HMNZS Hawea (F422)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Career |  Royal Navy |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | Loch class frigate |
| Name: | HMS Loch Eck |
| Builder: | Smiths Dock |
| Laid down: | 25 Oct 1943 |
| Launched: | 25 Apr 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 7 Nov 1944 |
| Out of service: | Transferred to Royal New Zealand Navy 1948 |
| Career |  Royal New Zealand Navy |
| Name: | HMNZS Kaniere |
| Acquired: | 7 Sep 1948 |
| Commissioned: | 1 Oct 1948 |
| Decommissioned: | 15 Feb 1957 |
| Reclassified: | Training ship in 1961 |
| Fate: | Sold for breaking up Sep 1965 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,435 tons standard, 2,250 tons full load |
| Length: | 87.2 m (286 ft) p/p, 93.7 m (307.25 ft) o/a |
| Beam: | 38.6 m (38.6 ft) |
| Draught: | 4.3 m (14.2 ft) full load |
| Propulsion: |
2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts 4-cylinder vertical triple expansion reciprocating engines,5,500 ihp(4,070 kW) |
| Speed: | 19.5 kt |
| Range: | 730 tons oil fuel, 9,500 nm at 12 kt |
| Complement: | 114 |
| Armament: |
1 x QF 4 inch Mark V on one single mounting HA MkIII** 4 x QF 2 pounder MkVII on 1 quad mount MkVII |
HMNZS Hawea (F422) was one of six Loch class frigates of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
She saw brief wartime service with the Royal Navy as HMS Loch Eck. In February 1945 she took part in sinking two U-boats north of the Shetland Islands.
Loch class frigates were designed for anti-submarine ocean convey escort work. Since the Admiralty named them after Scottish lakes they were renamed after New Zealand lakes. Lake Hawea is a glacial lake located in the Central Otago region of New Zealand. The name is Māori and is thought to refer to a local tribe though the exact meaning is uncertain. Hawea was the first of three ships with this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Contents |
[edit] Korean war service
The Korean war started on 25 Jun 1950 when North Korean forces crossed the 38°N parallel and invaded South Korea.
The New Zealand Government decided to maintain two frigates in support of a United Nations Naval Force assisting South Korea. Hawea's sister ships, Pukaki and Tutira, were hurriedly prepared for war service and sailed for Sasebo, their main base in Japan, on 3 Jul 1950.
They did escort and patrol services , often working with Commonwealth, South Korean and other allied ships, and in support of amphibious landings. The frigates were rotated in turn with the other four Loch frigates.
For Hawea's turn she departed for Korea on 2 Mar 1951 and returned on 8 Mar 1952. She had the distinction of firing the first shots in anger.
On 15 Sep 1951 Hawea had a 7.6 m (25 ft) motor boat swamped and sunk in the Han River estuary , Western Korea, while navigating swift tidal channels to reach a bombardment position.
[edit] Other service and incidents
On 22 Mar 1949 Hawea participated in sinking the coal hulk Occident in Palliser Bay.
In late December 1956, Hawea with her sister ship Pukaki escorted the Antarctic supply ship Endeavour from Bluff to the edge of the pack ice.
[edit] Fate
On 15 Nov 1965 Hawea was paired with Pukaki and towed by the tug Atlas to Hong Kong for breaking up.
[edit] See also
Frigates of the Royal New Zealand Navy
[edit] References
- McDougall, R J (1989) New Zealand Naval Vessels. Page 37-41. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780477013994
