Flower class - Guide 124

[@Drachinifel]

Pinned post for Q&A :)

[@99IronDuke]

@Drachinifel best naval history channel on KZbin by far, could you please cover HMS Amethyst (F110) the Blacki Swan Class frigate of Yangtse incident fame?

[@Dave_Sisson]

Excellent vid, more on hard working little corvettes please. Perhaps you could do the Bathurst Class soon? There's a preserved one named after my home town, I'm happy to take photos for you if you want them.

[@AmsterdamKayakGuy]

1) Not a question, but I love your videos! 2) Maybe some videos on the smaller navies of the war era?

[@esbenandersen5706]

You have presented some wargaming scenarios. What rules do you use, and are they accessible online?

[@mr.narwhal9034]

What is the derivative of 673?

[@roteba1]

The Flower Class is much like the Hawker Hurricane. It never got the publicity of more glamorous machines, but it stopped Britain crashing out of the war in the first few years.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

At least they got names. Things like PC'S, SC's, and amphibs just a number.

[@sugarnads]

Keep beating that bs drum. Hurricane got loads of recognition.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

@@sugarnads As Warbirds go, it has never been exactly popular.

[@bkjeong4302]

The Mongoose The Hurricane’s always been overshadowed by the Spitfire in popular perception, despite the fact it was the main British fighter of the Battle of Britain.

[@sugarnads]

Bk Jeong you keep flogging that dead horse. It appears in all the books published since 1945. So i think EVERYONE is perfectly well aware of the role the hurricane played. In FACT prewar it was the fighter everyone knew about. So yeah. Whatever. Poor little hurricane thwt everyone knew about but noone knew about. Its lack of acknowledgment is a myth. A good story.

[@scotthill8787]

“The Cruel Sea,” gives a fictional account of duty on a Flower Class Corvette. I can’t speak to its accuracy, but it’s a very good book.

[@braintransplantdonor]

@Gibius1 Nicholas Monsarrat developed The Cruel Sea from short stories he originally wrote and published, under the title Three Corvettes, during the war while he was serving on corvettes.

[@Deevo037]

@Gibius1 Indeed. I always thought The Cruel Sea and Das Boot were two sides of the same story.

[@ivorholtskog5506]

Corvette K225. Also a good movie.

[@snake57]

It is a very good movie, “The Cruel Sea “

[@E1nsty]

I remember that book being good, should give it another read maybe.

[@joeboscarino2380]

On a side note , yesterday the 24 of May , Texas State House has approved $ 35,000,000 US for the restoration of the USS Texas BB35 . Governor Abbott is expected to sign the bill .

[@admiraltiberius1989]

Can I get a link ??? That's amazing news.

[@joeboscarino2380]

@@admiraltiberius1989 I've been keeping track of Senate bill 1511 and was told about it just after the vote . You can read an article about it in Statesman , at Statesman.com .

[@admiraltiberius1989]

@@joeboscarino2380 Hey that's amazing news......every little bit helps

[@evanulven8249]

Oh? Chip Roy didn't block it to save money for a wall?

[@joeboscarino2380]

@@evanulven8249 We don't get political here , we discuss warships . Your Chip Roy reference was unappreciated and unwarranted .

[@misterthegeoff9767]

Unsung heroes of the war. It's hard to imagine a more perfect counterpart to the liberty ships they were escorting.

[@TheReaper569]

"liberty ships"

[@misterthegeoff9767]

@@TheReaper569 What's with the scare quotes? That was literally the name of the class.

[@bkjeong4302]

Yep this. The British corvettes and American liberty ships achieved a lot more than many of the most famous ships in their navies (coughBBscough) Edit: not saying the Axis BBs were any better, more that battleships in general were terrible strategic assets in WWII.

[@kalashnikovdevil]

If you're gonna make nearly 300 of something they better be good, and the Flowers were definitely good!

[@shorttimer874]

@@RobertLutece909 Don't remember the source, might have been Jerry Pournelle's blog, but partway through WW2 a study was done regarding priorities of anti-submarine tactics and how effective current methods were. Turned out trying to sink uboats was not nearly as effective as blocking their opportunity to attack convoys. The priority's were changed, though actually sinking one was a good thing, and shipping loses went down.

[@captainloggy140]

Fun Fact: There was indeed an HMS Pansy completed under that name, she was a WW1 Cabbage-class minesweeper.

[@Dave_Sisson]

Having a group of navy ships named "Cabbage Class" is almost as amusing as having a ship named HMS Pansy.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@Dave_Sisson The Cabbage Class operates under only one law! Cole's Law!

[@dbyers3897]

Did she ever come up against SMS Sauerkraut, an Imperial German Navy minelayer?

[@Etäinshewölf007]

I was thinking how close it would sound on bad radios like German tanks the panzer rather than pansy

[@mayonotes9849]

​@@MonkeyJedi99 The best comment so far I've read this year.

[@timsimms65707]

I live in Nova Scotia and have been aboard the Sackville several times. Late in the season, hardly a soul aboard I roamed the ship alone quietly listening to her as she moved beneath my feet. She is Canada's official naval memorial and the RCN takes her from the Maritime Museum of the North Atlantic to the naval dockyard every winter where she receives the care she so richly deserves.

[@kylebrodie5860]

I've lived here for a year, and I still haven't had a chance. I think you've convinced me

[@kcole-xi9km]

I've lived most of my life in Amherst, nice to see HMCS Amherst make the photo lineup in the video. These little ships are a big part of Canada's wartime history, I'm glad they get a little recognition from time to time.

[@ogscarl3t375]

Good to hear Canada takes such good care of it's historical naval vessels that are still afloat !

[@HydroSnips]

I’m in the UK and am really very jealous. J’adore the Flowers from reading Montserrat’s novels and wartime journalism and would love to visit the Sackville: KZbin walkthroughs just aren’t the same. Just something about them (and the other small ships like Black Swan class too), they were the workhorses of the North Atlantic. Like angry little dogs rushing about snapping with her depth charges and herding the convoys, with the cold seas crashing over her and the crew soaked and tired but enduring and fighting. Not really designed for deep ocean work in Atlantic storms, but my goodness she did magnificent work. “A corvette will roll on wet grass”.

[@timsimms65707]

@@HydroSnips I hope you can see her in person someday. I admit to some jealousy of my own, in the UK you have the Victory, Warrior, Mary Rose, Belfast, and other vessels plus the museums. I hope one day to visit them, the UK is on my bucket list.

