The HDML Manga was built by Madden & Lewis in Sausalito, California, USA during WWII and was sold by the NZ Navy in 1980. Her first owner post the Navy was Steve Hansen of Herne Bay, Auckland. When Hansen purchased her she had no engines. During his period of ownership she was kept on the outer side of the Auckland’s Viaduct Basin.
Hansen sold her to his friend Hans Van Duyn of Helensville in the early 1980’s, still with no engines. (Hansen also owned the HDML Black Watch).
Van Duyn stripped the coamings off her whilst she was at the Viaduct Basin and took her bare hull to Helensville on the West Coast, where they spent the next 2+ years rebuilding the vessel – including 16 single berths and 2 staterooms. In the mid 1980’s she was renamed Haimona after the owners late son.
The vessel was fitted with two Ruston Hornsby, 200hp diesel engines, with hydraulic gearboxes. Top speed was claimed to be 18 knots. The engines were ex the A.H.B. tug Manukau. Also fitted with a funnel & dry exhausts with silencers.
Van Duyn used her extensively, from the mid 1980s to c.1999. She was the largest pleasure boat in the Helensville Cruising Club fleet and was frequently mark boat and involved in many regattas and other club activities,
She fell in to disuse around 1999 when Van Duyn sold his waters edge property, on the Kaipara Harbour. As there was nowhere else on the Kaipara that had a suitable facility to slip her, she deteriorated through lack of ability to maintain her and lack of use. Ultimately, she got to the point, where her pumps were running 24/7 and despite attempts to provide her with better moorings, the end was near and they brought her ashore, stripped her engines out of her and saved what they could e.g. portholes and other useable fittings. In c.2006 they put a match to her.
Story assembled by Ken Ricketts with input from Steve Hansen, Rene Van Duyn and Bob Siegel. Edited extensively by Alan H.
Manga Navy Service ex Greg Philpott
HMNZS Manga (Q1185) was one of 16 Harbour Defence Motor Launches (HDML) to be delivered to the RNZN in 1943. She was commissioned on 6 April 1943 and joined the 124th. ML Flotilla at Auckland. She was used in anti-submarine patrols in the port approaches and the Hauraki Gulf northwards to Cape Brett. On 11 October 1945 she paid off in Auckland and was placed in reserve. In early 1946 she was converted for army use, fitted with a towing bitt and transferred ‘on loan’ to the Army. She was renamed Bombardier and used by the RNZ Artillery for target towing and general transport duties for over 10 years. In 1948 she was reclassified as a Seaward Defence Motor Launch (SDML) and renumbered P3567. In November 1959 she was transferred back to the RNZN. In 1960 she was commissioned as HMNZS Manga (call sign ZMBJ) and joined the fishery squadron where she served until 1967. After a refit she was assigned to Wellington RNZNVR until 1973, and then re-joined the fishery squadron briefly, returning to Wellington in 1974. In 1977 Manga was restricted to sheltered waters and returned to Auckland in 1977. During the period from 1977 to 1981 she was attached to HMNZS Ngapona. She was withdrawn from service and sold in 1982 to Takapuna Contractors Ltd., and was later sold again and transported to Helensville for rebuilding.
Great story tomorrow (Monday) – I’ll make good for today’s work-boat / military OTT story 🙂
Don’t Be Embarrassed If You Emailed Yesterday Asking For Chris McMullen’s Berthing Tips – 178 people did 🙂
Something For The Yachties – photo below sent in be Nathan Herbert – looking to ID to the two yachts seen here berthed at Whangarei.
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Is there a date anywhere on the cutting?
Noel Percy had a couple of yachts. Silver Cloud B-22, a 35’x28’x9’x5′ built by Lidgards in 1935 and Marama A-29 43’4″x 30’x 11’4″x 5’8″ designed by Claude Smith and built by Orams in 1961.
Marama was a bermudan rigged yawl, with 5 oblong windows in the cabin top and no doghouse (as launched in 1961). The bigger boat in the cutting looks to be single stick gaff with one window, could it be Matia A-23 on a Xmas cruise? Matia was bermudan rigged from 1951.
I have no idea what Silver Cloud might have looked like. Noel Percy sold her around 1939 before he moved to Whangarei (he was up the Wade River) and she cruised the Pacific and Great Barrier Reef during the early 1960’s.
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Greg that was Pakatoa ex Aotearoa from Tauranga. Can’t remember how she burned out
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The newspaper clipping was in my Grandmother’s collection and we wonder if it could be a yacht which belonged to her father’s friend in Whangarei, Noel Percy?
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Up until fairly recently (last ten years or so) there was a fairmile hulk lying along side at Matakohe, on the Northern Kipara, just down from the Kauri Museum. Not sure if its still there but I can pop down and have alook if anyone was interested. I was told that it was restored locally then it caught fire on its moorings shortly afterwards and the owner threw in the towel and towed it in and walked away from it. Not truly sure of any of this apart from the fact that it was there about 15 years ago as I climbed right through it then)but someone else on here is bound to know of it
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