I am full of posts today sorry just been surfing the web and looking up what few ships the New Zealand Navy had in both world wars. Can any one shed some light on the HMS New Zealand and the Indefatigable class battlecruiser that she was part of? would be an interesting build for me thats all some day.
MODERATOR NOTE: Moved from the Main Forum and changed to a CASF thread, since there is some good info on the Indefatigable. Since that class was basically a longer Invincible class, I made the thread for both classes.
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
Dave Stone wrote:I am full of posts today sorry just been surfing the web and looking up what few ships the New Zealand Navy had in both world wars. Can any one shed some light on the HMS New Zealand and the Indefatigable class battlecruiser that she was part of? would be an interesting build for me thats all some day.
She was built on the Clyde, just down the road from me here at work in Glasgow, and I presume the original plans are in the Greenwich Maritime Museum. There's a large (1/48th) scale model of her sister, HMS Indefatigable, in the Glasgow Transport Museum that would provide good reference photos for her fixtures and fittings, but I'm not sure there are any (cheap!) plans available for this class - the Sambrook Plans service on WEM seems not to list one, and I can't think of any others.
No doubt someone else will chip in with more useful info!
Combrig was to release a 1/700 scale kit of this class,as yet I don`t think it has.
The Naval Historical Society of Australia sells a book `The Battlecruiser H.M.A.S. Australia`which has many pictuers of the 3 ships of the class but mostly of the namesake.
H.M.S. New Zealand was a RN ship paid for by the citizens of the Long white cloud,as such was not a N.Z. unit.
Australia was the flagship of the new R.A.N. Interesting story surrounding these 2 ships, the poms wanted both ships to remain in English waters, Australians being as we are, told them to more or less stick it, We paid for the ship ,it was ours and we wanted it in Oz, the Kiwis being our more compromising neighbour were more obliging.
There is also a rather nice model of Australia in the AWM, not sure what scale. All 3 ships of the class were not identical and had subtle differences.
True it was not an NZ unit. lol and good on you Australians for telling the poms to stick it.. Kiwis have a way of being sheep.. yep I have opend myself up for the one line sheep jokes again But hey thanx for the help
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
I'm sorry to have to tell you that the model in Glasgow Museum of Transport is of HMS Indomitable, not HMS Indefatigable, and is therefore of the preceding class to HMS New Zealand.
I know this may pour some cold water on things, but it may also save you some wasted work.
Kind regards,
David Griffith
"For scientific leadership, give me Scott. For swift and efficient travel give me Amundsen. But when you are in a hopeless situation, when you are seeing no way out, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton."
Brett Morrow wrote:Combrig was to release a 1/700 scale kit of this class,as yet I don`t think it has.
Last I had read, they were looking for further information into NZ and Australia, due to some differences between these two ship and Indefatigable.
Martin
"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne
Hi Dave,
HMNZS New Zealand was the second of the class laid down (3 days before 'Australia') but comissioned 7 months before her. She was considered a 'lucky' ship, as she never suffered much damage or casualties in her battles. The only real difference between these ships and the preceding 'invincibles' was the length (an extra 25 feet) and the fact her guns were 50 cal instead of 45 cal as fitted to the earlier ships. She fired 147 shells at Dogger bank with unknown results and 470 (more than any other british ship) at Jutland but scored only 4 hits. She carried Jellicoe to New Zealand in 1919 but was scrapped the following year.
Combrig are bringing out a version of her 'soon' and I think HP models do a version as well (not sure on that though) both in 1/700. If Combrig's version is as good as their 'Invincible' it will be a very good kit indeed!
And HMAS Australia was scuttled off Sydney in 1924 to comply with the Washington naval treaty (thank you Warren Harding and co) why ? cause as a dominion navy Australia was expected to put in contribution on Britians behalf, and the govenment agreed (thank you Stanley Melbourne Bruce )
And HMAS Australia was scuttled off Sydney in 1924 to comply with the Washington naval treaty (thank you Warren Harding and co) why ? cause as a dominion navy Australia was expected to put in contribution on Britians behalf, and the govenment agreed
I should expect that was why the HMS New Zealand was put to scrap.
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
Bill Clarke wrote:And HMAS Australia was scuttled off Sydney in 1924 to comply with the Washington naval treaty (thank you Warren Harding and co) why ? cause as a dominion navy Australia was expected to put in contribution on Britians behalf, and the govenment agreed (thank you Stanley Melbourne Bruce )
Yeah I know, they're wankers aren't they. What a stupid and absolutely unnecessary waste, there went our aircraft carrier.
its is a sad crime that those two ships would suffer such fates.. The HMS NZ should be tied up in Auckland or Wellington as a musem .. not turned into a pile of scrap. But then again they did the same thing to the Achilles (Battle of the River Plate) and that ship should not have been scraped!
Here is an interesting list of NZ Navy ships durring WW2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sh ... aland_Navy
I did not think we had that much then since now we have very very little lol
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
There would be much debate on wether these two ships had a place in their respective navies given the poor track record of the battle cruiser. But maybe given a complete overhaul and added armour before the great depression, they may have lasted till the second world war.
Wheter they suvived that or were sunk by the IJN we'll never know, but imagine HMAS Australia in company with Perth at Sundra straits.
Very good point on the viability of them surviving till WW2 or even after that but its now a mote point. Although seeing HMAS Australia in company with Perth at Sundra straits would have been if it could ever have happened an astonishing sight indeed.
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
Dave Stone wrote: Although seeing HMAS Australia in company with Perth at Sundra straits would have been if it could ever have happened an astonishing sight indeed.
OK. I have been salivating for the Combrig 1:700 Indefatigable for, it seems 2 years now... since the WEM page announcement.
1. How do we find out if it's an active project?
2. If not, who do we all write to?
(This item is a big gap in my collection... or is it just me?)
1/700:
HMS Invincible/Inflexible/Indomitable by Combrig
HMS Invincible/Inflexible/Indomitable by HP Models
Martin
"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne
"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne
"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne
"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne
just been surfing the web and looking up what few ships the New Zealand Navy had in both world wars. Can any one shed some light on the HMS New Zealand and the Indefatigable class battlecruiser that she was part of? would be an interesting build for me thats all some day.
strange as it seems my local musem has very very little info oh her 
which is sad.
But hey thanx for the help
)