[@jiks270]

Good to see one of the most important classes of ship during WW2 getting some attention, nice one Drac.

[@nathanbrown8680]

It's also reassuring to know that someone remembered to preserve one for posterity.

[@abrahamdozer6273]

@@nathanbrown8680 I was in the Canadian Navy when Sackville was disguised as a loop layer and research vessel. I have to say that we Canadians accidentally preserved a Flower Class Corvette. After the War, you could pick one up from Crown Assets Disposal cheap, cheap and they ended up as whalers, coastal steamers, etc.

[@gryph01]

​@@abrahamdozer6273Sackville was a fortunate ship. The fact that she lost one of her boilers actually saved her from being sold off or scrapped. HMCS Guelph (named after my hometown) was one of the last Flower Class to be built. Her first escort job was to escort two RN submarines being returned to the U.S. and then waa assignsd to escort group W3. I looked into what happened to her. She was sold in October 1945 to an American buyer (who kept the name Guelph) and became a cargo ship under a Panamanian flag. In 1954, she was renamed to Josphene Lanasa. In 1956 she was sold and renamed Burfin. She was removed form the Lloyd's registry in 1965. If I remember correctly she was wrecked in a hurricane. I have a partially built HMCS Snowberry model. When I finally get around to finishing it, I will make it the Guelph. After that, I will likely donate the model to the Guelph Civic Museum to remind people that there was a ship named Guelph.

[@abrahamdozer6273]

@@gryph01 I was in the Navy n the 1970s and Sackville was part of the auxilliary fleet in Halifax, painted dark blue and dark grey. She had been extensively modified but it was still recognizably a Corvette. I remember saying in a conversation with an Army historian that Canada had "acidentally preserved a WWII Coervtte". That's really what happened, too. p..s. I am involved in such things and there are A LOT of Corvette models about. We need a new museum in Southern Ontaario.

[@ThePlebicide]

I'm putting a model of a flower class corvette together for a wargame. it will now be call HMS Pansy.

[@2boredfortv]

Every Flower class I sink in Wolfpack will henceforth be known as "the" HMS Pansy.

[@Engine33Truck]

I used to own a PC game that was basically an FPS with ships. The starting British ship was a Flower class called HMS Valerian. For some reason, that name pops in my head a lot.

[@peterroberts2737]

Don't forget HMS pink

[@barkebaat]

Ooooo aahh, hello sailor !

[@lindsayheyes925]

Was that the Corvette in the hilarious radio comedy series "The Navy Lark" in the 1960s? It should have been - Kenneth Williams starred.

[@Dreska_]

Little cute warships screaming WAAAGH at any uboat they find

[@willrogers3793]

Like a pack of grots bum-rushing a space marine, lmfao. 🤣😂

[@admiraltiberius1989]

I get this reference and I love it.....fine work.

[@Zakiriel]

The Brief, but spirited charges!

[@weldonwin]

They go in to the ship yards for upgrades and the crew bellow "MORE DAKKA!!!" At the foreman

[@bloodrave9578]

@@weldonwin you can neva have enuff dakka

[@kevinchappell3694]

My dad served on a Flower class Corvette during the Battle of The Atlantic. His station was in the boiler/engine room. He didn’t talk about it a lot. My father passed in 1993. In around 2012 I toured the Sackville in Halifax and they let me go down below. What a hell of a scary way to spend your late teens and early twenties.

[@webbo9798]

Do you know the name of his ship?

[@noele6588]

Uncle was XO on the Sackville, looking at the pics of the crew I can just make him out. He went on to law school and ended up as a ab supre.e. Kurt Justice. RIP MO

[@peterbettell1361]

My dad was on the gentian battle of the Atlantic and died in 1993

[@sarjim4381]

The USN officially received nine Flower class corvettes from Canadian dockyards and ten directly from RN service in 1942 and early 1943, all to fill in dire shortages of convoy escorts across the Atlantic and from the Caribbean to New York and Canada. The British built ships served as transatlantic convoy escorts through early 1944. Eight Canadian built vessels actually served in the USN while one, USS Beacon, assigned to the USN and commissioned as a USN ship, never actively serving. She was transferred the RN as the HMS Dittany in May, 1943. These modified Flowers were classed as patrol gunboats in USN service, a role the Canadian built ships actually performed. All eight vessels escorted coastal convoys up and down the US coast, to and from the Caribbean and sometimes as far north as Newfoundland. The British built ships were taken in hand as soon as they could get to a US dockyard. The British 4" was replaced with US 4"/50 and the aft Vickers 2 pdr pom pom or twin Lewis guns replaced with a 3"/50. The other Lewis guns were either replaced or augmented with 20mm Oerlikons. The Canadian built ships came with a standard armament of two 3"/50 and 2-4 20mm guns. The USS Pert, maintaining the USN tradition of placing a gun everywhere there was an empty space, had, in addition to the 3" guns, at least seven 20mm, three twin Lewis gun, and a single Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun mounted on top of the bridge. There was a good reason for all these gun, beyond the enjoyment US sailors took firing guns. Coastal convoys were often attacked by U-boats running on the surface. Because the PGs retained their British Type 271 radar, the rest of the war up to about 1944, they were able to detect submarines up to 3,500 yards, or about 2 miles. This was often more than the U-boat lookouts could see in the typical haze and fog of the coast, especially at night. Once detected, the PG would call for flank speed and charge the U-boat with guns blazing, the hail of fire forcing the U-boat to dive with alacrity. Once it was down, the PG would track the sub with its ASDIC (also British) and hold it down until faster escorts could arrive to attack it. The PG would then sprint back to the convoy and take up the escort role again. U-boats attacked East Coast convoys in wolf packs, and each PG would often have to perform their cavalry charge attacks five or six times during a single escort voyage. The little PG/Flower class corvettes were roundly hated by US sailors for the rolling Drach mentioned, lack of berthing accommodations, and the constant wetness of the ship. Since the ships were built with North Atlantic duty in mind, one can only imagine the torture of being below decks in tropical waters. Nevertheless, the plucky little ships plugged a hole in US escort capabilities during the first two years of the US war, and their presence saved many a merchant ship and the lives of many merchant sailors.

[@jessemarcus]

Hey cool i think i suggested this not so long ago There is only one of these left in the world.....In Canada

[@paulwoodman5131]

USS Plucky

[@seasirocco3063]

I’m amused that at one point in history, Canada built warships for the USA.

