Update on the MV CUBAHAMA

A mahogany name plate which was retrieved from the MV CUBAHAMA sometime in the late 1980's by Edwin McGee who found her laid up near Galveston Texas. The photograph is show here by kind permission and is taken from the blog at Sonsofsavages.



The MV CUBAHAMA Ship No 262

The wherebouts of this old "Special Ship" built at the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb Ltd in 1938 can no be revealed thanks to Edwin Mcgee and his father who re-discovered her in the late 1980's laid up and half sunk in an inlet in the Sothern States of America.
You can read all about the MV CUBAHAMA and her eventual fate by clicking on the highlighted link which will take you to Edwin's blog.

H.M.N.Z.S. TUI

H.M.N.Z.S. TUI

(Photo courtesy of RNZN Museum)

Ship No 316
Third of the three ship order for the New Zealand Navy to be completed in the yard.

This class was based on the design of an experimental Royal Navy minesweeping trawler were the first new ships to enter service with the Royal New Zealand Navy, their principal peace time function was training, and in wartime, minesweeping and escort duties. After working up in Northern England she went to New Zealand In December 1942, the four ships of the 25th Minesweeping Flotilla, comprising the three 'Bird class' corvettes HMNZS Kiwi, Tui, and Moa, with HMNZS Matai as senior ship, had deployed to the Solomons.

Ship details:

Type: Bird Class Trawlers

Pennant No.: T234/P33

Launched : 26/08/1941

Commissioned: 26/11/1941

Displacement (full load): 937 tonnes

Dimensions: 51.2m length, 48m height, 9.1m beam, 4.7m draught

Engines: 1-shaft reciprocating engine, oil fired, max speed 13 knots

Armament: 1 x 102mm [4”] gun

Minesweeping equipment

ASDIC [anti-submarine equipment]

1 x twin Hotchkiss light MG mounting

1 x 20mm gun (from 1942), a further 2 x 20mm fitted unofficially in 1943

Complement: 33-35 officers and ratings

Hell or High Water: New Zealand Merchant Seafarers Remember the War Following the successful publication of the larger format Oral History Series, these titles are being re-released in trade at a lower price point, in order to meet the increasing interest in military history. During WW2 thousands of New Zealanders served in New Zealand, British and other Allied merchant marines. Many braved the deadly German U-Boat threat during the Battle of the Atlantic - the longest campaign of the war - and sailed in perilous convoys to Arctic Russia, Malta and other high risk routes. Others manned transport and hospital ships and took part in the Allied landings in North Africa, Italy and Normandy, with 105 100 Kiwi merchant seafarers killed, 28 taken prisoner, five of whom died in Japanese captivity, but these figures are artificially low, with many others listed as general British losses. While these figures are small compared to other services, no other civilian group faced such constant risk and the vital contribution of this 'fourth' service has never received the recognition it deserves. The book includes firsthand accounts from men who survived air and submarine attacks, sometimes enduring days adrift in open lifeboats, a seaman awarded the George Cross during the 1942 pedestal convoy to relieve Malta and another who spent three years in Changi prison, amongst many other stirring and poignant accounts of life at war.

(Photo courtesy of RNZN Museum)

H.M.N.Z.S. TUI also hunted down a Japanese submarine and through her persistent and brave actions she eventually sank the submarine I-17 a sister vessel of I-1 which had been sunk by her sister ships Moa and Kiwi.


The Japanese submarine was more than twice the size of Moa, and there was only 6 survivors from the submarine all picked up by H.M.N.Z.S. Tui and returned to Noumea.



Battle Honours:
Atlantic 1942

Guadalcanal 1942-43
Ship’s Motto:
Tohea te Tohe (Be brave and be determined)
The ship’s motto was approved in February 1952 by the Naval Board.

