HMNZS Pahau

Background
The vessel was ordered after the New Zealand government, facing a requirement for more minesweepers to operate in home waters, chose the Castle-class trawler design because it was simple enough to be built with the country's limited ship construction facilities at the time.

Operational history
Pahau was the fifth of the nine steel minesweepers constructed for the Royal New Zealand Navy and was commissioned on 12 February 1944. the others being HMNZS Aroha, Awatere HMNZS Hautapu, Maimai, HMNZS Waiho, Waima, HMNZS Waipu, and Waikato (never commissioned). She served with the 95th Auxiliary Minesweeping Group, located at Wellington. In March 1946, Pahau would be sold to Arthur. A. Murrel of Sydney along with Awatere. On 22 May, 1946, while being towed to Australia by the Matai, Pahau would break free from the Matai, becoming adrift. She would be located a few days later and would arrive at Sydney on 28 May 1946. In October 1946, Pahau was brought by the Australian Commonwealth Government and was allocated to the UNNRA to rebuild the decimated Chinese fishing industry. She was last seen with the Awatere and Tawhai fishing at Formosa (now Taiwan).