[@roybennett6330]

What the British doing reverse lendlease.....ah no good for the yanks...back to drawing board then...

[@_tertle3892]

Bloody hell thats a lot of text

[@WG55]

The Flower Class corvettes were definitely the _cutest_ ships of World War Two, if not the most powerful. 😍

[@josh656]

William Adderholdt “Awwww, look at this cute little guy. You’re precious!”

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

So kawaii I think i know what I'm going to do in Minecraft today

[@weldonwin]

All shall fear the might and majesty of the HMS Periwinkle

[@weldonwin]

@WTF Again? Cower mortals and bare witness to the HMS Pansy!

[@Philip271828]

Kittens are cute, too, but only because we are bigger.

[@glynwelshkarelian3489]

Well done sir. The Flower Class was a literal war winner that was forgotten quicker than the Daily Mail's support of Hitler. In the late 60's, early 70's, there was one book about small attack boats (MTB/MGB/E-Boats &c) that praised boat that did nowt for Britain, but ignored the Flower Class, which did more than Bomber Command's heavies ever managed before 44. I started praising the Class after seeing a handmade model in some museum (and I can't remember which), which had a label explaining how vomiting was what you did if you served on one. The men who served on these knew they were on a Woolworth ship that would never be made glorious, no matter what they did. but they bloody well serve well enough to make the difference.

[@abrahamdozer6273]

They were built by Mercantile Standards, which produced vessels far less robust and impervious to battle damage than purpose designed and built warships. They literally sank like bricks and usually took most or all of their crews with them (see: Cruel Sea).HMCS Alberni was sunk by a torpedo on the 21st of August 1944 with the loss of 59 hands in less than a minute.

[@kalashnikovdevil]

A couple of Flowers in formation with the Royal Oak had she survived to see the Flowers launched could have been called "The Flowers of the Forest" formation.

[@UnintentionalSubmarine]

Big Bush and Sprouts

[@99IronDuke]

Watch the excellent film 'The Cruel Sea' (1953) based on a novel by a Royal Navy escort warship officer for a accurate look at the Flower class corvettes at war.

[@craigmorris6438]

Love this film, an excellent portrayal of world war 2 corvette warfare.

[@rayg.2431]

"Snorkers! Good-oh!"

[@locutas1024]

Nicholas Monsarrat, author of The Cruel Sea, wrote four of the best books of wartime reportage I have ever read: HM Corvette, East Coast Corvette, and Corvette Command. They would be well worth a video. Quoted from memory: "that's the thing about a convoy, you see: it doesn't retreat, or reform on a new line, or make a strategic withdrawal to previously prepared positions. It sails on, having no choice and in the end, wishing none."

[@marcamant7258]

and also the Castle class corvette ( second part as I can remember, of this ever impressive movie)

[@Whiskey.T.Foxtrot]

My father served on the K-136, HMCS Shawinigan shown here 9:18. Sunk in the Gulf of St. Laurence with all hands lost. Fortunately for me, he had just transferred to the K-350, HMCS Cape Breton before that last patrol. He suffered from survivors guilt for the rest of his life.

[@LeftIsBest001]

Glad he survived, but it's sad he felt guilty about it.

[@welshy4638]

Imagine what a moral boost HMS Pansy would have been to all those in the Navy, not serving on her.

[@WG55]

There was actually an HMS Salvia. It must have been a trip to serve on that ship. 😵 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Salvia_(K97)

[@nmccw3245]

Her crew would see more than their fair share of bar fights

[@farskies5343]

'' You either shape up or we sent you over to the Pansy! Then we see how explain that to your family!''

[@josh656]

True story: worked with a retired SEAL who said they’d always annoy their sister platoon by using call signs like “Fuzzy Bunny 8 to Fuzzy Bunny 2”.

[@evanulven8249]

Imagine being the captain/crew of a U Boat driven off, sunk or captured by the the Pansy.

[@stephenrickstrew7237]

Well I have rewatched this episode at least 10 times in the last four years … there is something about these little ships and their brave crews that speaks volumes … Thanks and Cheers Drach ….!

[@stash4me2]

I imagine that the sailors of the HMS Pansi would have to been some toughest men to ever sail the seas.

[@Trimtank]

Well done.....so many volunteers went to sea as young men on board these vessels. the non glamourous and unsung heroes of the Battle of the Atlantic.....the longest battle of WWII.

[@Iain1957]

Great video. Other considerations for the construction of the Flower class was that it used dockyards that would not usually construct warships - thus not adding to the strain on limited dockyard facilities and the triple expansion engines obviously didn't not require turbine blades which were also in limited supply. Similar thinking was behind the design of the RAN Bathurst class. I think there is a bit in one of David Browns books on the effects of motion (and general living conditions) on the ability of sailors to function efficiently which suggests that the rolling of the Flowers and the appalling messing facilities actually degraded their combat efficiency. The Cruel Sea both book and film (but not the band) are excellent depictions of Atlantic convoys and warships which have the ring of authenticity given Nicholas Monsarrat's service in the RN.

[@BearwoodWestYard]

My great grandfather was a stoker aboard HMS Freesia, another Flower class Corvette. He was a stoker on the mighty Hood beforehand and had been granted shore leave. With the Hood being sent out to the Bismarck while on leave (and sadly never to return), he was reassigned to the Freesia and operated on the Cape Town to Freetown and Freetown to Londonderry African convoys in the south Atlantic as well as operating on the Durban - Kilindini convoys. Freesia also lead 'Force F' in Operation Ironclad, the beach landing of Courier Bay in Madagascar.

[@DisabilityAustralia]

I'd love to see the Australian Bathurst class sloops. They were another brilliant innovative design using our limited Industry at the time. Much like the excellent Owen sub-machine gun. They were very similar to the Flowers, we built a lot & several survived. Please look into them. Thanks!

[@claudecarrier5463]

My father served on H.M.C.S. Midland, K-220, for most of the war. Thank you !!

[@thatoneguy8355]

I saw the HMCS Sackville in Halifax back in 2010, beautiful ship. Wish I took more photos. :(

[@billbrockman779]

I agree, it was a highlight of our trip there three years ago.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

Visited Halifax and that ship the summer after high school. It was a bit sobering when I put two and two together when I realized that this was the same class of ship that my old neighbour back in Calgary, had served on during the Second World War, when he was about the same age as I was back then. Somewhat ironically, the ship he served on was HMCS Calgary.

