No 5 Squadron RNZAF

MOTTO

KEITOU KALAWACA NA WASA LIWA

WE SPAN THE OCEAN

HISTORY

Formed, November 1941
Disbanded, November 1942
Reformed, July 1944
Disbanded, October 1945
Reformed, November 1947
Disbanded,

COs

S/L, E. M. Lewis. RNZAF, November 1941 to December 1941
OBE

F/L, W. J. Craig. RNZAF, December 1941 to February 1942

F/L, R. H. Hickson. RNZAF, February 1942 to March 1942

S/L, R. J. R. H. Makgill. RNZAF, April 1942 to November 1942

W/C, J. W. H. Bray. RNZAF, July 1944 to October 1945
OBE

F/L, B. Oliver. RNZAF, November 1947 to January 1950

S/L, G. Hutton. RNZAF, January 1950 to October 1951

S/L, S. O. Field. RNZAF, October 1951 to July 1953

F/L, J. B. Wilson, RNZAF, July 1953 to April 1954

S/L, R. K. Walker. RNZAF, April 1954 to October 1956
AFC

W/C, R. D. McVicker. RNZAF, October 1956 to June 1958

W/C, R. L. Scott. RNZAF. June 1958 to October 1961

W/C, J. L. Scott. RNZAF, October 1961 to January 1964

W/C, D. B. Flintoff. RNZAF, January 1964 to February 1965

S/L, H. W. Wills. RNZAF, February 1965 to June 1965

S/L, H. W. Dwyer. RNZAF, June 1965 to October 1965

W/C, D. B. Flintoff. RNZAF, October 1965 to April 1966

S/L, K. McL. Milne. RNZAF, April 1966 to March 1967

F/L, J. K. Laing. RNZAF, March 1967 to April 1967

W/C, D. B. Flintoff. RNZAF April 1967 to April 1968

S/L, J.N. E. Richardson. RNZAF April 1968 to

BASES

Suva Harbour, Suva, Fiji. November 1941 to November 1942
Laucala Bay, Suva, Fiji November 1941 to November 1942

Laucala Bay, Suva, Fiji July 1944 to October 1944
Segond Channel, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides 11 November 1944 October 1945

Laucala Bay, Suva, Fiji November 1947 to March 1967
Whenuapai, Auckland, March 1967

AIRCRAFT TYPES

Vincents November 1941 to November 1942
Short Singapore 3 November 1941 to November 1942

Catalina July 1944 to October 1945

Catalina November 1947 to June 1953
Sunderland June 1953 to March 1967
Orion March 1965

ROLES

Maritime Reconnaissance November 1941
Air Sea Rescue November 1941 to March 1967
Anti-Submarine November 1941

CODE
Vickers Vincent

[ex Ohakea Museum]

Short Singapore OT

[Ex Ohakea Museum]

Consolidated Catalina PBY 1944 to 1945 PA

[Ex Ohakea Museum]

Consolidated Catalina PBY 1948 to 1953 KN

Image Source

Short Sunderland KN

Image Source

Known To Have Flown
Sunderland Mk 5
NZ 4105 KN - A. KN - C
NZ 4106 KN - B, KN - G
NZ 4107 KN - F, last flight Laucala Bay to NZ 2 April 1967
NZ 4108 KN - B
NZ 4109 KN - C
NZ 4110 KN - F the first of the Mk 5’s to be written off 14 April 1964
NZ 4111 KN - D first NZ Sunderland to be written off due to damage, at the Chatham Islands, 4 November 1959
NZ 4112 KN - A, KN - L
NZ 4113 KN - D, KN - M, touched the runway at Rongotai Opening 25 Oct 1959, flew last Chatham Islands flight 22 March 1967
NZ 4114
NZ 4115 KN - A, KN - B, KN - Q, at MOTAT, Auckland
NZ 4116 KN - C, KN - G, KN - S
NZ 4117 KN - C, KN - T, Damaged at Tarawa 15 April 1961, written off 10 August 1961
NZ 4118
NZ 4119
NZ 4120 KN - Z

The only RNZAF Sqn to use a foreign language in its motto, Fijian

Won the Fincastle Trophy with a Sunderland against Orions, Neptunes in 1965

During the period the Squadron was operating from Segond Channel, Espiritu Santo, Edmund [Ed] Hillary, [who was later knighted for being the first to stand on Mt Everest], was a navigator on the Squadron.

The Squadron was formed in November 1941 as the RNZAF expanded to prepare for the possible entry of Japan into the war.

The four elderly Short Singapore's, that had belonged to No 205 Squadron RAF, at Seletar, Singapore, on their arrival, provided the only long-range surveillance in the area.

The first two Singapore's arrived at Suva on 18 November 1941, and the second pair on 24 December 1941,

They rescued more than 50 survivors of ditched aircraft, and sunk 1 Japanese Submarine.

The Squadron had also been equipped with 6 Vickers Vincents for closer patrol work

The Squadron was disbanded in November 1942, due to the obsolescence of their aircraft,
one of the Singapore's had hit a reef and been written off.

In between Squadrons, the Singapore's continued to patrol, it would have been interesting to see who would have claimed any success that they had.

The Singapore flight was absorbed by No 6 [M] Squadron on its formation on 25 May 1943

Reformed, again in Fiji, in July 1944, this time with Consolidated Catalina aircraft.

They were used as a temporary transport Squadron, between Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and Gilbert & Ellice Islands.

In October 1944 they were moved to Segond Channel, Espiritu Santo, becoming operational on 11 November 1944.

During their operational time there they didn’t make any claims.

At the end of the war, they were used to transport personnel from the South West Pacific to Auckland.

They returned to Fiji in August 1945 and were disbanded in October 1945.

A small cadre remained in existence and maintained a presence at Laucala Bay, Fiji, mainly flying mercy missions.

In 1947, the Squadron was reformed, again in Fiji, and continued to fly the Catalina’s until the re-furbished Short Sunderland's arrived in 1953.

The Squadron was tasked with surveillance of the vast Southern Pacific, medical evacuation flights, and communications flights for the Colonial Administrators, and search and rescue missions as required.

In 1966, the majority of the Squadron moved to Whenuapai to receive their new Lockheed Orion P3 Aircraft.

In March 1967, the last of the Sunderland's returned to Hobsonville and the Station was handed over to the University of the South Pacific.

The Orion’s have been progressively upgraded to maintain their search capabilities, and in 1985, an ex RAAF Orion was added to the fleet, bringing the total up to 6 aircraft.

Some of the notable detachments have been,

In February 1998, two Aircraft sent to the Arabian Gulf in support of the build-up of coalition forces there, they returned in mid-March 1998.

From May 2003 and February 2004, a detachment was deployed to assist the multinational anti-terrorist operation “Enduring Freedom” coalition, flying 142 missions in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.

In January/February 2006, they flew from Antarctica for the first time to pave the way for Antarctic based surveillance operations.

The trial occurred when NZ was under pressure to intervene in the heated discussions between Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Japanese commercial whaling ships.

Following the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH-370 in March 2014, an Orion was deployed to RAAF Butterworth, Malaya, to assist in the search for the missing aircraft. They were later moved to RAAF Base Pearce, near Perth, Western Australia, to continue the search, alongside other international aircraft and crews.

The Government in NZ has confirmed the purchase of 4 Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft on 9 July 1918, they are to be delivered and operating by 2023, this will require the Squadron to move to Ohakea.

with thanks to son-of-satire for the banner