Bird

History: The Bird-class minesweeper was a naval trawler built to Admiralty specifications so it could function as a minesweeper. Three were built for the Royal New Zealand Navy. The vessels were also referred to as corvettes.

The Bird class evolved from the experimental minesweeping trawler HMS Basset, 1935, followed by HMS Mastiff, 1938, both built by Henry Robb Ltd. They were slightly larger and more powerful than these prototypes of what ultimately became the Isles class.

Type: Auxilliary

SubType: Minesweeper

Primary Country: New Zealand is a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean consisting of 2 main islands, both marked by volcanoes and glaciation. Capital Wellington, on the North Island, is home to Te Papa Tongarewa, the expansive national museum. Wellington’s dramatic Mt. Victoria, along with the South Island’s Fiordland and Southern Lakes, stood in for mythical Middle Earth in Peter Jackson’s "Lord of the Rings" films.