RN: Flower Class Corvettes

[ivorthediver]

Brings to song to mind Jim , I think by peter paul and Mary .........".Where Have All The Flowers Gone "......?

[jbryce1437]

Brings to song to mind Jim , I think by peter paul and Mary .........".Where Have All The Flowers Gone "......?

"Young girls picked them, every one"

I will post some Canadian Flowers on the Canadian thread later.

Jim

[ivorthediver]

Nice to know there are some cultured members Jim

[Brian James]

Flower Class Corvette HMS Buttercup pictured at Oslo in May 1945..HNoMS Buttercup served from February 15th 1945 until May 8th as part of the Liverpool Escort Force. As part of 'Group B2' she participated in two westbound and two eastbound allied transatlantic convoys. None of these was attacked by enemy forces and all the convoys arrived at their destinations.
When she returned to Liverpool on May 6th she was order to Rosyth to prepare to sail for Norway. She sailed on May 13th 1945 for Oslo carrying the Chief of Staff of the Navy High Command and other naval officers. She arrived at Oslo on May 15th.
The Norwegian Government acquired Buttercup in 1946 and on August 10th renamed her HNoMS Nordkyn She served initially as a fisheries protection vessel. She was scrapped in 1969.

[Brian James]

Flower Class Corvette HMS Vetch pictured at Liverpool in 1941.As part of the 1939 War Programme, HMS Vetch was ordered on December 12th 1939 from Smiths Dock Company Limited of Middlesbrough. The ship was not laid down until March 15th 1941 but she was quickly launched on May 27th 1941 and commissioned into the Royal Navy on August 11th 1941. In October 1941 Vetch was assigned to the 36th Escort Group (36 EG) based at Liverpool, part of Western Approaches Command. Between August 20th and September 4th the ship underwent sea trials at Tobermory and her first convoy escort duty was with OG 74 between September 13th and 27th 1941 (which included 27 ships plus the first Escort Carrier, Audacity and the Ocean Boarding Vessel, Corinthian which was continuing on into the South Atlantic). OG 74 was protected by the Sloop Deptford and other corvettes (Arbutus, Marigold and Pentstemon). The convoy was spotted by a U-Boat on September 20th which shadowed and reported the convoy's position to German headquarters. An aircraft from Audacity forced this U-Boat to dive and the Submarine was also attacked by Deptford and Arbutus (these vessels were relieved by Destroyers and rejoined the convoy). Other U-boats were now directed against the convoy and two merchant ships were sunk and during an emergency turn four merchant vessels became detached from the convoy. On September 21st, a German long-range Condor aircraft located the convoy and bombed and sank the Walmer Castle. Audacity launched Martlet aircraft which managed to shoot down the German aircraft. Vetch arrived at Gibraltar on September 27th and 36 Escort Group remained there whilst escorting convoys HG 74 and OG 76 between 2 October and 11 November 1941. Whilst during offensive sweeps around Gibraltar, Vetch picked up and attacked a Submarine contact on December 6th approximately 15 miles from Tarifa Point. 76 HG was now led by Commander "Johnnie" Walker in HMS Stork. A large convoy, HG 76, consisting of 32 ships which sailed on December 14th 1941 from Gibraltar. Protection was from Audacity again and the Sloops Stork and Deptford plus the Corvettes Vetch, Convolvulus, Marigold, Pentstemon, Rhododendron and Samphire. Also detailed were Hunt-Class Destroyers HMS Blankney and HMS Exmoor as well as Town-Class Destroyer HMS Stanley. Walker introduced new methods to combat the U-Boat threat and successfully used Audacity's aircraft to locate Submarines which were then attacked. During the convoy's journey five U-Boats were sunk (U-127, U-131, U-434, U-574 and U-567) as well as two Condor aircraft, but the losses were heavy - Audacity (lost 21 December), Stanley (lost 19 December) and two merchant ships were sunk. In April 1942 Vetch had been fitted with Type 271 radar with which, while escorting convoy OG 82 in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, she detected U-252 which she then sank with the help of Stork. 36 EG was disbanded in June 1942 and Vetch continued with other escort groups until 1944. On May 25th 1943, while escorting a convoy to Algiers, she sank U-414 in the western Mediterranean north of Oran. She remained in the Mediterranean escorting convoys in support of Operation Husky. On June 29th 1945, Vetch arrived at Gibraltar and was put in navy reserve. On August 23rd 1945 she was loaned to the Greek government and renamed Patrai. The Greeks sold Patrai in 1951 and the vessel was renamed Olympic Hunter. In 1956 she was resold as the Otori Maru No.18 and sailed until 1966 when she was finally scrapped.

