’re still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Lt. Charles Clinton Stevens, RNZNVR29 Mar 1944late 1944
2T/Lt. Mervyn Arnold Knight Marks, RNZNVRlate 194421 Mar 1945
3T/Lt. William George Johnston, RNZNVR21 Mar 1945

HMNZS Waima(T33/T349)

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

Background

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

Operational history
Waima was the eighth of the nine steel minesweepers constructed for the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) and was commissioned on 28 March 1944. the others being Aroha, Awatere, Hautapu, Maimai, Pahau, Waiho, Waipu, and Waikato (never commissioned). She served with the 96th Auxiliary Minesweeping Group, located at Lyttleton.[2] In September 1945, Waima along with the Waiho and Waipu were converted into danlayers, with operations ceasing October 1945 due to coal shortages, resuming in March 1946 with a guaranteed supply of coal for all 3 trawlers with them making up part of the 25th Auxiliary Minesweeping Division, which was formed to sweep the Waitemata Harbour for a final time.[3][2][1]

Waima would be sold to Red Funnel Trawlers, located in Sydney in May 1946, being towed to Australia by the Matai, arriving on 12 September 1946.[3] She would be renamed to Moona, and began trawling that same year, being laid up in 1958 but would temporarily re-enter service in mid-1959 but would be laid up once again in 1960.[3] In 1963, she would be sold to Robin & Co. Ltd, located in Singapore to be scrapped
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMNZS_Waima

A Waima model at the Port Chalmers Maritime Museum

EX HMNZS Waima as Moona, a fishing trawler in Sydney, Australia

Courtesy of Sydney heritage fleet photos

Courtesy of Sydney heritage fleet photos