of the Royal New Zealand Navy. Thereafter he was director of hydrography at HMNZS Wakefield. In the 1968 Queen's Birthday Honours, Smith was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Smith died in Wellington on 2 December 2018. Honorific eponym The Royal New Zealand Navy's headquarters for its operational diving team, maritime operations evaluation team and diving school are housed in the Commander William Smith Building—named in Smith's honour and officially opened by him in 2006—at the Devonport Naval Base in Auckland. References 1922 births 2018 deaths New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Gore, New Zealand Royal New Zealand Navy personnel of World War II