[@louisavondart9178]

As British sailors wore their ship's name on their hatband, I can imagine a mutiny on HMS Pansy, with all sailors refusing to go ashore.

[@tomsemmens6275]

I've always loved the idea of grim, humourless and hardened Nazi submariners meeting a watery fate at the hands of something called like "HMS Daisy".

[@peterh6281]

My Father served on a flower class corvette 1943-1945 HMS Heather K69 His name was able seaman William Hoy. He did a few convoys to America, one Artic convoy, and anti submarine duties in the channel during and after D day. I have his service records and medals which I treasure.

[@Idahoguy10157]

My father served on an US Navy LST in WW2. Crossed the Atlantic, the Med, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific to Okinawa before he was discharged. He once reminisced about the small escort ships that accompanied. Remembering how they crossed the convoy and steamed everywhere nearby protecting the ships. Undoubtably the Flower class was included.

[@Redplanetlover]

My father spent the war in these ships. He was a radio operator. and worked the North Atlantic as well as the Murmansk runs.

[@tectorama]

I remember an old friend telling me how his Flower Class Corvette fired on the beaches during D-Day. So much they needed new barrels fitted

[@TannithVQ]

Ever since reading The Cruel Sea I've been fascinated with this class of ship and awed by the spirit of the men who served on them. For me it highlights how so many people worked in less than glamorous but vital roles to achieve a common goal

[@lancecaldwell3874]

My grandfather served on the HMCS SNOWBERRY for the whole war. He was 19 with 3 yrs experience in the Merchant Marine. When the Canadian government drafted them all into the RCN he had too buy his own uniform. Some of those Corvettes had logs mounted and painted black to resemble a gun because there were not enough too go around. And a special note for American readers, Canadian ships had black antifouling paint, not Red.

[@LeftIsBest001]

Imagine sailing across the Atlantic on one of this little ships. The idea terrifies me. You'd be lucky to get me on a modern cruise liner, let alone a WW2 flower class.

[@Parabueto]

It says something that if you take every convoy in the North Atlantic and put them together, fully half of the escorts would be Flowers. Given they were slowly phased out of Royal Navy service it's particularly remarkable. Originally they were supposed to operate in coastal waters and hand over to destroyers in the open sea but ended up doing most of the work themselves. It's also worth noting that the German examples were used as anti aircraft ships mostly and had a huge arsenal- mostly mounted high in the ship. I'm assuming that nobody realised that pitching all over the place doesn't make that layout particularly effective... In early ships, with the pom poms being in short supply there was a frankly insane steam powered catapault that would throw explosives into the air fitted on a number of ships. Unsuprisingly it was woefully ineffective and short ranged, but the large bursts it made in the air possibly had some value as a deterrant.

[@johnholt890]

The ships that won the Battle of the Atlantic a real shame there is not one left in the UK., thank god for the Canadians who crewed them in large numbers in a Navy that had to expand and learn really really fast. The Cruel Sea is of course the book to read to get a flavour of what serving in these great little ships was all about - the film is also pretty good as well.

[@tomriley5790]

Thank you for covering these ships - the unglamarous ships that so many served (and died in) that win wars but (almost) nobody ever talks about.

[@murraystewartj]

Many years ago had a summer job working on a tour boat that moored at the Maritime Museum dock in Halifax when HMCS Sackville was towed in right next to our berth to begin restoration. We needed to borrow a camel (essentially a log wrapped in old tires) from them so we could do some maintenance on our vessel. Got a quick tour of the above deck area from one of the guys working on the old girl. She looked tired but proud. Sadly I had moved across the country by the time the restoration was complete so I haven't had the chance to see her brought back to glory (bucket list, for sure). I'm glad she's there as a reminder of the hardship and danger faced not only by the crews of these vessels, but of the service and loss of the unsung merchant mariners who served in the longest, most hazardous, critical and overlooked battle of WW2.

[@kilotun8316]

Awesome video old man! I'd been waiting for this for a while now! And yes HMCS Sackville remains the last corvette and recently underwent a major refit. As to the naming, I think it was suspected that it was kind of a snide piece of snark by the British. After all it's one thing to be sunk after a long hard fight with HMS King George V or HMS Warspite and quite another to be sunk by HMS Periwinkle. I mean, it just doesn't have the same "oomph".

[@facubeitches1144]

Guess the Germans sort of paid them back with the Biber. Imagine the poor bastard who had to report to the Admiralty: "Sir, we've lost two ships to beaver attacks." "Beg pardon? The bucktoothed furry things that eat trees?" "Uh, no, sir. Though that would somehow actually be less humiliating."

[@MrShadow-qz9xj]

I know you do mostly British navel history, but one Canadian ship (a corvette class) HMSC Ville De Quebec rammed and sunk a U-boat... and still carried on with it's mission, I have a family connection to it, as one of my mothers uncles was believed to be at the helm of the ship when the captian gave the order.

[@korbell1089]

A rose by any other name...still carried depth charges, except for Pansy which bravely ran away And of of course "Man up there Buttercup"! (Yes, there was a Buttercup!) OH god the jokes are endless! Leave it to the Brits that even in the darkest hours of WW2 they could find a way to entertain the masses.

[@TheLesserWeevil]

There are few things more British than 'HMS Buttercup'.

[@scottgiles7546]

Is that real?? (Guess it is...) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Buttercup_(K193)

[@princeoftonga]

Still I do wonder how many bar fights were caused by someone's joke to some sailor just back from a hard north Atlantic winter patrol in HMS Peony or HMS Snowdrop?

[@davelewthwaite]

@@TheLesserWeevil I'm late to the party, but don't forget the Royal Navy's "Raspberry" maneuver, which trawled behind a convoy hunting u-boats. Named by WRN Jean Laidlaw of the Western Approaches Tactical Unit, with the phrase: "Ppppppp to Hitler".

[@MrWaalkman]

U.S. Navy ammunition ships are frequently named after volcanoes. Proving that the US Navy, while dark, has got a sense of humor too. Edit: Not "for", but "after". Gotta learn me some grammar one of these days...

[@salemengineer2130]

In August 1942, my great uncle's ship was torpedoed by U-176 in the mid-Atlantic. The survivors (including my great uncle) spent about 10 days in lifeboats. Two of the lifeboats were found by a Flower class corvette, HMS Snowflake, which landed the survivors in Northern Ireland. I'd say the Flower class ships were, like so many of the allies' weapons, "good enough". They served their purpose in helping get the merchant ships through... It was the Liberators and Catalina's closing the air coverage gap and then the HUK groups that finished the U-boats off.

