Professional Skipper - Free Sample issue (July/Aug 2011)

av-gas and producing 600hp each. This gave a top speed of around 18-20 knots and a cruising speed of 12-13 knots. Some Canadian boats are said to have been powered by Rolls- Royce Merlin marine engines. One reference states the original design called for three engines, but due to wartime shortages two became the norm and was found to be satisfactory. Now to the New Zealand boats. An Admiralty recommendation that these boats would be suitable for use as submarine chasers in New Zealand waters resulted in 12 boats being constructed at several shipyards in St Mary's Bay, Auckland. They were assigned the build numbers ML400 to ML411 but were launched as Q400 to0 Q411 respectively. The estimated cost of each vessel was £35,000, making a total of £420,000 for the twelve. They were built with double-diagonal kauri planking over kauri stringers. The keels were of kauri and the stem and stern posts were of pohutukawa. The Fairmile Marine Company in England supplied the plywood frames and bulkheads in kitset form. Below the waterline, the hulls were sheathed with copper or Muntz metal (an alloy of copper and zinc, with a trace of iron) as a protection against worm attack. The first boat, Q403, was launched at Lidgard's shipyard on September 29, 1942 and commissioned on October 21. The last of the series, Q411, was the second boat built at the Vos yard. She was laid down in November 1942 and commissioned on December 20, 1943. Their armament consisted of a Rolls-Royce Mark XIV two- pounder gun on a mounting for'ard of the bridge, and two twin In 1944, Kiwi Fairmiles were deployed to the Solomon Islands for anti- submarine and convoy escort duties Lewis guns, later replaced by Vickers guns. A 20mm Oerlikon and 12 depth charges were carried on the after deck. A Holman Projector and a Y gun completed the fit. There were 16 crew. The New Zealand Navy's initial deployment had six boats in Auckland, four in Wellington and two at Lyttelton. As the war in the Pacific progressed, it became clear there was little likelihood of a Japanese submarine threat in local waters, although two submarines of the Japanese Navy had visited the area previously. In 1944, the Kiwi Fairmiles were formed into the 80th and 81st Flotillas and deployed to the Solomon Islands for anti-submarine and convoy escort duties. They also helped set up and maintain coast watch stations on remote islands throughout the South Pacific. During their Solomon deployment they were under the control of the US Navy Commander South Pacific. At the end of the war they returned to New Zealand and were laid up in the reserve fleet. Around this time, most of the fleet were converted from the Hall-Scott engines to 671 GM marine diesels, which reduced their service speed to 10-12 knots. When the RNZN had no further use for them, they were prepared for disposal and brought to an anchorage between Greenhithe and Herald Island. All except Q411 were sold. She was initially offered to the Island Territories Department for administration use in the Cook Islands, but the cost of converting her was considered to be too high. She reverted back to the War Assets Realisation Board and thence to the Navy, which brought Q411 back into service in 1947 under the pennant number P3571 and named her HMNZS Kahu. Kahu became a "Tamaki tram," providing ferry services VIP.S82 July/August 2011 Professional Skipper r 15

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