HMNZS Kiwi (T102) was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
History | |
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Name | HMNZS Kiwi (T102) |
Builder | Henry Robb Ltd. Scotland. |
Commissioned | 20 October 1941 |
Decommissioned | 20 December 1956 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Bird class minesweeper |
Displacement |
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Length | 168 ft (51 m) |
Beam | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
Draught | 15.3 ft (4.7 m) |
Propulsion | 1,100 ihp (820 kW) oil |
Speed | 13 knots (24 km/h) |
Complement | 33-35 |
Armament | 1 × 4-inch gun, 2 × 1 Hotchkiss, twin Lewis, 40 depth charges |
She was commissioned in 1941 for minesweeping and anti-submarine roles. From 1948 to 1956 she functioned as a training ship.
On 29 January 1943, with her sister ship Moa, Kiwi rammed and wrecked[1] the Japanese submarine I-1. At the time Kiwi was under the command of Lieutenant Commander Gordon Bridson who was awarded the DSC and the United States Navy Cross[2] for this action.
Kiwi was the first vessel with this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy and is named after the national bird of New Zealand.