[@Maddog3060]

I half expect to see one of these retroactively named "HMS Pineapple-Under-the-Sea". It doesn't send out sonar pings, just recordings of Spongebob's laugh.

[@lewisirwin5363]

I don't quite get the joke of how SpongeBob goes with the Flower class; could you explain?

[@Maddog3060]

@@lewisirwin5363 Because "pineapple-under-the-sea" sounds as ridiculous as all the flower names. Especially the almost-HMS Pansy.

[@Maddog3060]

@@lewisirwin5363 That, and the idea of Spongebob's laugh as a sonar ping annoying the Germans to the point of giving up is funny.

[@lewisirwin5363]

Boy did I go woosh right over the point of the joke!

[@Maddog3060]

@@lewisirwin5363 To be fair it is kind of out if left field; my humor is weird at times.

[@scottdrone-silvers5179]

Excellent video, sir. The “little ships” didn’t get much glory, but did yeoman service in the war.

[@farmerned6]

This is a story of the Battle of the Atlantic, the story of the ocean, two ships, and a handful of men. The men are the heroes; the HEROINES the SHIPS. The only villain is the sea, The CRUEL SEA that man has made more cruel.

[@HemlockRidge]

I was wondering if someone was going to make that connection. HMS Compass Rose.

[@bkjeong4302]

Actually the U-Boat service was the most Nazified part of the Kriegsmarine.

[@benlaskowski357]

Saw that movie. Impressed.

[@pigpig252]

the film Greyhound introduced me to the Flower class and I've fallen in love with it ever since. Great little underappreciated war winner

[@bsdetecter2556]

Thank you. Hal Lawrence wrote 3 books describing his service in the RCN during WW2. They include his account of leading a boarding party of 2 onto a German submarine attacked by his ship. They offer an insight into the lives of the men and sailors that fought in the escort navy small ships and are an excellent read. Highly recommended.

[@robertsneddon731]

My father served on a Flower class corvette as an Engineering Artificer during the war courtesy of the Volunteer Reserve aka Wavy Navy -- he was a steam fitter in the coal industry before the war and the Flowers were powered by low-pressure reciprocating steam plant similar to the boilers, pumps and winding engines used in coal mines. He told me he was on a convoy escort trip to Murmansk once when the EO came down into the nice warm engine spaces and told him to get a detail together and come up top to secure the deck cargo since the weather reports had said "there was going to be a bit of a blow" and, of course as you said the Flowers rolled a bit in a chop. The ship was carrying crates of supplies on deck for themselves and other escorts plus extra depth charges and the like. My Dad got a puller and wires and, accompanied by some of the black gang went up on deck to tie the crates down a bit more to prevent them getting washed overboard. When he got there he found the cargo was glued to the deck with a thick layer of sea-ice and it wasn't going anywhere soon... he finished his service in the Med on HMS Kimberley, one of only two K-class destroyers that didn't get sunk or wrecked during the war. It turned out he was eligible for a medal the Soviet Union issued to foreign servicemen and merchant marine who served in the convoys to Murmansk but he never claimed for it.

[@tomellis4750]

Apparently they had to do a depth charge attack at full speed, to avoid having their sterns blown off.

[@colingibson8018]

There's always one who cares how long it is. The content is always well researched and presented. Well done sir as usual.

[@williamcornish3175]

My favorite ship story of all time relates the story of a flower class ship named, " Compass Rose."

[@robertf3479]

Another excellent video. The Flower class is one of the many unsung heroes of the Atlantic campaign. I build model ships for radio control. Revell for some time marketed a Flower class model large enough to be easily fitted for r/c. You can still find one occasionally on ebay. Yes, even when properly ballasted the model WILL roll heavily when a duck cruises past though it can sometimes keep up with the duck. :-) When the wind picks up unexpectedly and generates chop you can put her nose into it and she WILL ride it out very nicely, much better than either of my larger Fletcher class destroyers.

[@rogerwilco2]

Ah, a reason to visit Halifax. Nice ships, I had never heard of them, but these are just the kind of ships I like to be informed about on your channel.

[@old_guard2431]

"The Cruel Sea" - Nicholas Monsarrat. Great novel starring the Flower Class in the North Atlantic. (And some sailors, etc._) There is also a film based on the novel, don't know if it is any good. "The Good Shepherd" - C. S. Forester also good from the U.S. perspective, but no Flower Class corvettes as best I recall. (Forester was not all about Hornblower and the HMS Indefatigable) Having spent a bit of my young life bobbing around in the North Atlantic on a considerably larger U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (378 feet long, 3,100 tons) I can appreciate some of what these people went through. At least on Ocean Station we could pick our course to mitigate the waves. Getting stuck in the trough (beam seas) would be miserable.

[@scottgiles7546]

I saw the movie. It struck me as very good at the time. It should be paired with Das Boot for an interesting view of both sides of the sub war.

[@phbrinsden]

The Cruel Sea is a great movie and perfect companion to this piece by Drach.

[@braintransplantdonor]

@@phbrinsden It was an OK movie adaptation of the novel by Nicholas Monsarrat, which was in itself an adaptation and evolution of his earlier works (Three Covettes). The original stories were written by Monsarrat during the war while he was in the Royal Navy actually serving on board corvettes.

[@braintransplantdonor]

The release date of the movie based on Good Shepherd keeps getting put back for various reasons. Tom Hanks stars and is also involved as a producer and writer.

[@Jon908584]

I can assure you that The Cruel Sea is an excellent film. It shows what enormous pressures the Commanding Officers were under and just how terrible the war in the North Atlantic was.

[@MrDirigible]

While not part of the flower class, ships like HMS Bedfordshire, lost off Ocracoke Island in the US, were instrumental in the defense against U-boats. Drach, I don't know if you have the time but a story on the tragic tale of the Bedfordshire would be welcome.

[@scottmccambley764]

Just watched the Tom Hanks movie "Greyhound'. The plucky little Canadian corvette portrayed in this movie is quite a CGI scene stealer. Don't know if it was the RCN's colorful disruption pattern that made its escorting scenes quite memorable or not, but the movie magic makers did a good job on the fine details. They obviously went to Halifax and scoped out HMCS Sackville closely beforehand.

[@christopherconard2831]

Whales, subs, whatever. Just chase the big underwater thing.

