Commissioned cruisers of the Royal New Zealand Navy from its formation on 1 October 1941 to the present:
| Name | Type | Class | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMNZS Achilles (70) | Cruiser | Leander class | 1941–1946 | in the New Zealand Division 1936–1941 |
| HMNZS Leander | Cruiser | Leander class | 1941–1948 | in the New Zealand Division 1937–1941 |
| HMNZS Monowai (F59) | Armed merchant cruiser | n/a | 1940–1943 | Liner fitted with guns. Surplus in 1943 and converted to landing ship |
| HMNZS Gambia (C48) | Cruiser | Crown Colony class | 1943–1946 | Passed to RNZN as Leander and Achilles were out of action after being damaged in Pacific. |
| HMNZS Bellona (63) | Cruiser | Dido classBellona subgroup | 1946–1956 | |
| HMNZS Black Prince (81) | Cruiser | Dido classBellona subgroup | 1946–1961 | Second World War light cruiser loaned from Royal Navy. In reserve 1947-1953. In reserve from 1953. Used as accommodation and source of parts for 'Royalist |
| HMNZS Royalist (C89) | Cruiser | Dido classBellona subgroup | 1956–1966 | Second World War light cruiser purchased from Royal Navy after reconstruction |
Loss of HMS Neptune
editHMS Neptune was a Leander-class light cruiser which served with the Royal Navy during World War II. Early in 1941 the New Zealand Government responded to an Admiralty request for sailors to man an additional cruiser. Neptune was selected and was expected to leave the United Kingdom for New Zealand in May. However, because of the loss of cruisers during the Crete campaign Neptune was instead attached to Admiral Cunningham's Force K, based on Malta. On 19 December 1941 she was sunk by mines. Only one crewman survived.[1]
150 of those lost were New Zealanders, 80 of them had served in the Naval Reserve before the outbreak of war. The loss of Neptune was the greatest single tragedy New Zealand Naval Forces have experienced.
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Royal New Zealand Navy Archived 2008-01-23 at the Wayback Machine HMS Neptune
References
edit- Walters, Sydney David (1956) The Royal New Zealand Navy: Official History of World War II, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington Online
- McDougall, R J (1989) New Zealand Naval Vessels. Page 23–36. Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-477-01399-4
- Royal New Zealand Navy HMS Neptune
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