HMNZS Arbutus

[Dave Homewood]

I spotted this article from 70 years ago on Paper's Past, a new ship for the RNZN, which later went to fight in Japanese waters with the British Pacific Fleet. I wonder if any of the wartime crew of this vessel are still alive, there is some real history among the officers mentioned here:

SECOND CORVETTE

GIFT TO NEW ZEALAND

ARBUTUS FULLY MANNED

(Special Correspondent) (Recd. 5.35 p.m LONDON, June 19)

The Arbutus,- one of two corvettes presented to New Zealand by the British Government, now has a full crew, the majority of whom are New Zealanders. She was visited by the High Commissioner, Mr. W. J. Jordan, and the naval affairs officer, Mr. S. H. Skinner, who stayed the night aboard. He complimented the officers and men on the fine ship.

The commander of the Arbutus is Lieutenant-Commander John Rhind, R.N.Z.N.V.R., of Lyttelton. His officers are Lieutenants R. I. Floris, R.N.Z.N.R. (Hamilton), N. H. Whatman (Waimate), G. V. Fisher (Auckland), and N. W. Brown, R.N.Z.N.R.; Sub-Lieutenants B. Hunter (Helensville) and D. Bridges (Auckland).

Other members of the crew are Coxswain N. Ogden (Auckland), Leading Supply Assistant J. Brittain (Auckland), Petty-Officer A, Segedin (Auckland), and Petty-Officer J. W. Jones (Dunedin).

The Arbutus is fitted with all the latest devices for hunting U-boats. Her crew have had wide war experience. Lieutenant-Commander Rhind previously served in the Mediterranean, Lieutenant Floris commanded a corvette on Atlantic convoy work. Lieutenant Fisher was in a motor-launch in the Saint Nazaire raid, and Lieutenant Brown was a prisoner in the Altmark for 11 weeks. Both Lieutenant Whatman and Lieutenant Floris have had experience of glider bombs during Atlantic patrols. The Arbutus is a sister-ship of the Arabis, which is commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Seelye, and which Mr. Jordan inspected last February.

[Dave Homewood]

Some more articles:

TWO CORVETTES

FIRST ARRIVES

PA. AUCKLAND, This Day.

It is now permitted to state that H.M.N.Z.S. Arabis, one of two up-to-the-minute submarine-hunting corvettes presented to New Zealand by the United Kingdom Government, has arrived at Auckland: When her sister ship Arbutus will arrive is not yet known.

Though of only 900 tons each, these two corvettes will be the largest of the R.N.Z. Navy's small ships. They are handy fighting vessels, with a capacity for giving hard knocks. Designed specially for hunting submarines, they mount every modern device of that class of vessel, and also bristle with anti-aircraft defences.

Laid down in 1943, they are brand new ships. Their 900 tons compares with the 545 tons of the Scottish Isles trawlers represented in the New Zealand Navy by the Sandra, Killegray, and others of the same class, and they measure 205 ft compared with the 164 ft of those vessels.

Their speed as given in the original London announcement is 15 knots. Though her voyage from Britain occupied 2½ months, it was completely uneventful, despite the fact that the Arabis covered dangerous waters. Her commander and officers are all New Zealanders, as also are most of her ratings. All have served for varying periods of active service with the Royal Navy.

Immediately after arrival at Auckland all the members of the ship's company were granted foreign service leave. The ship is to undergo refit before undertaking her first assignment as a unit of the R.N.Z. Navy. The name Arabis has been carried by two other ships of the Royal Navy. The first was of the type of the Laburnum and Veronica, and the second was a corvette sunk in the North Atlantic, in this war.

[Dave Homewood]

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25037, 30 October 1944

SECOND SHIP

GIFT FROM BRITAIN

ARRIVAL OF ARBUTUS

The second of two corvettes presented to New Zealand by the British Government, H.M.N.Z.S. Arbutus, has arrived at a New Zealand port after a voyage of about two months from England. The ship is commanded by Lieutenant-Commander J. A. Rhind, R.N.Z.N.V.R., of Lyttelton.

All the officers and 75 per cent of her 90 ratings are New Zealanders. the remainder being Imperial ratings. The voyage of the Arbutus was described by the commander as uneventful, apart from a minor mishap which required some repairs.

A sister ship of the Arabis, which arrived in New Zealand some time ago, the Arbutus is fitted with all the latest devices for hunting U-boats. The Arabis is already taking part in Pacific operations with other ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Arbutus will play a similar role when her normal overhaul and leave period is completed.

The Officers
The officers of the Arbutus are Lieutenants R. I. Floris, R.N.Z.N.R. (Hamilton), N. H. Whatman (Waimate), G. V. Fisher (Auckland), and T. G. Grant (Dunedin), all R.N.Z.N.V.R., Lieutenant (E) N. E. Brown, R.N.Z.N.R.., and Sub-Lieutenants B. Hunter (Helensville) and D. Bridges (Auckland), both R.N.Z.N.V.R.