[@lawrencewestby9229]

That's pretty much what happened at times. My father said that while serving on K-146 they once depth charged a large school of fish. The asdic reflection was very similar to a u-boat so they dropped a pattern with the result being a very large number of dead fish floating to the surface. The bubbling up of the fish looked like a u-boat surfacing so they opened up with the 40mm pom-pom. At least they got their target practice in.

[@benwilson6145]

They only hunted whales on the surface

[@paulsmodels]

There's something about the compact, and tough looking design of this ship that is appealing. I built the scale model kit of this ship a few months back, and it's one of my favorites.

[@Kromaatikse]

The sheer number of these built must have made finding unused names challenging - lampshaded in "The Cruel Sea" by the ship being called HMS Compass Rose (though they *could* have resorted to HMS Pansy). Similarly, the Castle-class frigate which appear later is HMS Saltash Castle - "I didn't know Saltash had a castle".

[@s.31.l50]

Kromaatikse At least they tried to make names for ships. Late War German destroyers only have Z-random number, just like the u boats are U-random number. Thinking back, the Germans seems to lack in creativity when it comes to names. So many names are reused. There are 2 Scharnhorsts, 2 Gneisenaus, 2 Lützows, 2 Karlsruhes etc etc.

[@kayjohnston1132]

Snorkers! Good-oh!

[@PeteCourtier]

There is. Although it’s called Trematon castle. Norman motte and bailey.

[@voiceofraisin3778]

look on the bright side it could have gone worse for them. Nigel Lawson, Ex-government minister and father of Nigela the TV chef used to serve on a gay class patrol boat. Can you imagine filling out a report to say that HMS Gay Bruiser has received its full complement of seamen?

[@Kromaatikse]

@@voiceofraisin3778 That would be one letter to double-check your spelling on.

[@lawrencewestby9229]

My father served in HMCS Matapedia (K-112) and HMCS Pictou (K-146). The crew berths were hammocks in the mess deck in the fo'c's'le where it was said to perpetually smell of the combination of sea water, fuel oil, and vomit.

[@quadg5296]

"sea keeping ability so good she would roll on wet grass." was how i remember the flower class described.

[@richardbell282]

My dad was on watch one night. Horrible weather. She rolled 62 degrees. The old man never blinked a eye.

[@davidbeattie4294]

Thanks for featuring the Flower Class. They also represent a brave chapter in the history of the Royal Canadian Navy when Canada was tasked with mid ocean convoy escort duty and left to learn this brutal business pretty much on its own. The Corvette was its primary ship in the early years. You didn't mention that a surfaced U-Boat was several knots faster than a Corvette. This made surface night attack by submarine a very successful tactic in the years before radar was widely installed in the convoy escorts. Inadequacies not withstanding, they got the job done and had a key role in ensuring that the Allies didn't lose the Battle of the Atlantic, putting Britain out of the war. Ponder that when you look at the homely Corvette.

[@admiraltiberius1989]

Fantastic video...that story about the PBY and Flower class is properly funny. What's also funny is a 1,000 ton, minimally armed converted trawler being named Fury. Was its battle flag a giant middle finger as well??

[@5peciesunkn0wn]

Obviously all the Marines aboard were Angry Marines. ;)

[@kleinjahr]

Had an uncle who served on them.Apparently the foreward head drained directly to the sea, basically a straight open pipe. Made a very good, if cold, bidet when she rolled the right way.

[@travis2mc]

My great grandfather served on HMCS Brandon (k149) in the Canadian Navy, survived the war and got credit for shooting down an aircraft. My grandfather had a picture of him manning a gun in assuming to be one of the twin .50s.

[@JohnCampbell-rn8rz]

The statement that the ships were fairly dry & watertight belies the stories I have read about crews spending most of their time on Atlantic convoy duty wet, cold & generally uncomfortable below decks as well as above.

[@Steve9312028]

Well done , sir! My first exposure to the “Flower” class Corvette was from the classic novel “ The Cruel Sea“ by Nicholas Monsarrat. A very enjoyable book that sent this US born individual into the history of Her (then His) Majesties’ Navy when he was just an adolescent. This particular video filled in a lot of questions I had about the class.

[@robertalan2427]

A friend Norm Freeman Canadian Navy..40-45 said it was hell in the north Atlantic..either wet..freezing...or baking... Norm went on to become one of Canada's first environmental professors died 10 years ago in Battersea Ontario. ..one of Canada's best.

[@estoyaqui5386]

I have far more interest in these small units than in the capital ships. They did the work, were constantly rushed out to front lines and did more to end the war than the "mighty" battleshits which in most navies did nothing but hide in harbors, afraid of getting their paint scratched. Thank you for this episode!

[@bkjeong4302]

Even the BBs that did set sail (on both sides of the war) continued to do little to contribute to the war effort, and what they did contribute were almost always things that other ships could have achieved for a fraction of the cost, making battleships a strategic drain rather than an asset. The only difference being that the BBs that sortied did nothing while at sea instead of doing nothing while at port. Because people would bring up AA or shore bombardment; you don’t need battleships for providing AA cover to the fleet and you don’t (usually) need them for shore bombardment.

[@spikespa5208]

".....hide in harbors...."? "......did nothing at sea...? That may be true for a lot of navies, but don't say that to a US WWII battleship sailor. Maybe we (the US) didn't NEED them for AA or shore fire support, but many a carrier crew was glad to see a battleship, even an old rebuilt class, nearby when the kamikazes showed up. Being on the receiving end of a 14" or 16" barrage had to be a bit more distressing than an 8". Also, refer to the demise of the Kirishima for the effectiveness of battleships when you have to fight other battleship/battlecruisers. And they took more than a few bomb, kamikaze, torpedo, and shell fire hits and all survived. We had them, so we used them, in the thick of it all.

[@bkjeong4302]

Spike's Pa ....you do realize using battleship main guns as AA is a TERRIBLE idea and that all attempts to do so ended in failure? The blast wave suppresses the other guns, thus actually lowering the amount of AA available. So any BBs used for AA duties were using the same AA or DP guns as found on light cruisers or destroyers. So no, the whole argument about 16” guns being scarier for kamikazes is invalid as the 16” guns weren’t, and couldn’t be, used for AA. Second Guadalcanal was NOT your typical WWII naval battle. Nor is it evidence that BBs were the best solution to sinking enemy capital ships. During the day at least, it was still far more effective to kill battleships/battlecruisers with aircraft than with other battleships. The United States may have used battleships in WWII, but they most definitely didn’t get their money’s worth out of them. Of course, a lot of their battleships were WWI-era vessels, but they really should have skipped the fast battleships (as well-designed as they were) and used the steel, manpower and dock space for building more useful warships (which they already built in large numbers during WWII, but they could have gotten a better return on their investment by making even more) Edit: Also, the perceived survivability of American battleships has more to do with them not being seriously targeted outside of Second Guadalcanal, and while they were more durable than other warships, that doesn't even come close to making up for the inherent problems of battleships in WWII.

