HMNZS Leander

HMNZS Leander

HMNZS "Leander" was a light cruiser which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II. She was the lead ship of a class of eight ships, the "Leander" class light cruiser and was initially named HMS "Leander".

History

"Leander" was launched at Devonport on 13 July, 1929. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS "Leander" on 23 July 1931. Along with HMS "Achilles" she served in the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy.

In 1941 the New Zealand Division became the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) and she was commissioned as His Majesty's New Zealand Ship "Leander" in September 1941.

In World War II, HMNZS "Leander" served initially in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Commander Stephen Roskill was posted as the ship's Captain in 1941. On 27 February 1941, she sank the Italian "auxiliary cruiser" "Ramb I" near the Maldives, rescuing 113 of her crew. On 23 March, 1941 "Leander" intercepted and captured the Vichy French merchant "Charles L.D." in the Indian Ocean between Mauritius and Madagascar.After serving in the Mediterranean, the "Leander" returned to the Pacific Ocean in 1943.

On 13 July 1943, HMNZS "Leander" was with Rear Admiral Walden Lee Ainsworth's Task Group 36.1 of three light cruisers: the "Leander", the USS "Honolulu", and the "St. Louis". The task group also included ten destroyers. At 01:00 the Allied ships established radar contact with Japanese cruiser "Jintsu". The "Jintsu" was accompanied by five destroyers near Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands. In the ensuing Battle of Kolombangara, "Jintsu" was sunk and all three Allied cruisers were hit by torpedoes and severely damaged. The "Leander" was so badly damaged that she took no further part in the war.

In 1945, the "Leander" was repaired and returned to the Royal Navy. In 1946 she participated in the Corfu Channel Incident. She was scrapped in 1949.

References

*Colledge
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4003.html HMNZS Leander at Uboat.net]

See also

* Cruisers of the Royal New Zealand Navy
* List of ships of World War II


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