Post by Dave Homewood on May 3, 2022 0:47:32 GMT 12
From The Press dated 2 Jan 1968
Scrapping Of Royalist Marks End Of Era In N.Z. Navy
The cruiser Royalist, now being towed from her berth at Devonport to Japan to be scrapped marks the end of an era in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy. The successful tenderer for the remains of the cruiser, which has been stripped of all serviceable equipment, is the Nissho Company, of Osaka, Japan.
Withdrawn from service in the Royal New Zealand Navy late in 1965, the Royalist was the last of 10 cruisers to serve New Zealand over a period of 50 years. First of the line was the 2575-ton light cruiser Philomel, which was built before the turn of the century and arrived in New Zealand in July, 1914. The Philomel’s stay in New Zealand was short On August 4. at the outbreak of the First World War, she left the country and for the next three years was engaged on escort duty and naval operations in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. The light cruiser returned to New Zealand in 1917 and at the end of the war was presented to the Government as a training ship by the Admiralty.
After years of service to the Navy both at sea and alongside as a stationary training ship, the Philomel was broken up in 1946. Her name has been retained for the Navy’s major shore base, H.M.N.Z.S. Philomel, at Devonport, Auckland.
New Zealand’s next cruiser was H.M.S. Chatham, a City Class ship of 5400 tons, armed with eight 6-inch guns and with a speed of 25½ knots. The Chatham was the first ship to serve in the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, which was established in 1921.
Dunedin and Diomede
On loan from the Imperial Government, the Chatham was replaced in 1924 by H.M.S. Dunedin, a D class cruiser of 4750 tons. She was armed with six 6-inch guns and had a speed of 29 knots. The following year the Dunedin was joined on the New Zealand station by a sister ship, H.M.S. Diomede. : These two cruisers remained on the station for the next 10 years and it was the Diomede which assisted the stricken town of Napier after the 1931 earthquake.
The two D class cruisers were followed in 1936 and 1937 by the light cruisers Achilles and Leander. Both these ships were to serve New Zealand with distinction in the years that were to follow, and they were also to become the first of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s cruisers.
The Achilles is well remembered for the part she played at the outbreak of the Second World War, when in company with the Royal Navy cruisers, Exeter and Ajax, she forced the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee to scuttle herself at the mouth of the River Plate.
Later in the war in 1943 the Achilles was in action with Japanese aircraft and received a direct hit on one gun turret. In this action 13 men were killed and eight seriously wounded. She returned to the United Kingdom for a long refit and was paid off later the same year.
Escorted Transports
The Leander, too, is well remembered by many New Zealanders as one of the escorts for the six transports which carried the first Echelon of New Zealand troops to the Middle East in 1940. In the same year that the Achilles was hit by aircraft, the Leander was damaged by torpedoes in a night action against the Japanese known as the Battle of Kolombangara. The Leander's casualties were 28 killed and 15 injured.
New Zealand’s next cruiser was H.M.N.Z.S. Gambia. An 8000-ton cruiser armed with 12 6-inch guns, she was manned by the officers and men of the Achilles. She joined the British Eastern Fleet at Trincomalee early in 1944 and took part in actions against the Japanese bases at Sabang and Surabaya. The Achilles recommissioned later the same year and both cruisers took part in the final operations against Japan in 1945.
At the conclusion of hostilities both the Achilles and Gambia reverted to the Royal Navy and were replaced by the Dido class cruisers Bellona and Black Prince. In 1953 the Government announced its decision to acquire a modernised Dido class cruiser, H.M.N.Z.S. Royalist. The old cruiser Bellona was taken from reserve and sailed to the United Kingdom where her ship’s company took over the new ship.
In 1956 the Royalist, then the most-modern cruiser of her type in the world, was commissioned under the command of Captain P. Phipps, R.N.Z.N. The last of a gallant line the Royalist served New Zealand well for 10 years until she was declared surplus last year and tenders were called for her to be scrapped. New Zealand will never again see a cruiser of the Philomel, Achilles or Royalist brand, but their names will not be forgotten. The old cruisers have been succeeded by the modem frigate, a ship of similar size, but one which is harder hitting, faster and more versatile than the cruiser.
