Corvette of the Flower class
| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Corvette |
| Class | Flower |
| Pennant | K 39 |
| Built by | Ferguson Shipbuilders. Ltd. (Port Glasgow, Scotland) |
| Ordered | 31 Aug, 1939 |
| Laid down | 22 Nov, 1939 |
| Launched | 4 Sep, 1940 |
| Commissioned | 3 Jan, 1941 |
| End service | |
| Loss position | |
| |
| History | Sold in 1947.
Became the merchantile Hydralock in 1948.
Wrecked off Formosa on 25 February 1957.
Commanding Officers:
Lt. Joseph Eric Woolfenden, RNR
October 1940 – 1 May 1943
Promoted to A/Lt.Cdr. on ???
DSC awarded on ???
RD awarded in September 1942
T/A/Lt.Cdr. F.S. Howell, RNR
1 May 1943 – 14 February 1944
T/Lt. T.D. Bennett, RNR
14 February 1944 – ???
???
T/Lt. E.C. Leaver, RNR
December 1944 – 4 January 1945
Lt.Cdr. S.W. Hicks, RNZNVR
4 January 1945 – still in command in July 1945 according to the Navy list
HMS Hydrangea is not listed as active unit in the October 1945 Navy List |
| Noteable events involving Hydrangea include: 3 Aug, 1941
The German submarine U-401 in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, in position 50º27'N, 19º50'W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Wanderer (Cdr. A.F.St.G. Orpen, RN), the Norwegian destroyer St. Albans (Lt.Cdr. S. Storheill) and the British corvette HMS Hydrangea (Lt. J.E. Woolfendon, RNR). (see map) 5 Aug, 1941
HMS Hydrangea (Lt. J.E. Woolfendon, RNR) picks up 36 survivors from the British merchant Cape Rodney that foundered west of Ushant in position 52º44'N, 11º41'W after being torpedoed and damaged west of Ireland in position 53º26'N, 15º40'W by the German submarine U-75.
Hydrangea also picks up 39 survivors from the British merchant Harlingen that was torpedoed and sunk by U-75 in the same attack. |