[jbryce1437]

Flower Class Corvette HMS Vetch pictured at Liverpool in 1941.As part of the 1939 War Programme, HMS Vetch was ordered on December 12th 1939 from Smiths Dock Company Limited of Middlesbrough. The ship was not laid down until March 15th 1941 but she was quickly launched on May 27th 1941 and commissioned into the Royal Navy on August 11th 1941. In October 1941 Vetch was assigned to the 36th Escort Group (36 EG) based at Liverpool, part of Western Approaches Command. Between August 20th and September 4th the ship underwent sea trials at Tobermory and her first convoy escort duty was with OG 74 between September 13th and 27th 1941 (which included 27 ships plus the first Escort Carrier, Audacity and the Ocean Boarding Vessel, Corinthian which was continuing on into the South Atlantic). OG 74 was protected by the Sloop Deptford and other corvettes (Arbutus, Marigold and Pentstemon). The convoy was spotted by a U-Boat on September 20th which shadowed and reported the convoy's position to German headquarters. An aircraft from Audacity forced this U-Boat to dive and the Submarine was also attacked by Deptford and Arbutus (these vessels were relieved by Destroyers and rejoined the convoy). Other U-boats were now directed against the convoy and two merchant ships were sunk and during an emergency turn four merchant vessels became detached from the convoy. On September 21st, a German long-range Condor aircraft located the convoy and bombed and sank the Walmer Castle. Audacity launched Martlet aircraft which managed to shoot down the German aircraft. Vetch arrived at Gibraltar on September 27th and 36 Escort Group remained there whilst escorting convoys HG 74 and OG 76 between 2 October and 11 November 1941. Whilst during offensive sweeps around Gibraltar, Vetch picked up and attacked a Submarine contact on December 6th approximately 15 miles from Tarifa Point. 76 HG was now led by Commander "Johnnie" Walker in HMS Stork. A large convoy, HG 76, consisting of 32 ships which sailed on December 14th 1941 from Gibraltar. Protection was from Audacity again and the Sloops Stork and Deptford plus the Corvettes Vetch, Convolvulus, Marigold, Pentstemon, Rhododendron and Samphire. Also detailed were Hunt-Class Destroyers HMS Blankney and HMS Exmoor as well as Town-Class Destroyer HMS Stanley. Walker introduced new methods to combat the U-Boat threat and successfully used Audacity's aircraft to locate Submarines which were then attacked. During the convoy's journey five U-Boats were sunk (U-127, U-131, U-434, U-574 and U-567) as well as two Condor aircraft, but the losses were heavy - Audacity (lost 21 December), Stanley (lost 19 December) and two merchant ships were sunk. In April 1942 Vetch had been fitted with Type 271 radar with which, while escorting convoy OG 82 in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, she detected U-252 which she then sank with the help of Stork. 36 EG was disbanded in June 1942 and Vetch continued with other escort groups until 1944. On May 25th 1943, while escorting a convoy to Algiers, she sank U-414 in the western Mediterranean north of Oran. She remained in the Mediterranean escorting convoys in support of Operation Husky. On June 29th 1945, Vetch arrived at Gibraltar and was put in navy reserve. On August 23rd 1945 she was loaned to the Greek government and renamed Patrai. The Greeks sold Patrai in 1951 and the vessel was renamed Olympic Hunter. In 1956 she was resold as the Otori Maru No.18 and sailed until 1966 when she was finally scrapped.

Many thanks Brian, excellent post and background information.