Farewell to World War II minesweeper

Seventy years after the HMNZ Puriri was sunk by a German mine off Whangarei's coast, another New Zealand naval ship has found and charted the wreckage.
The Puriri is lying in deep water eight miles off Whangarei Heads. The minesweeper was sunk by the mine it was searching for on May 14, 1941. Five men from its crew of 30 were killed, including the commander Lieutenant Douglas Blacklaws.
On Wednesday this week the Navy's survey ship HMNZ Resolution used 21st century technology to lift images from the seabed showing the Puriri resting in at least two pieces in 98m of water, about 7m proud of the bed at its highest point.
Among invited guests on board the Resolution for the historic charting was the late Lieutenant Blacklaws' daughter, Sonya Sage, her husband Ian Sage, other family members, RSA representatives and Tutukaka Coast wreck and salvage expert Keith Gordon.
After the wreck was found and many slow sweeps of the site with sophisticated computer probes had offered up the ghostly images of the Puriri, the Resolution's company stood at parade as Lieutenant Commander Matt Wray led a commemorative service.
"It's important for the Navy to acknowledge the Puriri and its place in New Zealand's and our naval history," Mr Wray said.
At the end of the service, Mrs Sage laid a wreath of flowers on the water and RSA poppies were scattered on the sea directly above the wreck. Mrs Sage, who was 2 years old when her father died, described the service as "just beautiful".
The maritime survey team's commanding officer, Louisa Gritt, said the images were remarkably clear considering the wreck's depth. "We were very lucky to find it," Ms Gritt said.
The event followed the unveiling of a monument at Ocean Beach on May 14.
That was 70 years to the day after the sinking, and the first time the Puriri incident had been publicly acknowledged by the New Zealand Navy.
While the Puriri wreck had not been officially charted before, co-ordinates recorded by Mr Gordon, whose remote-controlled underwater probe found the wreck several years ago, proved fairly accurate.