HMNZS Kiwi (T102)

HMNZS Kiwi (T102) was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy.

NameHMNZS Kiwi (T102)

BuilderHenry Robb Ltd. Scotland.

Commissioned20 October 1941

Decommissioned20 December 1956

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Night action off Guadalcanal HMNZS Kiwi and Japanese submarine I-1
History
New Zealand
Name	HMNZS Kiwi (T102)
Builder	Henry Robb Ltd. Scotland.
Commissioned	20 October 1941
Decommissioned	20 December 1956
General characteristics
Class & type	Bird class minesweeper
Displacement	607 tons standard 923 tons full load
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 guns Twin Lewis guns 40 depth charges

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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 large 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. Leading Signalman Campbell Howard Buchanan (7 April 1920, Port Chalmers – 31 January 1943, Tulagi) manned the Kiwi's searchlight during the action and remained at his post despite having been mortally wounded. He was posthumously mentioned in despatches and awarded the United States Navy Cross.^[3][4]

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.