Other members of the crew include Coxswain N. Ogden (Auckland). Petty-Officer J. Brittain (Auckland), Petty-Officer A. Segedin (Auckland), and Petty-Officer J. W. Jones (Dunedin).

The crew of the Arbutus has had wide war experience and the majority of its members have spent a considerable time on service in corvettes, destroyers, frigates and other ships with the Home Fleet. Five of the officers were commissioned under Scheme B, while the commander and Lieutenant Floris were on the New Zealand Reserve before the war. Lieutenant Brown was an engineer on a merchant ship before the war and a member of the Naval Reserve.

Varied Naval Service
Lieutenant-Commander Rhind has been in command of escort vessels since he left New Zealand about 18 months after the outbreak of war and has seen service in many theatres of naval operation. Lieutenant Floris was previously in command of two different corvettes on Atlantic convoy work. Lieutenant Fisher was in a motor-launch in the Saint Nazaire raid, and Lieutenant Brown was a prisoner in the Altmark for 11 weeks. Both Lieutenant Floris and Lieutenant Whatman have had experience of glider bombs during Atlantic patrols.

Born at Lyttelton 32 years ago, Lieutenant-Commander Rhind was educated at the Christchurch Boys' High School. He was employed by New Zealand Breweries, Ltd. He entered the R.N.Z.N.V.R. in 1930 and was commissioned in 1932. Mobilised on the outbreak of war with the rank of lieutenant, he served for about 18 months on minesweepers in New Zealand waters before leaving for England.

[Dave Homewood]

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 130, 29 November 1944

SET OWN COURSE

SHIP ENDANGERED

NAVAL COURT-MARTIAL

P.A. AUCKLAND, November 28.

A sequel to a mishap on October 7 last when H.M.N.Z.S. Arbutus struck a submerged shoal off Viwa Island, in the Pacific, took place at Auckland, when the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Commander John Alexander Rhind, R.N.Z.N.V.R., appeared before a naval court-martial.

He pleaded guilty to a charge that, being in command of the Arbutus and being a person subject to the Naval Discipline Act, between September 28 and October 7, both dates inclusive, by negligence or default, he hazarded the ship.

He was sentenced to be dismissed his ship and to be reprimanded. The members of the Court were Commander Dowding, D.S.C., A.D.C., R.N. (President), Captain William-Powlett, D.S.C., R.N., Commander Dennistoun, D.S.C., R.N., Commander Harper, R.N., and Commander Elworthy, R.N.

The judge advocate was Paymaster-Lieutenant-Commander Maars, R.N., and the prosecutors were Commander Garner, R.N.Z.N.V.R., and Lieutenant Prebble, R.N.Z.N.V.R. Mr. Lisle Alderton was prisoner's friend.

A letter setting out the circumstances leading up to the charge was read by the judge-advocate. It stated that before the departure of the Arbutus from Pearl Harbour on September 28, the accused received routing instructions from the commander, Hawaiian Sea frontier, as to the course he was to take to Fiji. The letter set out the instructions in detail, and said that when the ship was clear of the harbour courses were set contrary to the routing instructions given.

At no time did the Arbutus proceed on her route or through any given route points. The action of the accused in disregarding his original routing instructions and a subsequent amendment was the main contributing factor to the ship subsequently striking the shoal. In addition to this, said the letter, the accused, having taken the decision to follow his own route to Suva, took insufficient care for the safe navigation of his ship, in so much as only a very superficial study of the Pacific Islands Pilot, Volume 11, and the charts relating to the locality was made, resulting in a course being steered that failed to give a reasonable margin of safety off stated danger.

SPECIFIC WARNING MISSED.
"After examining the routing instructions, I decided of my own initiative to set a more direct course with the object of saving approximately a day's steaming," said a written statement from the accused. "My intention was to make a landfall to the north-west of Viwa Island in the Fiji Group. I take full responsibility for this amended course, and if blame is attachable for deviating from the route, then it is solely mine.

"For some unknown reason, which I frankly cannot explain, I omitted to note a reference to S.S. Fiona having struck a submerged reef in the area in 1915," said the accused's statement. "Had I seen this reference I would have given the coast a much wider berth than the three miles I was allowing. There is no reference to this particular happening on the chart."

The statement concluded by saying that no blame was attachable to any of the officers or men on the ship, all of whom acted in an exemplary manner during the period of stress immediately after the ship struck.

