Gordon Bridson
Encyclopedia
Commander
Gordon Bridson DSO
, DSC
(2 December 1909 – 6 December 1972) of the Royal New Zealand Navy
(RNZN) was the commander of the minesweeping trawler Kiwi
which, with her sister ship Moa
, fought a classic duel with Japanese submarine I-1
.
Bridson grew up in Auckland
, New Zealand
. He went to Auckland Grammar School
and became the Auckland swimmer of the decade. At the 1930 British Empire Games he won silver medals for both the 400 yd and 1500 yd freestyle.
. He was commissioned in February 1928 and in April 1940 was mobilised for war and promoted to lieutenant commander. In May he left with the first draft of the Volunteer Reserve for service with the Royal Navy
.
In England Bridson commanded HMS Walnut, part of the 24th and 25th minesweeping and anti-submarine flotillas, ten ships all commanded by New Zealanders. For a year the flotillas escorted convoys around the east coast of Britain and through the English Channel. They were often attacked by air and sea. Bridson was awarded the DSC for his performance during this time.
, which he commissioned at Greenock
on 20 October 1941. On New Year's Day Kiwi left Greenock and escorted a convoy across the North Atlantic to Newfoundland. She suffered considerable damage in a fierce storm. Bridson then sailed her back to New Zealand.
In December 1942 the RNZN’s 25th Minesweeping Flotilla, consisting of the three new minesweeping trawlers Kiwi, Moa
and Tui
and the converted merchant ship Matai
, were deployed in the Solomon Islands
.
On 14 January 1943 an American PT boat
mistakenly fired two torpedoes at Kiwi. They missed, but the New Zealanders were furious. Later Bridson and the PT commander became firm friends.
. The Kiwi made several depth charge
attacks and the submarine surfaced to engage them with its five-inch gun. I-1 weighed more than both corvettes together and was more heavily armed. The New Zealanders continued to attack and the Kiwi rammed the submarine three times, firing at point blank range with its main 4 inch gun and a 20-mm Oerlikon
mounted on its bow (acquired unofficially at Noumea
for two bottles of gin).
Pursued by the Moa, I-1 ran onto a reef and sank. Leading Signalman Buchanan, the searchlight
operator on the Kiwi was killed, and the damage to the bow was such that the ship had to return to New Zealand for repairs.
Bridson was awarded the DSO
and the United States Navy Cross
for this action.
In May 1944 he was promoted to acting commander and appointed naval officer in charge at Dunedin
. Six months later he was confirmed in the rank and became naval officer in charge at Lyttelton
. He then became an aide de camp
to the Governor General
, holding both positions until he was demobilized in 1946.
where he was a partner in a hardware business. In the late 1950s he became a farmer near Cambridge
, where he died on 6 December 1972.
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Gordon Bridson DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DSC
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
(2 December 1909 – 6 December 1972) of the Royal New Zealand Navy
Royal New Zealand Navy
The Royal New Zealand Navy is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
(RNZN) was the commander of the minesweeping trawler Kiwi
HMNZS Kiwi (T102)
HMNZS Kiwi was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy.She was commissioned in 1941 for minesweeping and anti-submarine roles. From 1948 to 1956 she functioned as a training ship....
which, with her sister ship Moa
HMNZS Moa (T233)
HMNZS Moa was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy.On 29 January 1943, with her sister ship Kiwi, Moa helped ram and wreck the Japanese submarine I-1...
, fought a classic duel with Japanese submarine I-1
Japanese submarine I-1
The Japanese submarine I-1 was a J1 type submarine built by Kawasaki, Kobe, for the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was a large cruiser submarine displacing 2,135 tons and was the lead of four boats built in the class....
.
Early years
Bridson grew up in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He went to Auckland Grammar School
Auckland Grammar School
Auckland Grammar School is a state secondary school for years 9 to 13 boys in Auckland, New Zealand. It had a roll of 2,483 in 2008, including a number of boarders who live in nearby Tibbs' House, making it one of the largest schools in New Zealand...
and became the Auckland swimmer of the decade. At the 1930 British Empire Games he won silver medals for both the 400 yd and 1500 yd freestyle.
War career
Bridson began his naval career in 1927 when he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. He was commissioned in February 1928 and in April 1940 was mobilised for war and promoted to lieutenant commander. In May he left with the first draft of the Volunteer Reserve for service with the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
In England Bridson commanded HMS Walnut, part of the 24th and 25th minesweeping and anti-submarine flotillas, ten ships all commanded by New Zealanders. For a year the flotillas escorted convoys around the east coast of Britain and through the English Channel. They were often attacked by air and sea. Bridson was awarded the DSC for his performance during this time.
