HMNZS Waima

HMNZS Waima was one of eight steel New Zealand-built Castle-class trawlers built and commissioned by the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II.

HMNZS Waima
History
New Zealand
Name	Waima
Builder	Stevenson & Cook, Port Chalmers
Launched	3 April 1943
Commissioned	28 March 1944
Decommissioned	1945
Identification	Pennant number: T33/T349
Fate	Sold to Red Funnel Trawlers
Australia
Name	Moona
Owner	Red Funnel Trawlers
Acquired	1946
In service	1946
Out of service	1960
Fate	Scrapped in 1963
General characteristics
Class and type	Castle-class minesweeper
Tonnage	290 GRT
Displacement	625 tons
Length	135 ft (41 m)
Beam	23 ft (7.0 m)
Depth	13 feet (4.0 m)
Propulsion	Single screw, triple reciprocating engine
Speed	10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)

Background

The vessel was ordered after the New Zealand government, facing a requirement for more minesweepers to operate in home waters, chose the Castle-class design because it was simple enough to be built with the country's limited ship construction facilities at the time.^[1]

Operational history

Waima was the eighth of the nine steel minesweepers constructed for the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) and was commissioned on 28 March 1944. the others being Aroha, Awatere, Hautapu, Maimai, Pahau, Waiho, Waipu, and Waikato (never commissioned). She served with the 96th Auxiliary Minesweeping Group, located at Lyttelton.^[2] In September 1945, Waima along with the Waiho and Waipu were converted into danlayers, with operations ceasing October 1945 due to coal shortages, resuming in March 1946 with a guaranteed supply of coal for all 3 trawlers with them making up part of the 25th Auxiliary Minesweeping Division, which was formed to sweep the Waitematā Harbour for a final time.^[3][2][1]

Post RNZN history

Waima would be sold to Red Funnel Trawlers, located in Sydney in May 1946, being towed to Australia by the Matai, arriving on 12 September 1946.^[3] She would be renamed to Moona, and began trawling that same year, being laid up in 1958. She would temporarily re-enter service in mid-1959 but would be laid up once again in 1960.^[3] In 1963, she would be sold to Robin & Co. Ltd, located in Singapore to be scrapped.^[3]