Mr. Alderton said that the accused was one of the original permanent members of the R.N.V.R. in New Zealand. He was called up on the outbreak of war, and was one of the survivors of the Puriri, which was blown up when she struck a mine. The accused was sent on a course in Australia, and later commanded Admiralty trawlers in England. He served on the east coast of England and in the Mediterranean for two years, during which he received accelerated promotion. Later he was placed in command of the Arbutus, which he was directed to bring out to New Zealand.

Mr. Alderton said this was the first time an officer of the R.N.V.R. in New Zealand had been subjected to court martial procedure.

[davidd]

Very interesting stuff Dave. Although some might compare this grounding with the RENA fiasco (I did), John Rhind promptly "came clean" and seems to have been acting in good faith in his well-intentioned bit of trailblazing, but made a fatal mistake near Fiji - most people would have got away with it, but his luck ran out. There seems to be a word missing in the report - was he dismissed [from] his ship?
David D

[Dave Homewood]

I assumed "dismissed his ship" was perhaps one of those strange and quaint Navy-isms. They have a weird way of putting a lot of things.

I wonder what would have happened to Rhind after this. Would he have got a desk job for the duration?

[robert]

Jul 22, 2014 18:09:49 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

I assumed "dismissed his ship" was perhaps one of those strange and quaint Navy-isms. They have a weird way of putting a lot of things.

I wonder what would have happened to Rhind after this. Would he have got a desk job for the duration?

[robert]

I am aware of one member of the crew of Arbutus that is still alive. My Father, Doug Edmiston, was an inexperienced radio operator on HMNZS Arbutus when she left New Zealand to join the Pacific Fleet and headed for Japan.
The new Captain was Nigel Blair. I believe Nigel Blair was RNZNR and a very accomplished yachtsman from Auckland. Many years after the War, Doug was reunited with both 1st Lieutenant N (Norm) Whatman, and Nigel Blair. He later took the funerals of both men. I have Doug's written memories of the voyage and a copy of a journal written by the Sandy McKinnon, Senior Telegraphist.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Robert. Great to hear your father has written down his memories.

[emron]

Some background to this sorry episode:

During 1942 Achilles , Leander and our armed merchant cruiser Monowai were fully occupied escorting troopships and commercial convoys trans-Tasman, as well as northwards and eastwards into the Pacific. In December Achilles was called to join the Allied Task Force in the Solomons. On entering battle with the enemy in January 1943 she was bombed and severely damaged. Patched up and hurried back to Portsmouth, repairs were expected to take 2-3 months. In May Monowai was requisitioned and sailed to UK for conversion to a troopship in preparation for D-Day landings.
This only left Leander as our large ship in the region. We appealed for backup from the British government. They couldn't spare anything of cruiser size but offered two modified Flower-class corvettes that were then under construction. The situation rapidly became worse. Later in May the repairs on Achilles had been progressing well until a disastrous explosion in a fuel tank. 14 workers were killed and the repair program was set back by 12 months. In July Leander was called to join the Allied Task Force and during the Battle of Kolombangara was torpedoed and severely damaged. Returned to Auckland but beyond local repair, Leander sailed to Boston as all UK shipyards were busy. Leander saw no further service with RNZN. Our flotilla of minesweepers and armed trawlers was all that remained for escort duties and they were fully committed to action in the Solomons. The Fairmiles were not yet completed and able to relieve them. Because of these developments the British government agreed to loan cruiser Gambia as replacement while Achilles was repaired. The Achilles crew was transferred to Gambia and she was commissioned and in service by December 1943, but did not return the South Pacific because a condition of the loan was that she served with the British Eastern Fleet and was based at Trincomalee, Ceylon (Sri Lanka ).
At that point the two corvettes had not yet been completed. HMNZS Arabis was the first to be finished and sailed to NZ on 23-May 1944. By then the Fairmiles had already commenced service in the Solomons. Gambia was taking part in a British offensive against Japanese oil facilities in Sumatra and soon to be joined by returning Achilles. Arabis arrived at Devonport in August and following refit she was dispatched to the Solomons to lead the Minesweeper flotilla. She arrived there in mid-December. The second corvette, HMNZS Arbutus sailed for NZ on 1-August 1944 but ran aground at full speed on a shoal near Fiji on 7-October and sustained massive damage.

Afterwards....
Arbutus went to Lyttelton for repairs which took until May 1945 to complete. By then both Gambia and Achilles had been to NZ and reassigned to the British Pacific Fleet based at Manus (Admiralty Islands) from where they had sailed for action against Sakishima Island and Truk Atoll on their way to mainland Japan. Arbutus was assigned to the Fleet train on the same Task Force 37 as them and arrived 31-July to take up fleet repair and supply duties. Later she escorted two other ships to Hong Kong for repair and arrived there 16-September, in time for the Japanese surrender. Then sailed to NZ arriving 1-October.

[davidd]

Nice summing up of the situation emron.
David D