Sir Peter Phipps | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 7 December 1908 Sydney, Australia |
| Died | 18 September 1989 (aged 80) Marlborough, New Zealand |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
| Service | Royal New Zealand Navy |
| Years of service | 1928–1965 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands | Chief of Defence Staff Chief of Naval Staff HMS Royalist HMNZS Philomel HMNZS Moa HMNZS Scarba |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Cross & Bar Navy Cross (United States) |
Vice Admiral Sir Peter Phipps, KBE, DSC & Bar, VRD (7 December 1908 – 18 September 1989) was a senior officer of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) from the 1940s to 1960s.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Phipps served with the Royal Navy and then RNZN during the Second World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) in 1941 for his service as commander of an anti-submarine trawler in English waters. He later served in the Solomon Islands and for his part in the sinking of a Japanese submarine at Guadalcanal, he was awarded a bar to his DSC and the United States of America awarded him the Navy Cross, their second highest award for valour. In the postwar period, he was seconded to the Royal Navy for a time and also commanded the cruiser HMNZS Royalist. Phipps was the first New Zealander to reach the rank of vice admiral in the RNZN. He was also served as Chief of Naval Staff and the first Chief of Defence Staff. He was killed in a car accident in 1989.