Japanes Submarine of the Same Class as sunk by H.M.N.Z.S. TUI

 

 

Imperial Japanese Navy Submarines 1941-45 The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II possessed the most technologically advanced and varied submarine fleet in the world. Ranging from the largest pre-nuclear submarines in the world to manned torpedoes, with the fastest combat vessels and midget submarines operating alongside craft capable of carrying floatplane bombers, the fleet should have been an awe-inspiring and highly effective force. Yet, despite playing a crucial scouting role and being equipped with the best torpedoes available, the Japanese submarine fleet was surprisingly ineffective. With unique color plates, Mark Stille highlights the technical details of this diverse fleet, including the design successes and operational errors as well as investigating the underlying causes behind the failures of one of the greatest naval forces in the Pacific.

 

H.M.N.Z.S. KIWI

H.M.N.Z.S. KIWI

(Photo courtesy of RNZN Museum)  

Ship No 315

Second in line of the three ship order for H.M.N.Z.N.
She was 157 feet and 6 inches length overall with a beam of 27 feet and 6 inches and a draught of 15 feet and 6 inches.

She was launched from the yard on 7th July 1941.

Ship details:
Type: Bird Class Trawlers

Pennant No.: T102

Commissioned: 1941

Displacement (full load): 937 tonnes

Dimensions: 51.2m length, 48m height, 9.1m beam, 4.7m draught

Engines: 1-shaft reciprocating engine, oil fired, max speed 13 knots

Armament: 1 x 102mm [4”] gun

Minesweeping equipment

ASDIC [anti-submarine equipment]

1 x twin Hotchkiss light MG mounting

1 x 20mm gun (from 1942), a further 2 x 20mm fitted unofficially in 1943
Complement: 33-35 officers and ratings

This class was based on the design of an experimental Royal Navy minesweeping trawler were the first new ships to enter service with the Royal New Zealand Navy, their principal peace time function was training, and in wartime, minesweeping and escort duties. After working up in Northern England she went to New Zealand In December 1942, the four ships of the 25th Minesweeping Flotilla, comprising the three 'Bird class' corvettes HMNZS Kiwi, Tui, and Moa, with HMNZS Matai as senior ship, had deployed to the Solomons.

H.M.N.Z.S. Kiwi (T102) was to take part in many adventures during the long and dangerous days of World War II including the sinking of the Japanese Submarine I-1 while working in tandem with her sister ship H.M.N.Z.S. Moa.






A remarkable feat for these gallant little ships to under take, and her full story will be told on the new website.

HMNZS Kiwi post-war
During this action she rammed the submarine, which was over twice her size, damaging her bow and was sent back to Devonport for repairs. After repair, she returned to the Solomon’s area, remaining there till almost the end of the Second World War, returning to Auckland in August 1945 to help in the clearance of the Auckland minefields, going into reserve shortly afterwards. She re-commissioned in 1948- 1949, 1951-1952, and 1954-1956 for use as a training ship, before finally paying off in 1956. She was sold for scrap in 1964 and broken up shortly afterwards.
(My thanks to RNZN Museum)

The Japanese Submarine Force and World War II When first published in 1995, this book was hailed as an absolutely indispensable contribution to the history of the Pacific War. Drawing heavily from Japanese sources and American wartime intercepts of secret Japanese radio messages, a noted American naval historian and a Japanese mariner painstakingly recorded and evaluated a diverse array of material about Japan's submarines in World War II. The study begins with the development of the first Japanese 103-ton Holland-type submergible craft in 1905 and continues through the 1945 surrender of the largest submarine in the world at the time, the 5300-ton I-400 class that carried three airplanes. Submarine weapons, equipment, personnel, and shore support systems are discussed first in the context of Japanese naval preparations for war and later during the war. Both successes and missed opportunities are analyzed in operations ranging from the California coast through the Pacific and Indian Oceans to the coast of German-occupied France. Appendixes include lists of Japanese submarine losses and the biographies of key Japanese submarine officers. Rare illustrations and specifically commissioned operational maps enhance the text.

M.V.CUBAHAMA (U.S.S.KAULA)

M.V.Cubahama

Ship No 262

She was a twin screw motor cargo vessel, of 932 tons ordered by Bahama Line U.S.A.

With a length overall of 250 feet and a beam of 38 feet.

