HMNZS ''Gale'' (T04) was a coastal cargo boat which was requisitioned by 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) and converted into a
minesweeper
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
History
The earliest known usage of ...
. She was the first New Zealand vessel to go into action against Japan.
''Gale'' was owned by the Canterbury Steam Shipping Company. She was one of four ships requisitioned as a consequence of the 's minefield and the loss of the liner , the others being , and . She was taken over on 10 October 1940 and handed to the dockyard for conversion. She was a sister ship to .
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Farewell Spit. In December 1941 ''Gale'' detached to relieve in Fiji. She returned to New Zealand for refit in February 1942.
In June 1942, ''Gale'' was deployed to Noumea for port minesweeping duties where she was the first New Zealand vessel to deploy with COMSOPAC, the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
's South Pacific Command, then taking over command of the 25th Minesweeping Flotilla. On 5 August, ''Gale'' located a missing US amphibious aircraft, rescued the crew, and towed it back to Noumea. The ship subsequently received a US commendation. ''Gale'' sailed back to New Zealand on 30 October 1942; she was then assigned to Wellington as a port minesweeper with the Second Minesweeping Group.
In February 1943, ''Gale'' rejoined the 25th Minesweeping Flotilla at Tulagi in the Solomons. In April 1943, her sister ship ''Breeze'' arrived at Tulagi, at which point ''Gale'', ''Breeze'' and ''Matai'' were formed into the 9th Auxiliary Minesweeping group. They carried out night-time patrol and escort duties under COMSOPAC control. The Japanese were largely well to the north by this time, but occasionally made sudden attacks into American strongholds around Guadalcanal.
From time to time flotilla boats would return to Auckland for refit, usually escorting freighters bound the same way. By mid-1944, the owners were demanding the return of ''Gale'' and her twin ''Breeze''. COMSOPAC released her on 20 September 1944.
Fate
''Gale'' was sold by Canterbury Steam Shipping Company in December 1962 to ''Cia de Transportes Sylvia S.A.'' of Panama and renamed ''Jasa''. She was scrapped in Singapore in 1970.