HMNZS Wakakura (T00) was originally a First World War Castle-class naval trawler built in Canada. Ordered by the Admiralty, the vessel, named TR 1, was loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy for use on the East Coast of Canada. She was purchased by New Zealand in 1926 and transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy when it was established in 1941.
RNZN Unidentified Castle class at Leigh, probably Wakakura She displaced 530 tons standard, could manage 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) and was equipped with a 4-inch (102 mm) gun during World War II. Wakakura is a Māori word which means "precious canoe" or "training boat" War service[edit]Wakakura remained in commission throughout the Second World War as a training vessel and minesweeper. For the first part of the war she was part of the 28th Minesweeper Flotilla, until the flotilla was transferred overseas. From then the Wakakura was based at Lyttleton.
During 1944 the Wakakura reported that it had sighted and depth charged a Japanese submarine of the Canterbury Coast, possible sinking it. Naval historians concluded that while it was possible for Japanese submarines to be in the area, at that stage of the war it was unlikely.[2] The ship\s bell was installed in the Devonport Naval Base Chapel.[3] Cargo vessel[edit]After the war in 1947 she was sold to the Tasman Steamship Company owned by a syndicate of 17 former merchant seamen. The ship was renamed SS Wakakura and converted to a refrigerated cargo vessel for use on the trans-Tasman run from Auckland and Wellington to Sydney.[4] The ships maiden voyage as a merchant ship was in October 1947 under Captain F A Barrett from Auckland to Sydney. The newspaper stated that the voyage across the Tasman Sea was expected to take 6 days.[5] By 1948 the company decided that the ship was to small for the Trans-Tasman run and decided to purchase a larger vessel. The ship had made seven return voyages by the time.[6] The Fiji Government owned motor ship Viti was acquired by the company as a replacement.[7] When the Viti entered service the Wakakura was used for coastal shipping.[8] The company put the ship up for sale in November 1950.[9 HMNZS Wakakura
via Blogger https://ift.tt/aDPohsH September 26, 2023 at 03:32PM
New Zealand mimesweeper Waikato - a further Castle class trawler, Waikato, was completed in 1946 but was not commissioned.
Waikato being launched, 1943 Waikato under construction, 1943 The minesweeper Waikato in the Waitematā Harbour immediately after launching, crowds attending the launch ceremony at the Marine Departments Construction Yard in the foreground Waikato under construction, 1943 - Not commissioned
A further Castle trawler, Tawhai, was completed in 1946 but was not commissioned. Have not seen any photos as yet
via Blogger https://ift.tt/fGciy7I September 26, 2023 at 03:10PM
US-made Abrams tanks arrive in Ukraine sooner than expected - By DOUG G. WARE STARS AND STRIPES ⢠September 25, 2023
WASHINGTON â The first shipment of the U.S. militaryâs most sophisticated battle tanks has arrived in Ukraine â eight months after the Pentagon ordered them and much sooner than officials expected they would be delivered. The Defense Department in January committed almost three dozen M1 Abrams tanks to help Ukraine fight off invading Russian forces. âIt is the first tranche of Abrams that has arrived,â Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Monday. âBut in terms of numbers or movements on the battlefield, anything like that Iâd let the Ukrainians speak to that.â Pentagon officials did not specify how many were delivered but promised in January that Ukraine would receive 31 Abrams tanks. âThe Abrams is already in Ukraine and is preparing to strengthen our brigades,â Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post to the messaging app Telegram. âI am grateful to the allies for fulfilling the agreements.â The tanks are expected to be used in Ukraineâs ongoing counteroffensive against Russian forces in the south and far east of the country. âEvery week adds to Ukraineâs strength and capabilities. Hence, every week brings our victory closer,â Zelenskyy said. Pentagon officials originally said it would probably be 2024 before Ukraine saw the first tanks arrive, but they sped up the process in March by choosing to refurbish older M1A1 versions of the tank instead of the newer M1A2 it originally planned to send. Because the Army already had M1A1s available for the project, the Pentagon opted to refurbish and send those instead. The move shaved several months off the arrival of the tanks. âThis is about getting this important combat capability into the hands of Ukrainians sooner rather than later,â Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagonâs top spokesman, said at the time. Ukraine had been asking for the Abrams tanks for weeks by the time the White House agreed to send them. The U.S. had previously resisted giving Abrams tanks to the Ukrainians because U.S. officials said the tanks were not well-suited for Ukraine, largely due to the weaponâs complexity and need for regular maintenance in the field. The tanks also primarily run on jet fuel, which was another consideration, officials said. When the White House chose to send the M1A2 version of the tank, it was decided to build them through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative â a program that procures weapons and equipment from the defense industry rather than pulling them from Defense Department stocks. But by using the initiative, the