HMNZS ''Waima'' was one of eight steel New Zealand-built Castle-class trawlers built and commissioned by the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; ) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of eight ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act 1913, and the subsequent acquisition of the cruiser , whi ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Background

The vessel was ordered after the New Zealand government, facing a requirement for more

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s to operate in home waters, chose the design because it was simple enough to be built with the country's limited ship construction facilities at the time.

Operational history

''Waima'' was the eighth of the nine steel minesweepers constructed for the

(RNZN) and was commissioned on 28 March 1944. the others being ''

Aroha Aroha is a Māori language, Māori word meaning "love", cognate with the Hawaiian term ''aloha''. It is also a given name, and can be either masculine or feminine. Notable people Notable people with the name include: * Aroha Awarau, journali ...

'', '' Awatere'', ''

Hautapu Hautapu is a township in the Waipa District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, located just north of Cambridge, New Zealand, Cambridge across State Highway 1 (New Zealand), State Highway 1. The area was identified as the Hautapu ...

'', , '' Pahau'', '' Waiho'', '' Waipu'', and ''

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

'' (never commissioned). She served with the 96th Auxiliary Minesweeping Group, located at Lyttelton. In September 1945, ''Waima'' along with the ''Waiho'' and ''Waipu'' were converted into

danlayer A danlayer was a type of vessel assigned to minesweeping flotillas during and immediately after World War II. They were usually small trawlers, fitted for the purpose of laying dans. A dan is a marker buoy which consists of a long pole moored ...

s, 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 The Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city ...

for a final time.

Post RNZN history

''Waima'' would be sold to Red Funnel Trawlers, located in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in May 1946, being towed to Australia by the '' Matai'', arriving on 12 September 1946. She would be renamed to ''Moona'', and began

trawling Trawling is an industrial method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net used for trawling is called a trawl. This principle requires netting bags which are towed through water to catch di ...

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. In 1963, she would be sold to Robin & Co. Ltd, located in Singapore to be scrapped.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waima Castle-class trawlers of the Royal New Zealand Navy 1943 ships Minesweepers of the Royal New Zealand Navy Trawlers