For other ships with the same name, see HMNZS Hawea.
HMNZS Hawea (F422), formerly HMS Loch Eck (K422), was one of six Loch-class frigates that served in both the Royal Navy (RN) and the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). The ship was laid down by Smiths Dock on 25 October 1943, launched on 25 April 1944 and commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Loch Eck on 7 November 1944.
Loch Eck joined the 10th Escort Group in the Western Approaches in December 1944 for anti-submarine patrols and support for convoy escorts. In January 1945 the Group was transferred to Scapa Flow for anti-submarine operations in the Faeroes–Iceland Gap. On 3 February she sank the German submarine U-327 north-west of Shetland with her Squid (mortar) after Hedgehog (mortar) attacks by the frigates Bayntun and Braithwaite. On 14 February she took part in the sinking of U-989, and on the 17 February of U-1278 in the same area.[1]
After a refit at the Charles Hill & Sons shipyard in Bristol in June and July, she sailed for the Indian Ocean in August, to join the East Indies Escort Force. There she carried out Guard ship and military support duties, as well as the repatriation of military and civilian personnel. She was also present at the formal Japanese surrender of Bali in February 1946 and at Lombok in March. She sailed for home in May, but her return to the UK was delayed after a collision in Colombo with a Navy cutter. She returned to Devonport to decommission on 13 August 1946.[1]
Transfer to New ZealandEdit
Loch Ech was one of six Loch-class frigates sold to the Royal New Zealand Navy. Renamed HMNZS Hawea, she was acquired on 7 September 1948, and commissioned on 1 October 1948.[2]
Since the Admiralty named the Loch-class ships after Scottish lakes, the six in New Zealand service were renamed after New Zealand lakes. Lake Hāwea is a glacial lake located in the Central Otago region of New Zealand. The name is Māori and is thought to refer to a local tribe although the exact meaning is uncertain. Hawea was the first of three ships with this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Royal New Zealand Navy serviceEdit
After commissioning at DevonportHawea sailed for the Mediterranean with three other Loch-class frigates. After exercises with the Mediterranean Fleet in November, she sailed for Auckland, via the Suez Canal and Indian Ocean, arriving in January 1949 to join the 11th Frigate Flotilla.[1]
On 22 March 1949 Hawea participated in sinking the coal hulk Occident in Palliser Bay.
In 1949 Hawea carried out patrols in the Pacific, visiting Suva, Fiji and Samoa. After a refit from October to February 1950 she was transferred on loan to 2nd Frigate Flotilla of the Mediterranean Fleet, with her sister shipTaupo joining the flotilla at Malta in May for Fleet exercises and cruises. She returned to Auckland in November.[1]
Korean WarEdit
The Korean War started on 25 June 1950 when North Korean forces crossed the 38°N parallel and invaded South Korea. The New Zealand Government decided to maintain two frigates in support of a United Nations Naval Force assisting South Korea. Hawea's sister ships, Pukaki and Tutira, were hurriedly prepared for war service and sailed for Sasebo, their main base in Japan, on 3 July 1950. They did escort and patrol services, often working with Commonwealth, South Korean and other Allied ships, and in support of amphibious landings. The frigates were rotated in turn with the other four Loch frigates.
In February 1951 Hawea sailed to Kure, Japan, to join the United Nations Task Force. In May she was deployed for convoy defence, patrol and bombardment duties off the west coast of Korea. On 18 May she shelled a gun position on the coast, the first time that an RNZN ship fired on the enemy. From June to December she provided navigational data for bombardments in the Han River estuary, shelling rail traffic and maintaining a blockade.[1] On 15 September 1951, Hawea swamped a 7.6-metre (25 ft) motor boat which sank in the Han River estuary while navigating swift tidal channels to reach a bombardment position.
In February 1952 she was relieved by Rotoiti, returning to Auckland on 8 March. She had spent 272 days at sea, steamed 55,000 miles, and fired 21,000 rounds of ammunition. After refit and maintenance at Auckland from April to June she returned to Korea in October for further operations. After the Armistice Agreement of July 1953 she returned to Auckland, arriving there in August.[1]
Later serviceEdit
After a refit she returned to the 11th Frigate Flotilla in February 1954 for patrols and port visits. In December 1956 she and Pukaki escorted the supply ship Endeavour in a passage to the Southern Ocean, sailing from Bluff to the edge of the pack ice. Endeavour was taking Sir Edmund Hillary and members of the Trans-Antarctic Expedition to make a trans-polar crossing as part of International Geophysical Year.[1]
Decommissioning and fateEdit
On 15 February 1957 Hawea was decommissioned and put into reserve. The ship was used as a Harbour Training ship in Auckland until sold for breaking up in September 1965.[1] On 15 November 1965 Hawea and sister ship Pukaki were towed by the tug Atlas to a breaker's yard in Hong Kong.