equipment takes months longer to reach Ukraine. The first model of the Abrams tank entered service in 1980 and the M1A1 followed in 1985. The newest variant, the M1A2, has been in service since 1992 and is the version that has the most sophisticated features. For example, itâs equipped with an independent thermal sight and can fire at two different targets virtually at the same time without having to lock on sequentially. It also has an automatic firefighting system in the crew compartment and can deflect computerized inbound missiles. Some of the later variants have a series of refinements that allow the tank to perform better in urban warfighting environments. Itâs not known how the M1A1s for the Ukrainians are equipped. U.S. military equipment manufactured and sold to foreign allies often has different features, especially when it comes to classified hardware packages such as depleted uranium armor. The Abrams tank typically carries a crew of four and its main armaments are usually 105 mm or 120 mm shells, along with a .50 caliber machine gun. Its maximum speed is between 42 mph and 45 mph on roads and 25 mph to 30 mph off roads. The Army is now the only service branch that uses the M1 Abrams, though the Marine Corps did use the tank at one time. Earlier this year, Ukrainian officials had said they needed dozens of sophisticated Western-made tanks to fight Russian forces. When the U.S. agreed to send the Abrams, Germany also said it would supply Ukraine with some Leopard tanks, and Britain contributed more than a dozen of its Challenger tanks. The Abrams tanksâ arrival came just days before a potential U.S. government shutdown that could have an impact on Ukraineâs war against Russia. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has exempted U.S.-led training â such as F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots set to begin in Arizona next month â and other operations related to Ukraine from being affected by a shutdown. The Pentagon said Monday, however, the shutdown could affect Ukraine in a more indirect way. âWe are trying to keep equipment and supplies flowing, but absolutely things could be delayed,â Singh said. âIf any of our personnel are furloughed, yes that could have impacts to the larger mission.â A small group of hard-line Republicans in the House are threatening to oppose new funding for the government after fiscal 2023 ends Sept. 30 over issues such as money for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and aid to Ukraine in fiscal 2024. U.S. troops and some civilian defense workers would keep working during a shutdown, but they might not be paid on schedule. The Pentagon has committed nearly $45 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the country was invaded by Russian forces in February 2022. New weapons shipments to Ukraine wouldnât stop during a shutdown since they were exempted by Austin.
Doug G. Ware covers the Department of Defense at the Pentagon. He has many years of experience in journalism, digital media and broadcasting and holds a degree from the University of Utah. He is based in Washington, D.C.
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USS_Canberra (CAG-2) underway at sea on 9 January 1961
Canberra off the coast of South Vietnam during her 1966 WESTPAC cruise USS Canberra (CA-70/CAG-2) was a Baltimore-class cruiser and later a Boston-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy. Originally to be named USS Pittsburgh, the ship was renamed before launch to honor the loss of the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra during the Battle of Savo Island. USS Canberra was the first USN warship named after a foreign warship or a foreign capital city, the second being USS Boxer (CV-21). The ship entered service in 1943, and served in the Pacific theater of World War II until she was torpedoed during the Aerial Battle of Taiwan-Okinawa and forced to return to the United States for repairs. Placed in reserve after the war, Canberra was selected for conversion into the second guided-missile carrying warship in the USN fleet. Following the conversion, she was host to the ceremony for selecting the Unknown Soldier representing World War II in 1958, undertook an eight-month round-the-world cruise in 1960, participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis naval blockade in 1962, and was deployed to the Vietnam War on five occasions between 1965 and 1969. Canberra was decommissioned in 1970, struck in 1978, and broken up in 1980. One of her propellers is preserved at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, while the ship's bell was donated to the Australian National Maritime Museum in 2001. via Blogger https://ift.tt/gkncrvD September 25, 2023 at 04:15PM
HMS Superb was a Minotaur-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. The ship entered service in 1945 and had a brief, quiet career before being decommissioned in 1957 after her modernisation was cancelled. She was broken up in 1960. https://ift.tt/Bsnyu0x
HMS Superb was a Minotaur-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. The ship entered service in 1945 and had a brief, quiet career before being decommissioned in 1957 after her modernisation was cancelled. She was broken up in 1960. https://ift.tt/Bsnyu0x via Blogger https://ift.tt/wdU2DcC September 25, 2023 at 03:32PM |
AuthorJohn Currin served 15 years in the Royal New Zealand Navy and has retained an interest in naval, marine, military and happenings around the world. Archives
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