French corvette Roselys

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Roselys HMS Sundew.jpg
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Sundew
Ordered21 September 1939
Builder J. Lewis and Sons Ltd., Aberdeen, Scotland
Laid down4 November 1940
Launched28 May 1941
Out of service17 September 1941 – transferred to Free France
Identification Pennant number: K57
FateScrapped at Troon in 1948
Naval Ensign of Free France.svgCivil and Naval Ensign of France.svgFrance
NameFFL Roselys
Acquired17 September 1941
Commissioned19 September 1941
IdentificationK-57
FateReturned to Royal Navy in 1947
General characteristics
Class and type Flower-class corvette (original)
Displacement925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons)
Length205 ft (62.48 m)o/a
Beam33 ft (10.06 m)
Draught11.5 ft (3.51 m)
Propulsion
  • single shaft
  • 2 × fire tube Scotch boilers
  • 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
  • 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement85
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 × SW1C or 2C radar
  • 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
Armament
  • 1 × BL 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk.IX single gun
  • 2 x double Lewis machine gun
  • 2 × twin Vickers machine gun
  • 2 × Mk.II depth charge throwers
  • 2 × depth charge rails with 40 depth charges
  • initially with minesweeper equipment, later removed

Roselys (formerly HMS Sundew) was one of the nine Flower-class corvettes lent by the Royal Navy to the Free French Naval Forces. She served as a naval escort in World War II.

Contents

Construction

The vessel was ordered on 21 September 1939. She was constructed in Aberdeen by J. Lewis and Sons Ltd. Her keel was laid on 4 November 1940. The ship was assigned dock number 155. She was launched on 28 May 1941. The vessel was finally commissioned on 19 September 1941. [1] [2]

Other Flower-class ships in Free French service retained their original flower names translated into French. However, the French for sundew, rosée du matin (literally "morning dew"), was considered unsuitable and the girl's name Roselys ("Rose-Lilly") was used instead, perhaps with the intention of linking the English Tudor rose with the French fleur-de-lys . [3]

War service

On 30 January 1942, Roselys spotted a U-boat about 400 yards from her. She turned towards the U-boat with the intention to ram it. The U-boat attempted to dive, but it was lightly rammed before it could submerge. As she passed over the U-boat, depth charges were dropped. The U-boat was probably only lightly damaged, and escaped back to port. [4] [5] She was part of Convoy QP 13, and rescued 179 survivors on 5 July 1942 when several ships ran into naval mines. On 10 March 1943, she picked up 81 survivors from the British merchant Tucurina . [6] Roselys was one of nine Free French escort vessels which supported the Normandy landings on and after 6 June 1944, protecting the movement of landing and supply ships across the English Channel. [7]

Fate

She was returned to the Royal Navy in 1947. She was sold on 23 October 1947, and scrapped at Troon in May 1948. [8]

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HMS <i>Mallow</i> (K81) Flower class corvette

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When the United States entered World War II at the end of 1941, the United States Navy found itself deficient in ocean escort-type vessels. A crash building program was instituted; but, to meet more immediate needs, the government contracted with shipbuilding firms in England and Canada to build Flower-class corvettes. Vim (PG-99) was one of those British-type escorts. She was launched on 1 April 1943 at the Collingwood Shipyard in Collingwood, Ontario. Nine days later, however, she was transferred to the Royal Navy under the terms of the lend-lease agreement in return for another Flower-class corvette then under construction in Canada. The British renamed her HMS Statice, and she served the Royal Navy under the name through World War II. On 21 June 1946, she was returned to the United States Navy. Though carried on the Navy list as PG-99, the corvette never saw active service with the United States Navy. She was sold on 7 May 1947. To whom she was sold and to what purpose she was put is unknown.

HMS <i>Godetia</i> (K226)

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HMCS <i>Prescott</i> Canadian Navy corvette

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HMCS <i>Royal Mount</i> (K677)

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HMCS <i>Dunver</i> (K03)

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HMCS <i>Hespeler</i>

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HMS <i>Dianella</i> Royal Navy world war 2 warship

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HMS Pink was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy. She was built by Harland and Wolff in 1941 and named after the flower nicknamed garden pink. She was commissioned in 1942 and scrapped in 1947.

HMS Auricula was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy and was built by George Brown and Company in 1940. She was named after Auricula. Commissioned in 1941 and sunk by a mine on 6 May 1942.

HMS <i>Asphodel</i> (K56)

HMS Asphodel was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy and was built by George Brown and Company in 1940. She was named after Asphodel. Commissioned in 1940 and sunk by U-575 on 10 March 1944.

HMS Fleur de Lys was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy and was built by Smith's Dock Company in 1940. She was named after Fleur de Lys. Commissioned in 1940, rammed and sunk by U-206 on 14 October 1941. Her name was originally La Dieppoise and built for the French Navy but was later changed.

HMS <i>Poppy</i> (K213)

HMS Poppy was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy as a convoy escort during World War II.

HMS <i>Petunia</i> (K79) Flower-class corvette

HMS Petunia (K79) was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy and was built by Henry Robb in 1940. She was named after Petunia. Commissioned in 1940, rammed and sold to the Chinese Nationalist Government and renamed ROCS Fu Bo.

References

  1. ↑ Friedman, Norman p. 341
  2. ↑ "Aberdeen Ships | SUNDEW". www.aberdeenships.com. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  3. ↑ Flohic 1985, p. 26
  4. ↑ "André Bergeret, 1038 compagnons, Compagnons - Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération". www.ordredelaliberation.fr. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  5. ↑ Showell, p. 54
  6. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "FFL Roselys (K 57)". uboat.net. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  7. ↑ Auphan & Mordai 1959, p. 321
  8. ↑ Lenton, H. T. & Colledge, J. J. p. 209

Sources

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