McDougall, R J (1989) New Zealand Naval Vessels. Page 37–41. Government Printing Office. ISBN978-0-477-01399-4
October 18, 2023
hmnzs, hawea, f422, other, ships, with, same, name, hmnzs, hawea, formerly, loch, k422, loch, class, frigates, that, served, both, royal, navy, royal, zealand, navy, rnzn, ship, laid, down, smiths, dock, october, 1943, launched, april, 1944, commissioned, into. For other ships with the same name see HMNZS Hawea HMNZS Hawea F422 formerly HMS Loch Eck K422 was one of six Loch class frigates that served in both the Royal Navy RN and the Royal New Zealand Navy RNZN The ship was laid down by Smiths Dock on 25 October 1943 launched on 25 April 1944 and commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Loch Eck on 7 November 1944 Loch Eck in October 1944HistoryUnited KingdomNameHMS Loch EckNamesakeLoch EckOrdered25 January 1943BuilderSmiths Dock Company MiddlesbroughYard number1129Laid down25 October 1943Launched25 April 1944Commissioned7 November 1944Decommissioned13 August 1946Honours andawardsAtlantic 1945 North Sea 1945FateSold to New Zealand 1948New ZealandNameHMNZS HaweaNamesakeLake HaweaAcquired7 September 1948Commissioned1 October 1948Decommissioned15 February 1957ReclassifiedTraining ship in 1961MottoKia Toa Be brave Honours andawardsKorea 1951 53FateSold for breaking up September 1965General characteristicsClass and typeLoch class frigateDisplacement1 435 tons standard 2 250 tons full loadLength87 2 m 286 ft p p 93 7 m 307 ft o aBeam11 8 m 39 ft Draught4 3 m 14 ft full loadPropulsion2 Admiralty 3 drum boilers 2 shafts 4 cylinder vertical triple expansion reciprocating engines 5 500 ihp 4 100 kW Speed19 5 knots 36 1 km h Range730 tons oil fuel 9 500 nautical miles 17 600 km at 12 knots 22 km h Complement114Armament1 QF 4 inch Mark V on one single mounting HA MkIII 4 QF 2 pounder MkVII on 1 quad mount MkVII 2 40 mm Bofors A A on 2 single mounts Mk III Up to 8 20 mm Oerlikon A A on single mounts MkIII 2 Squid triple barreled A S mortars 1 rail and 2 throwers for depth charges Contents 1 Royal Navy service 2 Transfer to New Zealand 3 Royal New Zealand Navy service 3 1 Korean War 3 2 Later service 4 Decommissioning and fate 5 See also 6 References 7 BibliographyRoyal Navy service EditLoch Eck joined the 10th Escort Group in the Western Approaches in December 1944 for anti submarine patrols and support for convoy escorts In January 1945 the Group was transferred to Scapa Flow for anti submarine operations in the Faeroes Iceland Gap On 3 February she sank the German submarine U 327 north west of Shetland with her Squid mortar after Hedgehog mortar attacks by the frigates Bayntun and Braithwaite On 14 February she took part in the sinking of U 989 and on the 17 February of U 1278 in the same area 1 In March the Group was redeployed in the English Channel and South Western Approaches as Force 38 In April Loch Eck carried out trials of new sonobuoy submarine detection equipment On 23 May the ship was attached to Rosyth Command to support Operation Doomsday the reoccupation of Norway On 1 June she escorted U 2529 from Kristiansund to Loch Eriboll as part of Operation Deadlight returning to Norway on 6 June as part of the escort for Convoy RN1 taking King Haakon VII of Norway to Oslo 1 After a refit at the Charles Hill amp Sons shipyard in Bristol in June and July she sailed for the Indian Ocean in August to join the East Indies Escort Force There she carried out Guard ship and military support duties as well as the repatriation of military and civilian personnel She was also present at the formal Japanese surrender of Bali in February 1946 and at Lombok in March She sailed for home in May but her return to the UK was delayed after a collision in Colombo with a Navy cutter She returned to Devonport to decommission on 13 August 1946 1 Transfer to New Zealand EditLoch Ech was one of six Loch class frigates sold to the Royal New Zealand Navy Renamed HMNZS Hawea she was acquired on 7 September 1948 and commissioned on 1 October 1948 2 Since the Admiralty named the Loch class ships after Scottish lakes the six in New Zealand