HMNZS ''Arbutus'' was a modified of the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

(RNZN). Built for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

as HMS ''Arbutus'', the corvette was transferred to the RNZN on completion in 1944, and operated in the

British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. The fleet was composed of empire naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944 from the remaining ships o ...

during the final year of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In April 1947, ''Arbutus'' was one of the units involved in a mutiny over poor pay and working conditions. She was decommissioned in 1948 and

broken up Ship-breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for either a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sold for re-use, ...

for scrap in 1951.

Construction

The corvette was built for the

by George Brown and Company of Greenock, Scotland. She was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 3 May 1943, and launched on 26 January 1944. Before completion, she was transferred to the

, and commissioned on 16 June 1944, although not completed until 5 July.

Operational history

World War II

Arbutus departed the United Kingdom for New Zealand on 1 August 1944, but ran aground off

Viwa Island Viwa Island, Yasawa is located approximately 70 km northwest of Denarau situated in the Yasawa Islands of Fiji. There is also an island named Viwa to the east of Viti Levu. The geological rock type of the island contributes to its nation ...

. She suffered damage to her rudder, propeller and a 25 foot length of her hull. HMNZS ''Aroha'' towed ''Arbutus'' to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

for repairs, which were not complete until April 1945. In May, ''Arbutus'' was offered for service in the British Pacific Fleet and sent to Sydney for fitting out as a radio and radar maintenance ship. She joined the fleet train in Japanese waters on 28 July and serviced at least forty ships of

Task Force 37 Task Force 37 (TF 37) was a United States Navy task force active during World War II. Task Force numbers were in constant use, and there were several incarnations of TF 37 during World War II. The British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Flee ...

. ''Arbutus'' was then assigned to escorting supply ships and was present in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

for the

Japanese Surrender The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...

Post-war

In early February, ''Arbutus'' was deployed on a two-month

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