Scrapping Of Royalist Marks End Of Era In N.Z. Navy
The cruiser Royalist, now being towed from her berth at Devonport to Japan to be scrapped marks the end of an era in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy. The successful tenderer for the remains of the cruiser, which has been stripped of all serviceable equipment, is the Nissho Company, of Osaka, Japan.
Withdrawn from service in the Royal New Zealand Navy late in 1965, the Royalist was the last of 10 cruisers to serve New Zealand over a period of 50 years. First of the line was the 2575-ton light cruiser Philomel, which was built before the turn of the century and arrived in New Zealand in July, 1914. The Philomel’s stay in New Zealand was short On August 4. at the outbreak of the First World War, she left the country and for the next three years was engaged on escort duty and naval operations in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. The light cruiser returned to New Zealand in 1917 and at the end of the war was presented to the Government as a training ship by the Admiralty.
After years of service to the Navy both at sea and alongside as a stationary training ship, the Philomel was broken up in 1946. Her name has been retained for the Navy’s major shore base, H.M.N.Z.S. Philomel, at Devonport, Auckland.
New Zealand’s next cruiser was H.M.S. Chatham, a City Class ship of 5400 tons, armed with eight 6-inch guns and with a speed of 25½ knots. The Chatham was the first ship to serve in the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, which was established in 1921.
Dunedin and Diomede
On loan from the Imperial Government, the Chatham was replaced in 1924 by H.M.S. Dunedin, a D class cruiser of 4750 tons. She was armed with six 6-inch guns and had a speed of 29 knots. The following year the Dunedin was joined on the New Zealand station by a sister ship, H.M.S. Diomede. : These two cruisers remained on the station for the next 10 years and it was the Diomede which assisted the stricken town of Napier after the 1931 earthquake.
The two D class cruisers were followed in 1936 and 1937 by the light cruisers Achilles and Leander. Both these ships were to serve New Zealand with distinction in the years that were to follow, and they were also to become the first of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s cruisers.
The Achilles is well remembered for the part she played at the outbreak of the Second World War, when in company with the Royal Navy cruisers, Exeter and Ajax, she forced the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee to scuttle herself at the mouth of the River Plate.
Later in the war in 1943 the Achilles was in action with Japanese aircraft and received a direct hit on one gun turret. In this action 13 men were killed and eight seriously wounded. She returned to the United Kingdom for a long refit and was paid off later the same year.
Escorted Transports
The Leander, too, is well remembered by many New Zealanders as one of the escorts for the six transports which carried the first Echelon of New Zealand troops to the Middle East in 1940. In the same year that the Achilles was hit by aircraft, the Leander was damaged by torpedoes in a night action against the Japanese known as the Battle of Kolombangara. The Leander's casualties were 28 killed and 15 injured.
New Zealand’s next cruiser was H.M.N.Z.S. Gambia. An 8000-ton cruiser armed with 12 6-inch guns, she was manned by the officers and men of the Achilles. She joined the British Eastern Fleet at Trincomalee early in 1944 and took part in actions against the Japanese bases at Sabang and Surabaya. The Achilles recommissioned later the same year and both cruisers took part in the final operations against Japan in 1945.
At the conclusion of hostilities both the Achilles and Gambia reverted to the Royal Navy and were replaced by the Dido class cruisers Bellona and Black Prince. In 1953 the Government announced its decision to acquire a modernised Dido class cruiser, H.M.N.Z.S. Royalist. The old cruiser Bellona was taken from reserve and sailed to the United Kingdom where her ship’s company took over the new ship.
In 1956 the Royalist, then the most-modern cruiser of her type in the world, was commissioned under the command of Captain P. Phipps, R.N.Z.N. The last of a gallant line the Royalist served New Zealand well for 10 years until she was declared surplus last year and tenders were called for her to be scrapped. New Zealand will never again see a cruiser of the Philomel, Achilles or Royalist brand, but their names will not be forgotten. The old cruisers have been succeeded by the modem frigate, a ship of similar size, but one which is harder hitting, faster and more versatile than the cruiser.