Commander of the Kiwi
Bridson was then appointed to command the newly built minesweeping trawler HMNZS KiwiHMNZS Kiwi (T102)
HMNZS Kiwi was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy.She was commissioned in 1941 for minesweeping and anti-submarine roles. From 1948 to 1956 she functioned as a training ship....
, which he commissioned at Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
on 20 October 1941. On New Year's Day Kiwi left Greenock and escorted a convoy across the North Atlantic to Newfoundland. She suffered considerable damage in a fierce storm. Bridson then sailed her back to New Zealand.
In December 1942 the RNZN’s 25th Minesweeping Flotilla, consisting of the three new minesweeping trawlers Kiwi, Moa
HMNZS Moa (T233)
HMNZS Moa was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy.On 29 January 1943, with her sister ship Kiwi, Moa helped ram and wreck the Japanese submarine I-1...
and Tui
HMNZS Tui (T234)
HMNZS Tui was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy. She was commissioned in 1941 for minesweeping and anti-submarine roles....
and the converted merchant ship Matai
HMNZS Matai (T01)
HMNZS Matai was a Marine Department lighthouse tender which was requisitioned by the Royal New Zealand Navy and converted into a minesweeper.-Operational history:...
, were deployed in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
.
On 14 January 1943 an American PT boat
PT boat
PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
mistakenly fired two torpedoes at Kiwi. They missed, but the New Zealanders were furious. Later Bridson and the PT commander became firm friends.
The wrecking of submarine I-1
Two weeks later on the night of 29–30 January, Kiwi and Moa were on patrol near Guadalcanal Island with Bridson as senior officer, when they encountered the Japanese submarine I-1Japanese submarine I-1
The Japanese submarine I-1 was a J1 type submarine built by Kawasaki, Kobe, for the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was a large cruiser submarine displacing 2,135 tons and was the lead of four boats built in the class....
. The Kiwi made several depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
attacks and the submarine surfaced to engage them with its five-inch gun. I-1 weighed more than both corvettes together and was more heavily armed. The New Zealanders continued to attack and the Kiwi rammed the submarine three times, firing at point blank range with its main 4 inch gun and a 20-mm Oerlikon
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
mounted on its bow (acquired unofficially at Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
for two bottles of gin).
[Bridson] ...gave the order to ram. At the same time he thought he'd better let the engine room know what was going on. So he shouted down the voice pipe, "Stand by to ram." When the voice came back from the engine room, "What the hell do you mean by ram?" he replied, "I don't know. I've never done it before."
Pursued by the Moa, I-1 ran onto a reef and sank. Leading Signalman Buchanan, the searchlight
Searchlight
A searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...
operator on the Kiwi was killed, and the damage to the bow was such that the ship had to return to New Zealand for repairs.
Bridson was awarded the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
and the United States Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
for this action.
In May 1944 he was promoted to acting commander and appointed naval officer in charge at Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
. Six months later he was confirmed in the rank and became naval officer in charge at Lyttelton
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand....
. He then became an aide de camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Governor General
Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
, holding both positions until he was demobilized in 1946.
Post war
Bridson settled with his family in Te ArohaTe Aroha
Te Aroha is a rural town in the Waikato region of New Zealand with a population of 3,768 . It is 53 km northeast of Hamilton and 50 km south of Thames. It sits at the foot of 952-metre Mount Te Aroha, the highest point in the Kaimai Range....
where he was a partner in a hardware business. In the late 1950s he became a farmer near Cambridge
Cambridge, New Zealand
Cambridge is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. Situated 24 kilometres southeast of Hamilton, on the banks of the Waikato River, Cambridge is known as "The Town of Trees & Champions".In the 1840s Cambridge had a Maori population but in the 1850's missionaries and...
, where he died on 6 December 1972.
See also
- Peter PhippsPeter PhippsPete Phipps is a rock drummer, singer and songwriter known for his work with Gary Glitter, The Glitter Band, and later Eurythmics, XTC and Denim.-Biography:...
- Non-US recipients of US gallantry awards
Further reading
- Harker, Jack (2000)The Rockies: New Zealand Minesweepers at War. Silver Owl Press. ISBN 0-9597979-9-8