HMNZS Maimai was one of eight steel New Zealand-built Castle-class ships built and commissioned by the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II.
The vessel was ordered after the New Zealand government, facing a requirement for more minesweepers to operate in home waters, chose the design because it was simple enough to be built with the country's limited ship construction facilities at the time.[1]
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, Awatere,, Pahau,, Waima,, 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. On 27 July 1945, she was rammed by Awatere stern-to-stern at Shelly Bay, with minor damage. After the war, Maimai was disarmed but remained in service for ammunition dumping. In 1946, Maimai was purchased by the Maimai Trawling Company Ltd. to be used as a side trawler. In 1947 she caught nearly of fish, being considered a record for four days of fishing at the time.[4] On 28 July 1950, waste oil in Maimais 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. At the end of 1966, Maimai was sold for scrap and was broken up in Wellington by Pacific Scrap Ltd, which would take 6 weeks. [8]