This week in 1946, HMNZS Achilles left Auckland for the last time. On her return to the Royal Navy on 17 September she was paid off. Achilles then underwent a major refit at Chatham in preparation for her sale to the Royal Indian Navy. She commissioned at Chatham in July 1948 as HMIS Delhi, later becoming INS Delhi from January 1959 when India became a republic. She was formally decommissioned in June 1978, and was sold for breaking up at Bombay (Mumbai) later that year.
She was a Leander class light cruiser launched as HMS Achilles in 1933. She served with the Royal Navy's New Zealand Division from March 1937 up to the creation of the Royal New Zealand Navy, into which she was transferred in September 1941 and recommissioned HMNZS Achilles. About 60 per cent of her crew was from New Zealand. She is most is most famous for taking part in the Battle of the River Plate (December 1939). Achilles and Ajax, another 6" gun Leander class cruiser and the 8" gun heavy cruiser Exeter engaged the 11" gun German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. Admiral Graf Spee inflicted heavy damage on the British ships, particularly Ajax and Exeter, but she was damaged and was forced to put into port at Montevideo, Uruguay. Convinced by false reports of superior British naval forces gathering, Hans Langsdorff, commander of the ship, ordered the vessel to be scuttled.
I have a minor connection to both ships in the photo. I live in a street named after one of the three ships that engaged the Admiral Graf Spee. The tug in the photo is the Auckland Harbour Board tug William C Daldy. Built in 1935 by Lobnitz & Co., Renfrew, Glasgow, Scotland and steamed to Auckland via the Suez Canal taking 81 days. 127' long with two coal fired Scotch boilers providing steam to two 980iHP triple expansion steam engines. She worked until 1977 when she retired and was sold to the preservation society that still operates her taking harbour cruises. I belonged to the preservation society and crewed on her from the late 80s to the mid 90s until I moved too far away to continue. I worked on the deck for a few years then shifted into the stokehold, on my way to the engine room. It was good, about three years ago, to take a ride and catch up with a few people I knew from the old days and throw some coal. I even got to take the helm when we berthed while the skipper operated the engine telegraphs.
