HMNZS Thomas Currell, auxiliary minesweeper , RNZN 1939-1945, is this week's RNZN Ship Of The Week.
This is another of those little ships where I suspect there is probably a lot of local knowledge out there somewhere, but not easy for a distant outsider the access.
Originally constructed as a Strath Class minesweeper for the Royal Navy in 1919, the 204 tons gross trawler Thomas Currell was one of three requisitioned from Sanford Ltd of Auckland in October 1939, and decommissioned in November 1945. I'll edit in any further details as I find them, but as one of the smaller auxiliaries I think her duties were confined to local waters – not sure at present.
As for her later career, the one trace I find is this second photo posted by Phil NZ on flickr in 2006, which shows her wrecked but still very recognisable at Port Hutt on Chatham Island. There is a passing reference to her having been a 'freezer,' presumably a refrigerated vessel in the fishing fleet.
Anyway, she looked very fine
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