- Yes -TT
- Yes - Event/BP
- Yes - Premium
- No - I don’t want HMNZS Kiwi in game
Background:
HMNZS Kiwi is the second ship of three Bird-class minesweepers built for the Royal New Zealand Navy. Ordered in late 1939 as training and mine-sweeping vessels, they served throughout the second world war primarily in the Pacific campaign until their decommissioning in the 1950’s.
Although ordered as Minesweepers they were often referred to as small corvettes, or ‘pocket’ corvettes due to their similar armament as the larger flower class corvette. Being mentioned as corvettes in reports to the New Zealand government. They were slightly larger than the Isles class minesweeping-trawlers.
History:
Henry Robb Ltd were selected to build and design the Bird class in late 1939 at the outbreak of war, due to their experience with building smaller minesweepers based on fishing trawler designs for the Royal Navy. The Bird class was Laid down on the 19th March 1940, with the lead ship, Moa commissioning into the Royal Navy on the 12th August, transferring into the RNZN upon its creation on the 1st of October 1940. Kiwi the second ship of her class, commissioned directly into the RNZN on the 28th October 1940.
All three ships of the class passed through their working up stage in Scotland leaving for New Zealand through the west coast of the USA via the Panama Canal. However during the passage through the North Atlantic, Kiwi took some minor damage and had to be repaired in Boston.
Joining the 25th mine sweeping flotilla later than her sisters due to the needed repairs all three Bird class ships, Moa, Kiwi and Tui began operations in the Solomon Islands campaign in late December 1942. It was during this time that Kiwi was unofficially modified, with the addition of a single 20mm Oerlikon scavenged from a wrecked US ship mounted forwards on the bow.
Sinking of the I-1
On the 29th Jan 1943, Kiwi and her sister Moa were conducting an anti-submarine patrol in the Kamimbo Bay area, however unknown to them at 20:30 the Japanese cruiser submarine I-1, had surfaced nearby in a squall and was traveling with her decks awash towards shore. She was part of the Japanese efforts to resupply the Guadalcanal garrison.
With a surfaced displacement of 2,135t, and the ability to travel at 18kt surfaced, she displaced more than the two Bird class ships together and was faster on the surface. She also carried 6x21" torpedo tubes, meaning she also outgunned them.
At 20:35 Kiwi detected the surfaced sub via her listing gear, and later her ASDIC gear at a range of 3,000 yards. Moa attempted to confirm Kiwi’s contact but failed. Kiwi closed down the range with the I-1, which had falsely identified the two ships as PT boats and had thus turned to port, dived and rigged for silent running. Kiwi, spotting the diving submarine closed futher, dropping 12 depth charges in two patterns of six, this pattern detonated close to the I-1, knocking a few men off their feet and setting a leak in her aft provision room.
Kiwi’s second pattern at 20:40 was far more effective, disabling I-1’s pumps, steering engine, and port propeller. Her high pressure manifold was also damaged, showering the control room in a fine water mist, this short-circuted her main switchboard, and soon all her lighting went out.
Heavily damaged and down by the bow, the I-1 decided to head for the shore to beach herself at 21:00. She surfaced 2,000 yards off Kiwis starboard beam and made 11kt with her remaining starboard diesel. Now surfaced again, the crew of the I-1 manned her deck gun, and the 13.2mm machine gun on her bridge. Kiwi illuminated her with a 10" searchlight and opened fire with her 4" gun and 20mm cannon hitting the I-1 with her third round, while Moa further illuminated the scene by firing star shell.
At 21:20 Kiwi turned towards I-1 and made full speed at 400 yards distance, she rammed the I-1 on her port side, just abaft of the conning tower, Kiwi turned around and rammed a second time, this however was a glancing blow, but took off one of I-1’s fore-planes. With a damaged bow and ASDIC dome, as well as an overheating 4" gun, Kiwi turned away, with Moa continuing the pursuit. Moa further hit I-1 with her 4" gun, with the I-1 running aground on 23:15.
The only fatality aboard the corvettes was that of Kiwi’s searchlight operator, who had been shot by small arms on the second ramming. He died a few days after the engagement.
She returned to Auckland in 1944 for refit, and were released from service mid 1945 and again returned to New Zealand, she then helped clear German mines off the Hauraki Gulf before being deactivated in 1946. She then returned to training, serving as a training vessel with the number P102, from 1949 until 1956, where she was laid up, being scrapped in 1964.
General characteristics:
Displacement
Full load: 923t
Standard Load: 607t
Compilent: 35
Dimensions
Length: 168ft (51m)
Beam: 30ft (9.1m)
Draught: 15.3ft (4.7m)
Propulsion
Power: 1,100 ihp (820kw)
Fuel: Oil firing
Speed: 13kt
Armament
1x1 BL 4-Inch Mk IX
2x1 QF 3-Pounder Hotchkiss
1x2 Lewis gun mount
1x1 20mm Oerlikon
40x light depth charges
Type 127 ASDIC
Sources
Bird-class minesweeper - Wikipedia
HMNZS Kiwi (T102) - Wikipedia
https://navymuseum.co.nz/explore/by-collections/ships/kiwi-moa/
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23069626
https://digitalnz.org/records/33052840
https://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/thread.php?threadid=4107
Japanese submarine I-1 - Wikipedia
David and Goliath in the Solomons: the ‘pocket corvettes’ Kiwi and Moa vs I-1
https://web.archive.org/web/20150815041615/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/bird-class-minesweepers/moa-and-kiwi-bag-a-sub
