Great to see these archive films. My Dad joined K-71 HMS Pimpernel in December 1940 just after its launch. He was a Leading Stoker and remained with the ship until Sept 1942. Looking at the ships records / convoy movements he was whizzing back and forth across the Atlantic pretty much all the time. Dangerous times indeed, not least for the merchant fleets who were sitting ducks even with the escorts.
@colincampbell36793 жыл бұрын
My dad served on board the well named Gray hound of the sea's the British Corvette in the Pacific in the end part of the war. he was demobbed in 1949 and married my mother soon after. He lied about his age to get in to the Royal Navy as he was only 15 when he joined that was in 1944. He said it was hard going fighting the Japanese even with the USA ships down there! He of course was always sea sick even his long service captain was always sick. so none were so luck not to be so and the Pacific was a lot warmer and less ruff than the Atlantic. I have tons of great photos he took of the area with his box brownie camera. His Corvette HMS Concord was the 1st British war ship to meet up with the well holed H.M.S. Amethyst which got shot to bits by the invading Communist Chinese in the Yangtse Incident... Those photos are amazing of the ship H.M.S. Amethyst with so many cannon holes in the hull it was amazing it stayed afloat.. it looked like Swiss cheese.
@dunruden97203 жыл бұрын
My Dad was Jimmy One on Fleet auxilaries (convoy tankers), and one troop ship. They tended to be a popular target. He was sunk three times!
@benwilson61453 жыл бұрын
What was a Jimmy One?
@markturner42193 жыл бұрын
@@benwilson6145 second in command (1st Lieutenant) on a RN warship.
@benwilson61453 жыл бұрын
@@markturner4219 Thanks, I was not aware that the Royal Navy had manned Fleet Auxilaries and Passenger Vessels.
@dunruden97203 жыл бұрын
@@benwilson6145 He wasn't in the Royal Navy. He was merchant navy. Jimmy One is the first mate on a merchant vessel.
@benwilson61453 жыл бұрын
@@dunruden9720 I did 30 years in the Merchant Navy and never heard the Mate being called a Jimmy
@lawrencewestby92293 жыл бұрын
My father served in RCN corvettes Matapedia and Pictou mainly taking east bound convoys from Halifax or St. John's to the mid-ocean meeting point where the British would take over and then escort a west bound convoy back to Canada. They were definitely wet uncomfortable ships. The crew berthed in hammocks on the mess deck in the fo'c'sle where the prevailing smell was a combination of seawater, fuel oil, and vomit. They did get a bit better once they were refit with an extended fo'c'sle.
@COIcultist3 жыл бұрын
The ship at 1.03 and several others in this film were extended.
@Aluminati13 жыл бұрын
Bless your dad. My dads father served on HMCS Huron for escort duty, maybe they had some beers together. He always told me that the men on the corvettes and in the Merchant Marine had the biggest balls on the Atlantic.
@peteincanada8412 Жыл бұрын
Real men!
@patrickmartin4003 жыл бұрын
My father served on the HMS Anon during WWII I have his diary what a amazing time. Thank you for this video
@Bruce-19563 жыл бұрын
Compass Rose.....
@thebosun1813 жыл бұрын
as someone once said " a corvette would roll on wet grass"
@phillgrant44603 жыл бұрын
My Dad was a stoker on the HMAS Ararat K34 which served in Northern Australian and New Guinea waters during WW2. Built in Brisbane at Evens Deakin Ship yard. Interesting video and come on the knockers --- they only weighed around 1000tons. They aren't going to have the stability of a battleship!
@davidgray33213 жыл бұрын
You are from an honourable family. Best wishes from the UK
@mariadelcarmenvaldezlozano953411 ай бұрын
I dont know theres something about flower class Corvette that fascinantes me
@peterh62814 ай бұрын
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.
@mycroft19053 жыл бұрын
Hooray! Hoorah! Well done HM Corvettes. And look at those enemy aircraft come barreling into the attack... Oh! Avro Ansons. Never mind old fruit.
@dellawrence43233 жыл бұрын
It must have tough enough in the Atlantic in one of these tiny ships let alone having the extra threat of air attacks and submarines, incredible men, I think I shall read the Cruel Sea again today, to remind me how lucky I am to have been born in the 50's and not the 20's.
@johnheaney30223 жыл бұрын
The Cruel sea is one of my favorite books of all time. My mom had a copy and I read it the first time as a kid. Then I read it a few more times over the years because it was such a good story.
@oldgringo20013 жыл бұрын
"The Cruel Sea" should be required reading for anyone watching this video.
@gazof-the-north19804 жыл бұрын
The Corvettes were good little sea boats!
@trooperdgb97223 жыл бұрын
The Kentwood... the merchant ship at 2;25 hit a mine in the North Sea... was taken in tow by an RN ship...but sank later. All crew rescued!
@terryrack25343 жыл бұрын
jolly good show.
@donlove37413 жыл бұрын
Former DD man USN. FLOWER Class was an E ticket ride from all accounts I've read. Cold ,wet and tired is the way of sailors . However the powered CORKS .....
@johnhill85293 жыл бұрын
Read The Cruel Sea, or watch the movies (it’s on KZbin) described as the most accurate portrayal of the corvettes at war. Incredible men, doing an awful job.
