New Zealand Government Impressment

[Dave Homewood]

In the early stages of World War Two the NZ Government envoked an act that allowed them to impress civil and privately owned aircraft into the RNZAF, and later they also impressed many business premises and their contents into the RNZAF too.

Did they also impress privately owned ships or boats into naval service to defend New Zealand I wonder? Does anyone know?

Surely several ships must have been useful to the navy and no longer useful in wartime conditions. Even if just little runabouts.

Perhaps some were also impressed into RNZAF Marine Section usage too? Or were they all purpose built?

[30sqnatc]

I think you will find it covered in Defending New Zealand by Peter Cooke. For example in Dec 1941 a large number of launches and yachts were requsitioned for the Naval Auxiliary Patrol Service. Larger fishing vessels became mine clearers

[Bruce]

A number of the RNZAF Marine section launches at Hobsonvile and Lauthala Bay were impressed, including some yachts as control vessels (The masts were useful for flying signal flags...) some were retained for postwar service.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for that info. There used to be a couple of ex-flying boat tenders still in their military colours moored at Hobsonville when I lived there in 1990-91. I understand they were used then as private pleasure craft by RNZAF people who'd bought them. I wonder if they're still around. They both looked like Air Sea Rescue type boats.

[corsair67]

Dave, I digress somewhat, but do you know where that flying boat tender came from that is in the RNZAF Museum's collection in Hangar Three?

[Dave Homewood]

Yes, W88 history is thus:

It was, according to RNZAF Museum News for December 1992, "a fast, twin screw (Gray marine diesels) launch 40 feet in length and she spent her whole life in Auckland Harbour. She was used to control flying operations on the water, keep the channel clear and generally assist as and when required. Among her other duties was that of a crash tender, but fortunately she was never called upon to act in this capacity."

Apparently it was planned to suffer "the prosect of a watery grave in the north" as the Navy was going to sink it but W88 was saved by former members of the RNZAF Marine Section at Hobsonville who persuaded the navy to give it to them instead (thank goodness!!) and they restored it in the corner of the large wet apron hangar at Hobby before they donated to the museum.

It was transported by ship (Pacifica Shipping) to Lyttleton in 1992. I recall not long after arrival my good mate Laurie Sadler made the oops of his career, whilst positioning a pallet full of tents on a high shelf with his forklift, all went wrong and the heavy pallet toppled over the back of the shelving unit that seperated No. 7 Hangar into two (he was on the Camp Pack Up side, the other side was the RNZAF Musuem Restoration Section). It fell onto the back of the beautifully restored W.88 which was awaiting being put on display. The pallet crunched and broke off a corner of the boat. Poor old Laurie's name was mud nextdoor for a long time. It was once again beautifully restored though.

When I last saw W88 in April 2006, I noted that sadly either the paint had shrunk or the wood expanded as she was looking a little rough... I wonder if she's had a new coat of paint nowadays?



Here are two more RNZAF watercraft seen in this photo which I snapped from an album of RNZAF Marine Section photos you can look through displayed next to W88. One is 47, the other a large barge which no doubt carried many fighters and possibly bombers from ships in Auckland up to the upper reaches of the harbour in WWII.

[corsair67]

Thanks for that info Dave. I've never really had a good look at W88 because I'm not normally interested in vessels like that (big warships are more interesting!) even though I realised she probably ahd a very interesting history. Another problem I guess is that many of ther guides don't seem that interested in W88, but I guess that's to be expected in some ways.

Obviously being out of the water for so long hasn't been too good for the paintwork as it appears that the timbers must have shrunk somewhat?

[Dave Homewood]

Ah yes, the timber drying out could well be the problem with the paint. Cheers.

Here's an interesting piece on RNZAF and Army boats
riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/boat1.htm

[corsair67]

That's a really interesting article as I never imagine the RNZAF Marine Section was quite so big.

I guess it would have been disbanded after the Sunderlands were phased out of service?

[Dave Homewood]

The Marine Section boats were withdrawn in 1967. So yes, the end of the Sunderlands I guess.