HMNZS Moa

History: HMNZS Moa (T233) was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) that served during World War II. On 7 April 1943 Moa was refuelling from the USS Erskine M. Phelps at Tulagi Harbor when Japanese aircraft attacked. The Moa sustained a direct hit from a 500-pound bomb and was damaged by two near misses. She sank bow first within about four minutes. At some point after the I-1 sank, the Moa crew acquired and mounted a 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun, which the crew used against their attackers before they sank. Five ratings were killed and seven were seriously wounded, including Phipps.

Class: 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.

Nationality: 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.