Obituary MR G. BRIDSON

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33093, 7 December 1972, Page 13

Obituary MR G. BRIDSON

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, Dec. 5. Mr Gordon Bridson, a Second World War naval commander who pitted his "little ship” against a Japanese submarine and succeeded in sinking the vessel, died in Cambridge yesterday, aged 63. Bom in Wellington, and educated at Auckland Grammar School, Mr Bridson represented New Zealand as a swimmer in the 1930 Empire Games in Canada. A member of the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve for many years, he left for Britain in June, 1940, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for outstanding work in the English Channel where he served for two years before returning to New Zeaalnd. With the rank of lieuten-ant-commander, he was then in command of one of the New Zealand Navy’s famous little ships, H.M.N.Z.S. Kiwi. A minesweeper, the Kiwi was being used as an antisubmarine vessel at Guadalcanal in the Solomons at the time of the sinking of the submarine in January, 1943. Once identified, the submarine was hit with depth charges. It surfaced, and in a hail of fire, the Kiwi rammed it twice — unsuccessfully. A New Zealand seaman was

killed by fire from the submarine which was finally rammed by the Kiwi and finished off by its sister ship, H.M.N.Z.S. Moa, commanded by Lieutenant-Commander P. Phipps, who later became a vice-admiral. Mr Bridson won the Distinguished Service Order for his part in the action. After the war, Mr Bridson set up a hardware business in Te Aroha. He left the business about 15 years ago and took up dairy farming in Cambridge. He is survived by his wife and three children.