SHIP OF THE WEEK – HMNZS MAORI (Q409, P3570)

  Ex HMNZS Maori ML409 Ex HMNZS Maori ML409 Waiheke ferries Iris Moana ex HMNZS Maori - ML409 and Ngaroma ex ML402 (underway) at Auckland's ferry terminal 1980's.Both ships were sold to Singapore between 1987 and 1992.I assume Ngaroma still survives,but Iris Moana,on a voyage to Sri Lanka was captured and subsequently sunk by the Tamill Tiger separatists. HMNZS Maori (P3570) Career (New Zealand) Royal New Zealand naval ensign Laid down: 1942 Commissioned: 1953 Decommissioned: 1963 General characteristics Class & type: Fairmile B class motor launch Displacement: 85 tons Length: 112 ft (34 m) Beam: 18 ft 3 in (5.56 m) Draught: 4 ft 9 in (1.45 m) Propulsion: Twin petrol engines totaling 1,200 bhp Speed: 20 knots Range: 1500 miles at 12 kt Complement: 16 Sensors and processing systems: ASDIC Armament: 1 x 3-lb Mk I gun 1 x twin 0.303-in Machineguns 12 depth charges Armour: Wheelhouse plated HMNZS Maori (P3570) was a Fairmile B Motor Launch of the Royal New Zealand Navy Originally commissioned on 20 December 1943 with pennant number Q 409, she was part of the 80th Motor Launch Flotilla. Early in 1944 she went to the Solomon Islands where she served under the operational control of COMSOPAC. After the end of the war she was sold. In 1953 she was repurchased and recommissioned as HMNZS Maori (P3570).[1] In 1963 she was sold again and became the Auckland-Waiheke ferry Iris Moana. file:///C:/Users/John/Desktop/Desktop%20photos%20Downloads/Ngapona_Assn_Newsletter_200511.pdf SHIP OF THE WEEK – HMNZS MAORI (Q409, P3570) HMNZS Maori was a Fairmile B Motor Launch of the Royal New Zealand Navy She was constructed in Auckland during the second world war for about £35,000. Originally commissioned on 20 December 1943 with pennant number Q 409, she was part of the 80th Motor Launch Flotilla. Early in 1944 she went to the Solomon Islands where she served under the operational control of COMSOPAC. In 1947 she was sold to a private buyer. In 1953 she was repurchased by the RNZN and recommissioned as HMNZS Maori (P3570). In 1963 she was sold again and became the Auckland-Waiheke ferry Iris Moana. Vital stats Length: 107 feet Beam: 18 feet Draft: 6.6feet Hull: wood Owners: North Shore ferries 1965-1981; Devonport Steam Ferry Group of Companies, 1981-late 1980s Built by: Associated Boat Builders, Auckland in 1943 Gross tons: 147 Engines: 2 x 6-cyinder diesels, Gardner, UK Passengers/crew: 226/3 The Iris Moana apparently left New Zealand for Sri Lanka sometime in 1992. On August 28, 1995, it was hijacked by naval forced of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, (LTTE) also known as the Tamil Tigers, while transporting 144 civilian passengers and crew from Trincomalee to either Karaitivu or Jaffna. The ship was hijacked to lure the Sri Lankan fleet into an ambush. When Sri Lankan naval forces moved in the next day to rescue the ship, LTTE ground artillery, including fire from a captured tank, and rocket propelled grenade fire sank one Super Dvora class Fast Attack Craft (FAC). A suicide ram (a small speedboat that was custom built and packed with explosives for kamikaze missions) sank a standard Dvora class FAC. It was a major Sea Tiger success and a tragic day for the Sri Lankan Navy. Most of the passengers were quickly released by the LTTE, but some of the crew were held for a couple of years because the LTTE suspected that they were members of a rival Tamil faction. Sadly for the Iris Moana, she was abandoned on the beach and has become one of the many visible shipwrecks from that war. Contracts were awarded in 1941 to four Auckland boatyards to construct a total of 12 Fairmile Class B anti-submarine motor boats. Plans and prefabricated keel framing were provided by the British Admiralty and the hull, decking and superstructure were to be completed with local timber. The stem and sternposts were formed from Pohutukawa and the hull was two layers of Kauri planking. Engines, ordnance and many fasteners and fittings used in their installation were also imported from UK. The first Fairmile was finished in Oct-42 and the last by Dec-43 and along the way there were delays in shipping of components and obtaining sufficient Kauri that prevented the project being completed sooner. During this time the vessels began coastal patrols with six based in Auckland, four in Wellington and two from Lyttelton. However by the end of 1943 there was little further threat of enemy attack in the vicinity and in January 1944 it was agreed to deploy all the Fairmiles to the Solomon Islands and under the control of US Navy. They sailed in three groups during late February via Noumea and arrived together at Russell Islands in early March organised as the 80th ML and 81st ML flotillas. They commenced anti-submarine patrols in the Guadalcanal, Tulagi and Russell Islands area. The launches added to the existing RNZN presence in the Campaign as the 25th Minesweeping flotilla had already seen much action there .The NZ Army 3rd Division were also deployed nearby as were squadrons of RNZAF aircraft. The Fairmiles continued on patrol and escort duties in the region until they were withdrawn in July-45 and although there had been operational accidents they never engaged in battle with Japanese forces. Consequently all 12 returned to NZ and except for Q411 were soon up for tender. Q400 – 402 Built by Chas Bailey & Son. Q403 – 406 Associated Boatbuilders. Q407 – 409 Shipbuilders Ltd. Q410, 411 P.Vos Ltd. BRIEF POSTWAR HISTORY: Q400 “Dolphin / Sayandra”– Burned and sunk, Gt Barrier Is. 1980. Q401 “Mahurangi” – Lost, Cook Islands 1954. Q402 “Ngaroma”; Hauraki Gulf Ferry on Gt Barrier service – Sold Sri Lanka 1992. Q403 “Tiare”; Tauranga Ferry – Abandoned Raglan 1957. Q404 Named "Wailana". Q405 “Marlyn" – Severely damaged in Wahine storm, Burnt in Marlborough Sounds 1969. Q406 “Motunui”; Hauraki Gulf Ferry on Waiheke service – Converted to Motel at Waitomo 2006. Q407 “Deborah Bay”; Once owned by Sir Dove-Myer Robinson. Q408 “Karamana II / Colville”; Gulf Ferry on Gt Barrier service – last reported Fiji 1985. Q409 “Iris Moana” ; Returned to Navy as HMNZS Maori P3570 1953-63. From then Gulf Ferry on Waiheke service – Sold to Sri Lanka 1992, beached and abandoned during civil war action 1995. Q410 “La Reta” - Sunk Vanuatu 1977. Q411 “Kahu”; Retained by Navy as HMNZS Kahu P3571 1947-65. From then as backup Gulf ferry in storage. Subsequently sold to private owners – At Whangarei for refit 2016. Many of the Fairmiles were a familiar sight on Auckland Harbour and provided reliable public transport for decades after their military service was over. Generations of Aucklanders enjoyed the excursions on them around the islands of the Gulf. I haven't yet found mention about the fate of Q404 and Q407 nor if Q402 and Q408 are still afloat. I'm looking forward to any news about their recent history and current status. But it appears that only Q406 and Q411 remain in NZ. Kahu may hold the last chance for preservation. http://dlvr.it/Rpngff
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