Coastal Forces of the Royal New Zealand Navy

Within six months of its creation the RNZN commissioned twelve Class B Fairmiles and sixteen Harbour Defence Motor Launches (HDMLs) On 4 April 1941 the British War Cabinet approved a proposal for a striking force of anti-submarine motor-boats, six at Auckland, four at Wellington, and two at Lyttelton.Delays occurred in the delivery of prefabricated components, the difficulty in getting supplies of first-class kauri timber and a serious shortage of skilled labour.[3] A local historian wrote, "This vessel was used in Tauranga for fishing trips until Gallaghers brought it to Raglan in the 1960s to extract its motor for the area’s first commercial trawler.On 14 January 1944, Vice-Admiral William Halsey, Jr., Commander, South Pacific Area (part of the larger Pacific Ocean Areas), informed the New Zealand Naval Board that the "current employment of Japanese submarines and estimates of their future employment indicate immunity from the submarine menace in New Zealand waters".He proposed that the New Zealand Fairmile motor launches should be employed in the Solomon Islands, relieving American destroyers and patrol vessels for duty elsewhere.During the seventeen months of their service in the Solomons, from March 1944 until June 1945, the twelve Fairmiles logged 380,000 miles (610,000 km) on anti-submarine screen patrols and on escorting ships.Though they were not tested by enemy action, the anti-submarine fixed defences at Wellington and Auckland attained a high degree of efficiency.
RNZN Ensign
RNZN Ensign
The commander of a New Zealand Fairmile looking through a small coloured disc which allowed him to look into the sky for enemy planes without damaging his eyes
Royal New Zealand NavyCruisersFrigatesCorvettesMinesweepersPatrol boatsLogistic supportSurvey and researchDiving tendersTraining shipsPort vesselsNaval basesAlphabetical list1921–411913–21EarlierCoastal ForcesRoyal NavyWorld War IImotor launchessubmarine chasersair-sea rescuemotor gun boatsmotor torpedo boatsnaval trawlerslanding craftClass B FairmilesHarbour Defence Motor LaunchesAucklandWellingtonLytteltonFairmile Marine2-pdr (40 mm) gun20 mm Oerlikon cannon0.303 inVickers GOdepth chargesASDIC sonarpendant numbersWaihekeSri LankaWaitomoHMNZS Maori (P3570)HMNZS Kahu II (P3571)William Halsey, Jr.South Pacific AreaPacific Ocean AreasRussell IslandsGreat Barrier IslandMako (P3551)anti-submarineAxis naval activity in New Zealand watersMinesweepers of the Royal New Zealand NavyCoastal Forces of the Royal NavyCoastal Forces of the Royal Canadian NavyCoastal Forces of the Royal Australian NavyCoastal Forces of World War IIHarbour defence motor launchFairmile A motor launchFairmile B motor launchCanadian Fairmile BCoastal motor boatMotor torpedo boatFairmile D motor torpedo boatVosper 73 ft motor torpedo boatMotor gunboatFairmile C motor gun boatSteam gun boat