She was launched from the Leith shipyard of Henry Robb on 28th June 1938 and was to go on to have a very interesting history which included her time as a U.S. Navy ship of the Kaula Class and the new name of U.S.S. Kaula.

Operation Pacific Hollywood's version of the Naval War in the Pacific has led many people to believe that it was an all-American affair and that the Royal Navy took no part in it. But, as Edwin Gray shows in Operation Pacific, Such a scenario is a travesty of the truth. In fact, the Royal Navy and its Commonwealth partners played a very significant role in the Pacific War and waged a vigorous non-stop battle with the enemy, from the earliest days of defeat and disaster though to the ultimate triumph of Victory. And, indeed, it is not generally realised that Japanese troops actually landed in Malaya and opened hostilities in Britain a full ninety minutes before Nagumo's dive-bombers swept down on the unsuspecting American pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbour to bring the United States into the war. Operation Pacific is the first book to provide a full and detailed account of Britain's Naval contribution tot he ultimate defeat of Japan - a saga that ranges from the darkest days pf December 1941, to the vast carrier operations and kamikaze attacks of the final battles in 1945. And, while in no way disparaging the heroic achievements and fighting courage of the US forces in the Pacific, Edwyn Gray reveals that the Royal Navy's cooperation was not always welcomed by her over-mighty Ally and that America's top brass, notably admiral Ernest King and General Douglas MacAuthur , were implacably opposed to British involvement in the Pacific for both practical and political reasons. Offering a clear, concise, and comprehensive picture of the part played by the Royal Navy and Commonwealth forces in the Far East War, Operation pacific is an absorbing story handled with all the skill which readers have come to expect from one of the leading popular naval historians of our day.

From the book Leith Built Ships on War Service, printed sometime in 1946 by the Shipbuilders Henry Robb Ltd of Leith, Scotland. (See Picture above)

M.V. “Cubahama” The building and delivering of this fine 15-knot ship to her United States owners in 1938 caused a mild furore in british Shipbuilding circles. Built specially for the West Indies banana trade, this ship was requisitioned by the air branch of the U.S. Navy and eventually purchased outright and re-named U.S. “Kaula.” Whilst attached to the Naval Air Arm, the ship rendered very useful service in the Pacific campaigns and took part in some epoch-making battles.

'USS Kaula (AG-33) was built in 1938 by Henry Robb Ltd, in Leith, Scotland. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy as Cubahama 3 January 1941 from her owner, Balboa Shipping Company of New York and renamed Kaula 15 January then commissioned at Baltimore, Maryland 22 January with Lieutenant Commander W. L. Ware in command.

(Courtesy of Navsource Project General Manager, Manager, Auxiliaries, Amphibious and Yard and District Craft Archives)



Kaula Class Miscellaneous Auxiliary:

• Built in 1938 by Henry Robb, Ltd., Leith, Scotland

• Acquired as MV Cubahama, 3 January 1941, from her owner, Balboa Shipping Co., N.Y.

• Commissioned USS Kaula (AG-33), 22 January 1941 at Baltimore. MD., LCDR. W. L. Ware in command

• During World War II USS Kaula was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater

• Decommissioned, 14 January 1946

• Struck from the Naval Register, 12 March 1946

• Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 15 July 1946 for sale to her former owners

• Final Disposition, (See more below)

Specifications:

Displacement 2,100 t.(lt) 2,250 t.(fl)

Length 269' 9"

Beam 38' 3"

Draft 13' 5" (lim)

Speed 15.1 kts (trial)

Complement

Officers 7

Enlisted 63

Largest Boom Capacity 3 t.

