Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Sir Peter Phipps, (7 December 1908 – 18 September 1989) was a senior officer of 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 ...

(RNZN) from the 1940s to 1960s. Born in Sydney, Australia, Phipps served with the Royal Navy and then RNZN during the Second World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) in 1941 for his service as commander of an anti-submarine trawler in English waters. He later served in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

and for his part in the sinking of a Japanese submarine at

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

, he was awarded a

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

to his DSC and the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

awarded him the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

, their second highest award for valour. In the postwar period, he was seconded to the Royal Navy for a time and also commanded the cruiser HMNZS ''Royalist''. Phipps was the first New Zealander to reach the rank of

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

in the RNZN. He was also served as Chief of Naval Staff and the first Chief of Defence Staff. He was killed in a car accident in 1989.

Early life

Born on 7 December 1908 in Sydney, Australia, Peter Phipps was the son of Fanny Seymour . His mother had married Claude Seymour. He was raised in Christchurch. After completing his education at Christchurch Boys’ High School in 1926, he found employment at the

National Bank of New Zealand The National Bank of New Zealand Limited (NBNZ), often referred to as The National Bank, was one of New Zealand's largest banks. Throughout much of its history, the National Bank provided commercial banking services to mainly major industrial a ...

. Developing an interest in the sea following sailing trips with Scott, Phipps joined the Sea Scouts. He took part in a voyage from Christchurch to Wellington aboard the

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

HMS ''Chatham'' and a few years later, in 1928, he enlisted in the

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roya ...

(RNVR) as an ordinary seaman. He was commissioned as an officer two years later. In 1933, Phipps moved to

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of ...

, on the West Coast, continuing in his career with the National Bank. He remained there until 1936, at which time he shifted north, to

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

. He also transferred to the Wellington branch of the RNVR. Late the following year, he was involved in a boating accident while in command of a whaler. It had capsized while cruising in

Wellington Harbour Wellington Harbour ( ), officially called Wellington Harbour / Port Nicholson, is a large natural harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. The harbour entrance is from Cook Strait. Central Wellington is located on parts of ...

and he freed a sailor that had been trapped in the upturned superstructure.

Second World War

On the outbreak of the Second World War, Phipps was called up for military service and posted to the Navy Office in Wellington, where he served as an intelligence officer. In May 1940, he was seconded to the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and traveled to the United Kingdom where he was given his first command. This was the anti-submarine trawler HMS ''Bay'', part of the 24th Minesweeping/Anti-Submarine Flotilla, which operated on

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

duties in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

. On his first trip in ''Bay'', it was struck by two bombs which failed to explode. In July 1941, he was promoted to lieutenant commander. He performed competently as the captain of ''Bay'' and was recommended for higher command. He had earlier been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for "For courage and devotion to duty in Channel Convoys". In late 1941 Phipps transferred to the newly formed

(RNZN) and appointed commander of HMNZS ''Scarba'', one of four ''Isles'' class minesweeping trawlers purchased for New Zealand. After an initial period of time spent doing escort duties, the ''Scarba'' left British waters in March 1942 as part of a convoy bound for Canada, before travelling onto New Zealand, where it arrived on 4 August 1942. Phipps then became the commanding officer of HMNZS ''Moa'', another minesweeper vessel but of the Bird-class. At the time, the morale of the crew was low but Phipps soon improved their spirits and overall efficiency. The ''Moa'' was part of the RNZN's 25th Minesweeping Flotilla which, served in Noumea from September to December. However ''Moa'' was detached for some of this time doing escort duties around

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...

. On 9 December 1942, the flotilla was sent to support the Allied operations in the

Service in the Solomons

The flotilla was initially used in anti-submarine patrols around

Cape Esperance Cape Esperance () is the northernmost point on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. History The Battle of Cape Esperance, one of several naval engagements fought in the waters north of the island during the World War II Guadalcanal campaign, took its ...

and on 29 January 1943, ''Moa'' along with her sister ship ''Kiwi'', sank the Japanese submarine ''I-1'' which was supporting

Operation Ke was the largely successful withdrawal of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal, concluding the Guadalcanal Campaign of . The operation took place between 14 January and 7 February 1943, and involved both Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and Imperial ...

during the

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...

. Both ships were patrolling at Guadalcanal and ''Kiwi''s depth-charge attack brought the submarine to the surface. She attempted to escape but was rammed by ''Kiwi'' while ''Moa'' continued to provide illumination with

star shell A shell, in a modern military context, is a projectile whose payload contains an explosive, incendiary, or other chemical filling. Originally it was called a bombshell, but "shell" has come to be unambiguous in a military context. A shell c ...

s. ''Moa'' pursued and pressed home the attack upon the I-1, which eventually ran aground on a reef. Two days later, ''Moa'' attacked Japanese landing barges, sinking one of them. Phipps was awarded a

to his DSC and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for these actions. Wreck of Japanese submarine I-1 off Guadalcanal 1943

In April 1943, ''Moa'' was sunk when it was attacked while refueling at Tulagi Harbour, by

Aichi D3A The Aichi D3A (Navy designation "Type 99 Carrier Bomber"; World War II Allied names for Japanese aircraft, Allied reporting name "Val") is a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber. It was the primary dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Na ...