service were renamed after New Zealand lakes Lake Hawea is a glacial lake located in the Central Otago region of New Zealand The name is Maori and is thought to refer to a local tribe although the exact meaning is uncertain Hawea was the first of three ships with this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy Royal New Zealand Navy service EditAfter commissioning at Devonport Hawea sailed for the Mediterranean with three other Loch class frigates After exercises with the Mediterranean Fleet in November she sailed for Auckland via the Suez Canal and Indian Ocean arriving in January 1949 to join the 11th Frigate Flotilla 1 On 22 March 1949 Hawea participated in sinking the coal hulk Occident in Palliser Bay In 1949 Hawea carried out patrols in the Pacific visiting Suva Fiji and Samoa After a refit from October to February 1950 she was transferred on loan to 2nd Frigate Flotilla of the Mediterranean Fleet with her sister ship Taupo joining the flotilla at Malta in May for Fleet exercises and cruises She returned to Auckland in November 1 Korean War Edit The Korean War started on 25 June 1950 when North Korean forces crossed the 38 N parallel and invaded South Korea The New Zealand Government decided to maintain two frigates in support of a United Nations Naval Force assisting South Korea Hawea s sister ships Pukaki and Tutira were hurriedly prepared for war service and sailed for Sasebo their main base in Japan on 3 July 1950 They did escort and patrol services often working with Commonwealth South Korean and other Allied ships and in support of amphibious landings The frigates were rotated in turn with the other four Loch frigates In February 1951 Hawea sailed to Kure Japan to join the United Nations Task Force In May she was deployed for convoy defence patrol and bombardment duties off the west coast of Korea On 18 May she shelled a gun position on the coast the first time that an RNZN ship fired on the enemy From June to December she provided navigational data for bombardments in the Han River estuary shelling rail traffic and maintaining a blockade 1 On 15 September 1951 Hawea swamped a 7 6 metre 25 ft motor boat which sank in the Han River estuary while navigating swift tidal channels to reach a bombardment position In February 1952 she was relieved by Rotoiti returning to Auckland on 8 March She had spent 272 days at sea steamed 55 000 miles and fired 21 000 rounds of ammunition After refit and maintenance at Auckland from April to June she returned to Korea in October for further operations After the Armistice Agreement of July 1953 she returned to Auckland arriving there in August 1 Later service Edit After a refit she returned to the 11th Frigate Flotilla in February 1954 for patrols and port visits In December 1956 she and Pukaki escorted the supply ship Endeavour in a passage to the Southern Ocean sailing from Bluff to the edge of the pack ice Endeavour was taking Sir Edmund Hillary and members of the Trans Antarctic Expedition to make a trans polar crossing as part of International Geophysical Year 1 Decommissioning and fate EditOn 15 February 1957 Hawea was decommissioned and put into reserve The ship was used as a Harbour Training ship in Auckland until sold for breaking up in September 1965 1 On 15 November 1965 Hawea and sister ship Pukaki were towed by the tug Atlas to a breaker s yard in Hong Kong See also EditFrigates of the Royal New Zealand NavyReferences Edit a b c d e f g h i Mason Geoffrey B 2005 Gordon Smith ed HMS Loch Eck frigate naval history net Retrieved 12 March 2010 Raymond V B Blackman ed Jane s Fighting Ships 1963 4 London Sampson Low Marston amp Co Ltd p 184 Bibliography EditColledge J J Warlow Ben 2006 1969 Ships of the Royal Navy The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy Rev ed London Chatham Publishing ISBN 978 1 86176 281 8 McDougall R J 1989 New Zealand Naval Vessels Page 37 41 Government Printing Office ISBN 978 0 477 01399 4 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title HMNZS Hawea F422 amp oldid 1176555622, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