@CutThroatJake3 жыл бұрын
I agree that both book and film are worth reading/watching. Some subtle differences between to two. A search on this site will find a BBC radio play of the story from a few years back that is also very good.
@andyoncam13 жыл бұрын
Another book by Monserrat well worth reading is 'Three Corvettes'.
@johnhill85293 жыл бұрын
@@andyoncam1 one of his lesser known books, and absolutely excellent. Off topic try the Master Mariner. It was his last book and as a 15 year old it had me mesmerised. I read the Cruel Sea roughly once a year, the Master Mariner I’ve read at least 5 times, Three Corvettes is as good as the Cruel Sea.
@andyoncam13 жыл бұрын
@@johnhill8529 Thx. I will try and find it.
@robertmarsh35883 жыл бұрын
Nice video but some interesting editing. I'd like to hope that the Avro Anson shown passing overheard at 6.03 isn't the same aircraft shown bombing a cargo ship and subsequently being shot at in the same sequence.
@John.0z3 жыл бұрын
I have seen that same snippet of the bombing of a ship portrayed as Ju87s attacking UK coastal convoy ships. With such grainy film, I would not dare to comment further.
@chapter_brother54373 жыл бұрын
I may or may not watched too many Federal Corvette videos from Elite Dangerous... so I got this in my recommendations YT!!!
@simonjackson72693 жыл бұрын
According to my Grandfather Corvettes were just large Puke Buckets!!
@donaldmichaellumsden27143 жыл бұрын
We know all about Corvettes in Halifax CA. It was a miserable life on a Corvette .constantly dreched and cold and most of the time unable to eat , because of the weather , and then of course there was the enemy . It was very frustrsteing to see merchant. ships sinking right in front of You because 1 Corvette cannot protect 40 merchant ships . Most of the time , all they could do was pickup the dead . In later years , sonar got better and Liberty planes could attack the hole in the center of the Atlantic . Thats when the tide turned . But for at least 3 yr , it was just Britian and Canada . Sure USA made a difference when they came in . But the truth is. we could have won the battle of the Atlantic without them .It just would have taken longer .
@normmcrae11403 жыл бұрын
My Uncle Tom was a Stoker on HMCS Arrowhead.....
@princeofcupspoc90733 жыл бұрын
It's not a warship without 3 ten day old kittens.
@jerrymccrae72023 жыл бұрын
My Dad served 4 years USN 2 in the N Atlantic on a ship very near what a corvett was.
@CutThroatJake3 жыл бұрын
Hi Jerry, I've crossed the pond many times in a modern warship, would hate to have done it is a Corvette
@jerrymccrae72023 жыл бұрын
@@CutThroatJake hi Tony! Thanks for the shout out! My Dad was on an American ship similar in all respects to the corvette. He said it rolled BAD! They were in the N Atlantic a year in one storm they rolled 56°! Stay safe and text anytime!
@jerrymccrae72023 жыл бұрын
@Terry McConville thats funny because Dads ship was stationed in St Johns Newfoundland for awhile on escort/rescue work and a corvette was there. There wasnt much they did as i recall.
@jerrymccrae72023 жыл бұрын
@Terry McConville thanks Terry! Thats a lot of work! Ill check my sources i have a photo of it ill send ya. Thanks so much again!
@jerrymccrae72023 жыл бұрын
@Terry McConville hi Terry could you send a friend request SO i can send along the photo of that corvette?
@bobrussell19573 жыл бұрын
K-172 HMCS Trillium, K-55 HMS Periwinkle,
@tridbant3 жыл бұрын
Looks like the convoy ships were riding high. Therefore more likely empty returning tio pick up cargo.
@garytredwell56493 жыл бұрын
When this stupid lockdown ends, come see the last corvette in Halifax, Nova Scotia. HMCS Sackville.
@thhseeking3 жыл бұрын
They were cold, wet, and uncomfortable. The crew's mess deck forward was often awash with water and wet sailors' gear. Makes you wonder why Chevrolet named a car after them :P Do they leak like a sieve as well?
@doctorshawzy64773 жыл бұрын
the heroic age..sadly their sacrifices were in vain...look at england today......we have betrayed yhem..
@benwilson61453 жыл бұрын
Yhem were brave men whose service should not dragged into some petty political argument.
@andyoncam13 жыл бұрын
Their sacrifices were not in vain. They played an invaluable part in helping to defeat fascism.
@richardsimpson37923 жыл бұрын
yes, we voted to leave the EU!
@historytank56733 жыл бұрын
@@richardsimpson3792 and? Your nation mostly felt you were better off alone and the EU has been pressuring you to stay that’s all this controversy is about, 55% wanted to leave and other nations and 35% of your population want to stay, so it’s been petty infighting
@srj607able3 жыл бұрын
The corvettes were the hurricanes of the RN back in ww2.. back bone work horse against U-boats ... and let's not forget our Canucks and Yanks friends.
@garyshepherd93673 жыл бұрын
Tough cookies😐
@BoggWeasel3 жыл бұрын
A thoroughly unpleasant and unstable ride in the anything more than a light sea.. my uncle told me that sometimes it felt like he was moving in 3 directions at once...
@phil363103 жыл бұрын
Frankly I prefer 'crevettes' - less destructive for the human organism.
@jjt10933 жыл бұрын
The Corvetttes could last the worst for the atlantic minus the Crew :) Remember talking to an old vet Said worse Ride ever