HMNZS Taupo (F423)

Loch Shin in November 1944
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Loch Shin
Builder	Swan Hunter
Laid down	6 September 1943
Launched	23 February 1944
Identification	Pennant number K421
Fate	Transferred to New Zealand, 1948
New Zealand
Name	HMNZS Taupo
Commissioned	1948
Decommissioned	1952
Identification	F423
Fate	Scrapped 1962
General characteristics
Class and type	Loch-class frigate
Displacement	1,435 tons
Length	286 ft (87 m) p/p 307.25 ft (93.65 m) o/a
Beam	38.5 ft (11.7 m)
Draught	8.75 ft (2.67 m) standard 13.25 ft (4.04 m) full
Propulsion	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts 4-cylinder vertical triple expansion reciprocating engines, 5,500 ihp (4,100 kW) or Parsons single reduction geared turbines, 6,500 shp (4,800 kW)
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h)
Range	730 tons oil fuel, 9,500 nautical miles (17,600 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement	114
Armament	1 × QF 4 inch Mark V on one single mounting HA MkIII** 4 × QF 2 pounder MkVII on 1 quad mount MkVII 4 × 20 mm Oerlikon A/A on 2 twin mounts MkV (or 2 × 40 mm Bofors A/A on 2 single mounts Mk.III) up to 8 × 20 mm Oerlikon A/A on single mounts MkIII 2 × Squid triple barreled A/S mortars 1 rail and 2 throwers for depth charges

HMNZS Taupo, originally HMS Loch Shin, was a Loch-class frigate which served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and then in the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) from 1948 to 1961. She was scrapped in 1962.

Service history

Royal Navy service

On Commissioning in October 1944 Loch Shin was allocated for service in the Western Approaches.[1] On 4 February 1945 she participated in attacks on the German submarine U-1014, which was sunk. The following month she was allocated for escorting Russian convoys. At the end of the war and during 1946 she was employed on Operation Deadlight to sink captured German U-Boats.

She was paid off from Royal Navy service in June 1947 and was reduced to reserve status.

Royal New Zealand Navy service

In early 1948 Loch Shin's sale to New Zealand was negotiated and she was re-fitted at Chatham before sale. Her name was changed to HMNZS Taupo and her pennant number was changed to F421.

During her service with the RNZN she served in the Pacific and Mediterranean and in 1951 and 1952 was deployed for service in the Korean War. Her service included shore bombardment operations. She paid off at the end of 1952 and was held in reserve status at Auckland.

She was sold for scrapping on 15 December 1961.[2]

See also

• Frigates of the Royal New Zealand Navy

References

1. Mason, Geoffrey B. (2004). Gordon Smith (ed.). "HMS Loch Shin (K 421) - Loch Class Frigate". naval-history.net. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
2. Raymond V B Blackman (ed.). Jane's Fighting Ships 1963-4. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. p. 184.

Bibliography

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• McDougall, R J (1989). New Zealand Naval Vessels. Government Printing Office. pp. 37–41. ISBN 978-0-477-01399-4.