History | |
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Name | HMS Candytuft |
Namesake | Candytuft |
Builder | Grangemouth Dry Dock, Grangemouth |
Laid down | 31 October 1939 |
Launched | 8 July 1940 |
Commissioned | 16 October 1940 |
Decommissioned | 4 March 1942 |
Identification | Pennant number: K09 |
Fate | Transferred to United States Navy |
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Name | USS Tenacity |
Commissioned | 11 June 1942 |
Decommissioned | 22 August 1945 |
Identification | Hull number: PG-71 |
Fate | Returned to Royal Navy |
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Name | HMS Candytuft |
Commissioned | 26 August 1945 |
Decommissioned | September 1945 |
Fate | Sold into civilian service, 1946 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Class and type | Flower-class corvette |
Displacement | 925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons) |
Length | 205 ft (62.48 m)o/a |
Beam | 33 ft 2 in (10.11 m) |
Draught | 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h) |
Range | 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h) |
Complement | 85 |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Armament |
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HMS Candytuft was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and was in service in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1942 she was transferred to the United States Navy as part of the reverse Lend Lease arrangement and renamed USS Tenacity, one of the Temptress-class gunboats. With the end of hostilities she was returned to the Royal Navy and sold into mercantile service.
Candytuft was built at Grangemouth Dry Dock, Grangemouth, as part of the pre-war 1939 programme. One of the original Flower-class corvettes, she was ordered on 25 July 1939, laid down three months later, and launched on 5 July 1940. She was completed on 16 October 1940. [2]
After working up, Candytuft was assigned to the Western Approaches Escort Force for service as a convoy escort. In this role she was engaged in all the duties performed by escort ships; protecting convoys, searching for and attacking U-boats which attacked ships in convoy, and rescuing survivors.
Candytuft was involved in one convoy battle. In December 1940, she was part of the escort to convoy OG 46, during which two ships were sunk. In 18 months service, she escorted 13 North Atlantic and two Gibraltar convoys, assisting in the safe passage of over 500 ships, though some were lost subsequently. [3] In September 1941, while with HX 148 Candytuft suffered a boiler explosion. she was taken under tow to New York, where she underwent repairs, but was out of action for the next four months. In March 1942, while still at New York, Candytuft was transferred to the United States Navy.
Following the entry of the United States into the war the US Navy was in need of anti-submarine warfare vessels, and to meet this need a number of ships were transferred from the Royal Navy as part of a reverse Lend-Lease arrangement. Candytuft was transferred on 4 March 1942, but required an extensive refit; she was finally commissioned into the USN on 11 June 1942 as USS Tenacity, one of the Temptress-class gunboats. Initially employed as a convoy escort in the Caribbean, Tenacity was moved south in September 1942 to join the US 4th Fleet, the South Atlantic escort force, based in Trinidad. After 17 months service there Tenacity was moved, in January 1944, to the Eastern Sea Frontier, based at Boston. There she was employed until the end of hostilities in August 1945, when she was returned to the Royal Navy. As Candytuft once more she was stricken in September 1945. [4]
Following her de-commissioning, Candytuft was sold into merchant service, and in 1948 she became the steamer Maw Hwa. [5]
The Flower-class corvette was a British class of 294 corvettes used during World War II by the Allied navies particularly as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the Battle of the Atlantic. Royal Navy ships of this class were named after flowers.
HMCS Kitchener was a Royal Canadian Navy revised Flower-class corvette which took part in convoy escort duties during the Second World War. She fought primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Kitchener, Ontario. The vessel was originally named HMCS Vancouver but was renamed in November 1941 before the ship was launched.
HMCS Long Branch was a modified Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She was used primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was laid down as HMS Candytuft but was transferred to the RCN on 5 January 1944 before completion. She was named for Long Branch, Ontario, a village that was eventually amalgamated into Toronto, Ontario.
HMCS Halifax was a Royal Canadian Navy revised Flower-class corvette which took part in convoy escort duties during the Second World War. She served primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Halifax, Nova Scotia.
USS Surprise (PG-63), the fourth American naval ship of the name, was a Temptress-class patrol gunboat during World War II. She was built as the British Flower-class corvette HMS Heliotrope, and was in service with the Royal Navy during the first years of the Battle of the Atlantic. She was loaned to and operated by the United States Navy from 1942 to 1945. After World War II, she was sold as a merchant vessel and ended her life in the Chinese navy as Lin I.
HMS Begonia was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy during World War II. In 1942 she was lent to the United States Navy and commissioned as USS Impulse. Returned to the Royal Navy in 1945, Begonia was stricken and sold into merchant service. She was wrecked off the coast of Spain in 1970.
HMS Bellwort was a Flower-class corvette built for the Royal Navy during World War II.
HMS Arabis was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy. The ship was commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Arabis. She was transferred to the United States Navy in 1942, serving as USS Saucy. Returned to the United Kingdom in 1945, she was recommissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Snapdragon.
HMCS Camrose was a Royal Canadian Navy Flower-class corvette which took part in convoy escort duties during the Second World War. She was named for Camrose, Alberta.
HMCS Mayflower was a Flower-class corvette that served mainly in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War but began her service with the Royal Navy. She saw action primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic as an ocean escort. She was named after the flowering plant Maianthemum canadense.
HMCS Napanee was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw service primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort. She is named after Napanee, Ontario.
HMS Veronica was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and was in service in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1942 she was transferred to the United States Navy as part of the reverse Lend Lease arrangement and renamed USS Temptress, the name ship of the Temptress-class gunboats. With the end of hostilities she was returned to the Royal Navy and sold into mercantile service.
HMS Calendula was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and was in service in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1942 she was transferred to the United States Navy as part of the reverse Lend Lease arrangement and renamed USS Ready, one of the Temptress-class gunboats. With the end of hostilities she was returned to the Royal Navy and sold into mercantile service.
HMCS Collingwood was a Flower-class corvette that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic though also saw service as a training vessel. She was named for Collingwood, Ontario.
HMCS Hepatica was a Flower-class corvette that served primarily with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw service in the Battle of the Atlantic as an ocean escort. Originally commissioned into the Royal Navy, she was loaned to Canada in 1941.
HMS Borage was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy during World War II.
HMS Coreopsis was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War which served in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1943, she was transferred to the Royal Hellenic Navy as RHNS Kriezis and participated in the 1944 Invasion of Normandy. Shortly before she was scrapped, she took part in the British war film, The Cruel Sea.
HMS Hibiscus was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and was in service in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1942 she was transferred to the United States Navy as part of the Reverse Lend-Lease arrangement and renamed USS Spry, one of the Temptress-class gunboats. With the end of hostilities she was returned to the Royal Navy and sold into mercantile service.
HMS Periwinkle was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and was in service in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1942 she was transferred to the United States Navy as part of the Reverse Lend-Lease arrangement and renamed USS Restless, one of the Temptress-class gunboats. With the end of hostilities she was returned to the Royal Navy and sold into mercantile service.
HMS Larkspur was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and was in service in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1942 she was transferred to the United States Navy as part of the Reverse Lend-Lease arrangement and renamed USS Fury, one of the Temptress-class gunboats. With the end of hostilities she was returned to the Royal Navy and sold into mercantile service.