Technical information
Type | Corvette |
Displacement | 925 BRT |
Length | 205 feet (oa) |
Complement | 85 men |
Armament | 1 4" gun 1 2pdr AA 4 .303" MG AA |
Max speed | 16 knots |
Engines | Reciprocating engine, 1 shaft |
Power | 2750 HP |
Notes on class | Great Britain's shipbuilding program of 1939 and 1940 required a convoy escort vessel which was capable of being built quickly, of mounting the then available anti-submarine equipment, of surviving the heavy seas around the British Isles, and of matching U-boat speeds. The design adopted was based upon a whale-catcher built in Middlesbrough. 145 of these Flower-class corvettes were eventually built in the UK and they, led by a few non-fleet destroyers, formed the bulk of the escorting warships which fought the battle of the Atlantic. Their short length and shallow draught made them uncomfortable ships to live in; even when they were modified, after the fall of France, to enable them to counter the extended range of the German 'Wolf-packs'. A fortnight of constant rolling and pitching on transatlantic convoy duty tended to exhaust all who sailed in them. The ratings in the crews were mostly reservists with only a few key positions, such as Cox'n, Chief Bos'n's mate, Gunlayer, Chief Engineer etc., being filled by regular or recalled personnel; the officers were reservists, almost without exception, with the Captain usually ex-merchant navy. Service aboard was monotonous and debilitating for long periods, either because of the need for constant vigilance in the face of those twin dangers, the sea and the enemy, or because of, in the North Atlantic at least, the cold. When action came, it could be prolonged and brutal with the sight and aftermath of the sinking of freighters or of other warships. The torpedoing of a corvette itself would be especially dramatic: its few compartments below the water line would cause it to sink in seconds, with few survivors. Over 20 corvettes fell victim to torpedo or mine during the War. Normally sleeping conditions on board for officers and petty officers were relatively reasonable, but for the seamen in a crowded, stuffy and water laden forecastle they were a great hardship. The inability to store perishable food for more than 2 or 3 days led to a boring repetition of corned-beef and powdered potato for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Since most of the crewmen were young, persistent sea-sickness was the principal health-hazard. Home-leave was possible only when the ship was refitting or cleaning boilers, but local leave was liberally granted on both sides of the ocean at the end of convoy duties. After the Normandy landings in 1944, the Flower-class gave way in the Atlantic to the newer and faster frigates and Castle-class corvettes. German 'Flowers' France was building 6 flower class corvettes when Germany invaded in 1940. Four of these were completed to a modified design and served in the Kriegsmarine. |
US Navy ships of the Flower class
To see all Flower class ships click here.
USS Courage (PG-70) (ex. HMS Heartsease) | ||
USS Fury (PG-69) (ex. HMS Larkspur) | ||
USS Impulse (PG-68) (ex. HMS Begonia) | ||
USS Ready (PG 67) | ||
USS Restless (PG-66) | ||
USS Saucy (PG-65) (ex. HMS Arabis) | ||
USS Spry (PG-64) | ||
USS Surprise (PG-63) (ex. HMS Helitrope) | ||
USS Temptress (PG-62) | ||
USS Tenacity (PG-71) (ex. HMS Candytuft) | ||
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See all US Navy Corvette classes.
Flower class ships hit by U-boats (22) | |||
9 Jan 1944 | HMS Abelia | Damaged | unknown |
21 Aug 1944 | HMCS Alberni | Sunk | U-480 |
9 Feb 1942 | FFL Alysse | Sunk | U-654 |
5 Feb 1942 | HMS Arbutus (i) | Sunk | U-136 |
10 Mar 1944 | HMS Asphodel | Sunk | U-575 |
17 Feb 1945 | HMS Bluebell | Sunk | U-711 |
11 Sep 1942 | HMCS Charlottetown (i) | Sunk | U-517 |
14 Oct 1941 | HMS Fleur de Lys | Sunk | U-206 |
17 Oct 1941 | HMS Gladiolus | Sunk | U-553 |
19 Sep 1941 | HMCS Levis (i) | Sunk | U-74 |
9 Jun 1942 | FFL Mimosa | Sunk | U-124 |
18 Nov 1942 | HNoMS Montbretia | Sunk | U-262 |
12 Aug 1941 | HMS Picotee | Sunk | U-568 |
27 Jun 1944 | HMS Pink | Total loss | unknown |
21 Sep 1943 | HMS Polyanthus | Sunk | U-952 |
8 Aug 1944 | HMCS Regina | Sunk | U-667 |
24 Dec 1941 | HMS Salvia | Sunk | U-568 |
25 Nov 1944 | HMCS Shawinigan | Sunk | U-1228 |
11 Feb 1942 | HMCS Spikenard | Sunk | U-136 |
20 Feb 1945 | HMS Vervain | Sunk | U-1276 |
22 Feb 1943 | HMCS Weyburn | Sunk | U-118 |
23 Aug 1941 | HMS Zinnia | Sunk | U-564 |
With A Flower Upon The Ocean Edward T Wilkins |
Books dealing with this subject include:
The Battle of the Atlantic, Bailey, Chris Howard (ed.), 1994 |