[@spikespa5208]

@@bkjeong4302 Who said anything about using a main battery gun for AA? ( Only the Japanese considered that.) I was speaking of main battery shore fire support. But count the number of AA guns on a late war US battleship. Two escorting a task force contributed HUNDREDS of 5"(with VT fuses) , 40mm, and 20mm guns. And from the North Carolina on, they kept up with the fast carriers. Pretty effective. True, Guadalcanal was an unusual circumstance but it WAS at night and the Washington was the best thing we had to use in the situation. That's why Lee was sent in there. Don't think the heavy cruisers were going to cut it. And true, the money, manpower, maufacturing space, and time could have been used otherwise but not using them would have been a total waste of what went into them.

[@bkjeong4302]

Spike's Pa You said that “being on the receiving end of a 14” or 16” barrage had to be a bit more distressing than a 8” barrage” right after you mentioned kamikazes. Sorry if that wasn’t the intent. At any rate, while a BB’s main battery would be scarier, for most shore bombardment applications in WWII, destroyers or cruisers were still enough to get the job done, and they were also much cheaper to operate and more versatile. The North Carolina’s and SoDaks couldn’t keep up with the fast carriers at speed (though the Iowas could). And honestly, carrier operations are incompatible with battleships. A carrier group is going to remain hundreds of miles away from enemy surface units at all times, so the BB tagging alongside would never get to fire at anything other than airplanes, and if you’re going to use your battleship as a gigantic light cruiser, you’re better off bringing in multiple light cruisers or destroyers instead of one battleship to serve as AA platforms. The problem with the “we already built them so why not use them” argument is that while it is valid for the Standards, it definitely doesn’t apply to the Iowas, which were still far from complete when everyone figured out battleships were obsolete. The United States could have cancelled them and worked on something more useful, but that’s not what happened. It’s fine to use obsolete ships that already exist, but it’s definitely stupid to build more such ships knowing they’re obsolete, and then having to find a new purpose for them. With the Iowas it’s the second situation. And if you take the view that the IJN during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937) and the Royal Navy in 1940 had already proven that carriers could defeat surface ships including battleships, the list of battleships built in spite of evidence of being obsolete grows further (as in, literally every single battleship built in the 1930s onwards)

[@ASB117]

My grandfather was Captain of HMS Abelia, a flower class corvette

[@alexjacobs8399]

Thanks for the video, Drac! The stories of these brave little ships were exciting to read as a child, and terrifying to think about when one got a little older. The hardships that the sailors endured in those small, cramped, damp ships. Please think of them this Memorial Day?

[@knutdergroe9757]

Well said, And AMEN !

[@WillHayes44]

There is literally no format of Drachinifels creations which isn't at least to a high degree enjoyable. But somehow I dearly appreciate this particular effort of a video of the boring perceived, often overseen but dillingent workhorses of the allied navies, tirelessly fighting nautical mile for nautical mile to keep the war effort running. Well done.

[@SlideRulePirate]

Great post. Of particular interest for me as my Father was a Wireless Telegraphist aboard K71 HMS Pimpernel.

[@crazypetec-130fe7]

That demmed elusive pimpernel!

[@abrahamdozer6273]

Canadian Corvettes stationed in Esquimalt on Vancouver island also participated in the Pacific war. HMCS Dawson and HMCS Vancouver were part of the anti submarine escort screen for three American battleships at Attu in the Aleutian islands.

[@richarddixon7276]

My Grandad was a petty officer on the lowers , he'd served on the Hood and was transferred onto the Flowers a few months before she was sunk by the Bismark , He'd been a trawlerman and in both the North and Irish Sea , so when the Flowers were used for minesweeping in the North Sea that's where they stationed him , a mine blew the ship up , thankfully He survived that but sadly was later killed in 1944 . I never got to meet him though My Gran often spoke of him, I have the pictures of both him in uniform and My Gran on their wedding day hung in my living room and frequently visit their graves . Thanks for the info , I was hoping I might of seen a glimpse of him on one of the photo's , He Never told My Gran the name of any of the ships he was serving on until he'd stopped serving on that ship "Loose Lips sink Ships" so I don't know which ship of the Flowers He'd served just that it was at least 3 .

[@TomLuTon]

You can get a copy of his service record

[@solarisengineering15]

Thanks for the shout-out to the HMCS Sackville. I gave guided tours of the ship last summer and had a great time doing it. The use of these small ships changed the Royal Canadian Navy forever. For anyone visiting Halifax Nova Scotia over the summer, I would recommend visiting her, as it is not too expensive ($5 for adults normally), the ship is rarely filled to capacity to the point where you would have to wait to get on, and if there are any members of the Naval Memorial Trust there, they are usually thrilled to talk about the ship. Just make sure you check to see if the ship is open before planning a visit, as maintenance and other factors can sometimes require the ship to close for the day or close early. The Ship is also closed during the winter, where it is maintained by the RCN.

[@gillesderais3848]

Hilarious episode, thanks! And yes, our brave Belgian Navy guys sailed on the K193 and K226.

[@robrowe2298]

Great collection of pictures, never seen so many pictures of the ships with masts ahead of the bridge.

[@Pyeknu]

I hope that you'll deal with the River-class frigates next; they were the effective evolution of the Flowers in many ways.

[@Pyeknu]

@Peter Lorimer Hear, hear!

[@amyking4166]

I really enjoyed this. My Grandad built them at Smith Docking company but never knew much about it until researching kids history project. Thanks

[@peterallen4605]

one of your best vids yet. Obscure topic, humor, you got it all.

[@jamesguptill6611]

A lovely example in Halifax, NS, Canada. Amazing how small they are, roll on wet grass....

[@lordwintertown8284]

G'day there Drachinifel once again a great video especially for being on one of the most Important ship of the Atlantic theatre the Flower class. Well anyway I was wondering if you could do a five minute on the Bathurst class AMS (Australian Minesweeper) which most will call a corvette very similar ship just a few defences. Now for a special guide you could do it on HMAS Armidale (J240) only ship of her class lost to enemy action. please do consider this if you see this at all.

