HMNZS Matai (T01)

HMNZS Matai (T01) was a Marine Department lighthouse tender which was requisitioned by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) and converted into a minesweeper.

History
New Zealand
Name: HMNZS Matai (T01)
Launched: 11 June 1930
Commissioned: 1 April 1941
Decommissioned: 25 April 1945
General characteristics
Tonnage: 1,050 GRT, 383 NRT
Length: 66.8 m (219 ft)
Beam: 10.7 m (35 ft)
Propulsion: triple expansion steam reciprocating, 1,050 ihp, twin shaft, oil
Speed: 10 to 13 knots (19 to 24 km/h; 12 to 15 mph)
Complement: 81
Sensors and
processing systems:
asdic
Armament: 1 × 4-inch gun, 2 × 20 mm Oerlikons, 2 machine guns, 40 depth charges,

Operational history

Matai was the government's lighthouse tender servicing the marine lights around New Zealand and offshore islands, and had been used for cable laying in the 1930s. She was named after a native tree.

She was requisitioned on 3 March 1941 and handed over to a dockyard for conversion.

After commissioning on 1 April 1941, Matai took over as the flotilla leader of the 25th Minesweeping Flotilla from Muritai and the flotilla began clearing a German minefield in the Hauraki Gulf.

See also

References

  • McDougall, R J (1989) New Zealand Naval Vessels. Page 69–78. Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-477-01399-4

Further reading

  • Harker, Jack (2000)The Rockies: New Zealand Minesweepers at War. Silver Owl Press. ISBN 0-9597979-9-8


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