"Val"

dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

s. The attack killed five seamen and wounded another 15. One of the wounded was Phipps, who had a bomb penetrate the roof of his cabin and pass through the floor where it exploded beneath him. He received shrapnel injuries and also broken bones in his ankles. His injuries were such that he returned to New Zealand to convalesce. After 12 months of recovery, he was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

and appointed to lead the 25th Minesweeping Flotilla, still in the Solomon Islands. His vessel, HMNZS ''Matai'', was the lead ship up until December 1944, at which time he switched to HMNZS ''Arabis''. Under his command, the flotilla built a reputation for efficiency and good work. He was the

New Zealand Government The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...

's representative at the surrender of the Japanese forces in

Nauru Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies within the Micronesia subregion of Oceania, with its nearest neighbour being Banaba (part of ...

and Ocean Island.

Postwar career

After the war, Phipps remained in the RNZN. He commanded the training base HMNZS ''Philomel'', where in April 1947 he had to deal with a mutiny of sailors from the base and several ships, over low pay and poor working conditions. He diplomatically handled the situation to the satisfaction of both his senior officer and the disaffected sailors. He then became the

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

of the

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

HMNZS ''Bellona''. He struggled in this capacity in light of his background, coming from the RNVR, as well as his lack of experience on larger vessels. He went on to command HMNZS Tamaki, a naval training station on

Motuihe Island Motuihe Island (official name: Motuihe Island / Te Motu-a-Ihenga) lies between Motutapu and Waiheke islands in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, near Auckland. The island measures , of which around are remnants of coastal forest. The island ...

. In 1952, Phipps was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and the following year undertook a series of technical courses in England. He then spent 18 months on an exchange with the Royal Navy; he served as the Deputy Director of the Operations Division at the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

. The position was normally filled by a more senior officer but he performed satisfactorily. In 1955, the RNZN was in the progress of upgrading its fleet and arranged the purchase of HMS ''Royalist'' to replace ''Bellona''. When Phipps was consulted, he counseled against the purchase, believing it would be a disaster for New Zealand. He then found out that he was to become the first commander of the new ship, to be designated HMNZS ''Royalist''. In September 1955, he took charge of ''Bellona'' for its voyage from New Zealand back to the United Kingdom in preparation for the exchange with ''Royalist''. He took formal command of ''Royalist'' in April 1956, having delayed its commissioning by ten days due to his dissatisfaction with its condition. ''Royalist'' was based in Malta while its crew learnt their operational duties. It nearly became involved in the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...

as part of the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

but pressure from the New Zealand Government saw it withdrawn. The ship arrived in New Zealand in December 1956 and Phipps relinquished his command of the ship. An appointment to the New Zealand Naval Board followed; he was the first New Zealander to serve on the board. On 1 April 1960, Phipps, now a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

, was named Chief of Naval Staff, the first New Zealander to hold the post. His appointment caused some controversy; it was tradition that an officer from the Royal Navy be named in the position but the New Zealand Government felt this may not be in the country's best interest. The

First Sea Lord First Sea Lord, officially known as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS), is the title of a statutory position in the British Armed Forces, held by an Admiral (Royal Navy), admiral or a General (United Kingdom), general of the ...

of the Admiralty,

Lord Mountbatten Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg; 25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979), commonly known as Lord Mountbatten, was ...

protested the decision but to no avail. In 1963, Phipps was appointed the first Chief of Defence Staff. He played a role in the establishment of the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

, working alongside

Dean Eyre Dean Jack Eyre (8 May 1914 – 19 May 2007) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Biography Early life and career Eyre was born in Westport in 1914. His father was an official with the Customs Department and due to this the fa ...

, the

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

at the time. He was knighted for his services in the

1964 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1964 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

, having previously been appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(Military Division) in the 1962 New Year Honours. Shortly before his retirement on 30 June 1965, he was promoted to

Later life

In his retirement, Phipps lived in the

Marlborough Sounds The Marlborough Sounds (Māori language, te reo Māori: ''Te Tauihu-o-te-Waka'') are an extensive network of ria, sea-drowned valleys at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand. The Marlborough Sounds were created by a combination ...

. He was involved in the directorship of a few companies but spent most of his time sailing and breeding

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

s native to New Zealand. In 1983 his wife, Jessie , who he had married in 1938, died. Four years later, he was married again, to Olwen Jones. He died in a car crash on 18 September 1989. He was survived by his second wife and three children from his first marriage. Phipps' medals are held by the National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy and include his neck badge for the Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, the Distinguished Service Cross and bar, Navy Cross as well as his service and campaign awards: the 1939-45 Star, the

Atlantic Star The Atlantic Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to Commonwealth of Nations, British Commonwealth forces who took part in the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous campaign of the ...

, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-45,

New Zealand War Service Medal The New Zealand War Service Medal (NZWSM) was a New Zealand campaign medal for service in World War II. Award criteria The NZWSM was approved in 1946, and was awarded to members of the New Zealand armed forces, the National Military Reserve an ...

Volunteer Reserve Decoration The Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, post-nominal letters VD until c. 1947 and VRD thereafter, was instituted in 1908. It could be awarded to part-time commissioned officers in the United Kingdom's Royal Naval Volunt ...

, and the 1953 Coronation Medal.

Notes

References

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