The vessel was ordered after the New Zealand government, facing a requirement for more minesweepers to operate in home waters, chose the Шаблон:Sclass2 design because it was simple enough to be built with the country's limited ship construction facilities at the time.[1]
Operational history
Maimai was the fourth of the nine steel minesweepers constructed for the Royal New Zealand Navy and was commissioned on 15 September 1943. the others being Шаблон:HMNZS, Awatere, Шаблон:HMNZS, Pahau, Шаблон:HMNZS, Waima, Шаблон:HMNZS, and Waikato (never commissioned). She served with the 95th Auxiliary Minesweeping Group, located at Wellington.[2] In March 1944, Maimai would accidentally fire her port depth charge thrower while berthed at Picton.[3] The unexploded depth charge was recovered four weeks later.[3] On 27 July 1945, she was rammed by Awatere stern-to-stern at Shelly Bay, with minor damage.[3] After the war, Maimai was disarmed but remained in service for ammunition dumping.[3] In 1946, Maimai was purchased by the Maimai Trawling Company Ltd. to be used as a side trawler.[3][2]
In 1947 she caught nearly Шаблон:Cvt of fish, being considered a record for four days of fishing at the time.[4] On 28 July 1950, waste oil in MaimaiШаблон:'s bilges caught fire, but was quickly extinguished by the Wellington Fire Brigade.[5][6] As the years went by, catches got smaller and smaller, with conditions onboard of Maimai deteriorating. [7] And with smaller and efficient fishing vessels being built, it became harder for Maimai to get a crew, with Maimai still sailing without a full crew.[7] At the end of 1966, Maimai was sold for scrap and was scrapped in Wellington by Pacific Scrap Ltd.[7]