Armament

one single 4"/50 cal gun mount

two single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts

four .50 cal. machine guns

Fuel Capacity Diesel 1,120 Bbls

Propulsion

two Atlas Diesel engines

Ship's Service Generators

two Diesel-drive 60Kw 240V D.C.

two Diesel-drive 40Kw 240V D.C.

two propellers, 2,240shp

Class Notes:

FY: None (acquired with funds appropriated for "Maintenance Bureau of Ships"). On 23 November 1940 CNO directed the acquisition of this ship for use as a miscellaneous auxiliary (AG). She was needed to carry cargo to outlying bases in the 14th (Hawaiian) Naval District, particularly Johnston and Palmyra Islands, and was accordingly named after an island in the Hawaiian group. (Early Navy correspondence misrepresented her Navy name as Kaulahe, and this erroneous name was actually welded on her stern in raised letters.) She was taken over from the Balboa Shipping Co., a subsidiary of the United Fruit Co., and given a limited conversion by Bethlehem SB Co., Key Highway Plant, Baltimore, Md. No guns were mounted during this conversion--they were added in 1942 at Pearl Harbor. Much of the cargo carried was ammunition and other explosives, and sprinklers were added to some of her holds in 1942 to give her some protection against fire. She served as an inter-island supply ship in the Hawaii area until May 1945 and was then reassigned to Alaska. In 1946 she was resold to her former owner through the MC (WSA).                                         (Taken from U.S. Naval Sources.)

Broadside view of USS Kaula (AG-33) underway in Puget Sound, 26 July 1945. Naval Air Station, Seattle photo # 19-N-89167, a Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives RG-19-LCM.


(Below is from the U.S. Coastguard Files, courtesy of -Archivist

Naval History & Heritage Command http://www.history.navy.mil/)


Kaula, 1941

AG-33

(ex-Cubahama)

A small, rocky, 550-foot high islet in the Hawaiian Islands, nearly 20 miles westsouthwest

of Niihau Island.

Builder: Henry Robb, Ltd., Leith, Scotland

Commissioned: 1938 (private); 3 January 1941

Decommissioned: 14 January 1946

Length: 267'

Beam: 38' 3"

Draft:

Displacement: 2,100 tons

Propulsion:

Performance:

Max: 12 knots

Economic:

Deck Gear:

Complement: 70

Armament: 1 x 4"; 2 x 3"; 4 x .50 cal MG

Electronics:

History:

Kaula (AG-33) was built in 1938 by Henry Robb, Ltd., Leith, Scotland; acquired as

Cubahama 3 January 1941 from her owner, Balboa Shipping Co., New York. She

was renamed Kaula on 15 January and commissioned at Baltimore 22 January,

Lt. Comdr. W. L. Ware in command.

Sailing to Hampton Roads, Virginia, 25 January, Kaula departed 4 February for

Hawaii, via the Panama Canal and the West Coast, reaching Pearl Harbor 17

March. Prior to the outbreak of war in the Pacific, she carried cargo from Pearl

Harbor and Honolulu to various islands in the Hawaiian chain and to Johnston

and Palmyra Islands. During the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor 7 December, she

was en route to Palmyra Island.

Throughout the struggle with the Japanese Empire, Kaula operated out of Pearl

Harbor and Honolulu to principal Hawaiian Islands and to outlying islands west to

Midway and south to Palmyra. Usually sailing in convoy, she ranged the Hawaiian

Sea frontier carrying military equipment, ammunition, and contingents of Seabees

until she sailed for the United States 18 May 1945, arriving Seattle 26 May.

Following 2 months of overhaul Kaula departed Seattle 31 July on the first of

several voyages to Alaska where she transported materials for the construction of

Coast Guard LORAN stations in the Alaska area. Assigned to the 13th Naval

District, she steamed for the U.S. Coast Guard to Ketchikan, Juneau, Seward,

Kodiak, and Dutch Harbor before returning to Seattle 18 September. She

operated in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca before steaming to Blake

Island Anchorage, Wash., 6 December and decommissioning 14 January 1946.

Struck from the Naval Register 12 March, Kaula was transferred to the Maritime

Commission 15 July for sale to her former owner.

Sources:

Cutter History File. USCG Historian's Office, USCG HQ, Washington, D.C.



Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Washington, DC: USGPO.

She was still called CUBAHAMA 1947, and then renamed WANDAJEAN 1976. Deleted 1993. So this fine vessel seems to have disappeared from records around 1993. This would complete a near 55 year service history and tribute to the Shipbuilders of Henry Robb