[@SocialistDistancing]

I've been on the HMCS Sackville. It's in Halifax. Well worth seeing first hand. The father of a friend of mine, served on a Corvette as an electrical engineer. He passed about 14 years ago. He didn't talk much about his service.

[@CeeVee7771]

How about a video comparing and differentiating the classes of ships smaller than destroyers. You mentioned a few in this video, (Frigate, Corvette, Sloop); so what fits a ship into each class?

[@phbrinsden]

Reminds me to watch one of my all time favorite movies again, The Cruel Sea. Highly recommended. Movie starts with HMS Saltash Castle, a Flower class corvette. You get a much better sense of life on these ships and their hurriedly assembled crews from all walks of life. Kudos to Canada (my birth country during the war) for saving and restoring one.

[@Jon908584]

AFAIK there isn't a real Saltash Castle. HMS Porchester Castle played the part of Saltash Castle in the film. This was somewhat appropriate since Saltash is hard by Devonport ( Plymouth ) and Portchester is hard by Portsmouth. Sheerness or Gillingham near to Chatham, the other major RN dockyard, didn't get a look in.

[@Jon908584]

@ pbrin Your second senence is grosly incorrec

[@davidthelander1299]

A novel “The Cruel Sea” about a fictional Flower class corvette “Compass Rose” excellent reading. I read this as a teenager, and recently re-read it. Also, listened to it on audio book. Really brings this era to life. The sacrifices and hardships our fathers endured.

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

The author, Nicholas Monsarrat, served aboard one, and ended the war as a Lieutenant-Commander in command of a frigate. I believe that Lockhart ( Donald Sinden in the film) is believed to have been based on Monsarrat.

[@davidthelander1299]

doveton sturdee Interesting. I hadn’t realized that this had been made into a movie. Same name: “The cruel sea?”

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

@@davidthelander1299 Yes. Going back a few years now, 1953 to be exact. The vessel portraying 'Compass Rose' was actually the Greek Kriezis, formerly HMS Coreopsis, which was on her way back to Britain to be scrapped. Sadly, none of the British 'Flowers' survived, but happily Canada preserved HMCS Sackville.

[@timothyirwin8974]

My old chiropractor served aboard Canadian Flower class ships. Due to their short length they bounced around a lot in the North Atlantic swell and sailors were "sick" much of the time below decks.

[@rolandfelice6198]

Drachinifel, is there any interest in looking at the Insect class gunboats? The reason I ask is that my father served in one, HMS Ladybird, in the Med and sunk at Tobruk. I understand that she was commissioned in 1916 initially to serve as a gunboat in China. Armaments included 2 x 6", 1 x 3" guns and a 2pounder Pom-Pom. Not too foul for a 620 ton displacement.

[@jamesdeery5377]

Built during the first world war for service on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Only after the war were they sent to the China station.

[@thecatwithatophat4069]

I was visiting one of the US Coast Guard's on-base museums out in Seattle and the gentleman who gave me a tour of their little collection told me how the crews of these ships were very happy about the name changes. He said the new names made it easier for the sailors to get a drink at the local bars as it was hard to be taken seriously when your ship was named after a flower.

[@charvolth]

I wonder if HMS Hyacinth offered to U-boats a choice of Death, or 'Candle Lit Supper'?

[@odileelido8407]

I always thought Commodore Bucket was an insufferable snob who never listened to anybody. Always bragging about that sister ship with the Mercedes, sauna and room for a pony. Not to mention having the ship galley serve food on Royal Navy china with the hand-painted HMS Periwinkles.

[@1stpogo]

I haven't been onboard the Sackville in a long time but it was a real treat to take a tour. Last I had heard she was not aging well and local governments were trying to find funds to keep her in good condition

[@old_guard2431]

(Noticed, from Wikipedia " Some Flower-class corvettes transferred to the USN from Canada were manned by the US Coast Guard.")

[@4evaavfc]

Important little ships. The same principle still applies to the USN and RN re: cost of modern destroyes, for which many of its roles can be carried out by smaller frigates and corvettes.

[@michaelfield3668]

I live 1 mile from Smith Dock. The history of the Dock is not told at all. Thanks. 👍

[@roberthickerty390]

My father served as a medical officer on a Corvette in the Canadian Navy after WW2. In the war he was in the army, went to Medical School on his GI (?) education pay. As such he had to agree to serve for 5 more years in the forces. He chose the Navy because he grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan and decided that going to sea would be interesting. Also my uncle was a naval officer. My father as a reservist would go off to sea a couple of times a year for 2 weeks. He said he never got seasick except for a few times coming close while in Corvettes. He said that the ship could roll so far from side to side that you could reach out a porthole and get a cup of seawater. But the worst was that the ship didn’t just roll but twisted at the same time. Like a corkscrew. It’s passage was erratic. He told me that it would do this while tied up at a pier:). But he kept going out and stayed in the reserve for 15 years.

[@COLINJELY]

Don't know if they were identical, certainly very similar, were our Bathurst Class Minesweepers in Australia? Commonly called corvettes. One of them, HMAS Castlemaine, is preserved as a museum ship in Melbourne

[@willrogers3793]

My freshly-awakened brain at 7:20AM: “Hey, what if instead of the ‘Flower’ class they’d been the ‘Bird’ class? We could’ve had HMS Woodpecker, HMS Titmouse, even HMS Booby!” Me: “If I didn’t have work in 45 minutes you’d be going right back to bed.”

[@voiceofraisin3778]

HMS Woodpecker was a real ship, part of Johny Walkers sub-killer pack. Sunk by a U-boat with all crew saved in January 1944, in return Walkers group sank six u-boats with all crew lost on that patrol alone.

[@Trapperz-zz4qm]

There was a ASW sloop called HMS Flamingo that was a black swan class, that are all named after birds

[@bkjeong4302]

Wasn’t there a Bird-class once in the RNZN?

[@Jon908584]

There actually was an HMS Woodpecker. She could usually be found in the illustrious company of HMS Starling and HMS Wren. Starling was commanded by the legendary Johnnie Walker.

[@MrT67]

I would've signed up to HMS Pigeon........ always makes it back to base.

[@mtljmbTUBE]

Your research is excellent, while listenning I was looking into my pictures and by the time you reached the end, I had my picture of HMCS Sackville on my screen. The ship is so small... taking it across the freezing North Atlantic is a form of courage in and of itself!!