HMS Jasmine (K23)

HMS Jasmine, underway at sea during convoy duty

HMS Pimpernel (K71) was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. ^[1] The ship was primarily engaged in convoy duty, protecting merchant ships and carrying out anti-submarine warfare during the U-boat offensive. ^[2]

Construction and career

The ship was ordered 31 August 1939. ^[1] She was laid down 12 December 1939 at the Ferguson yard at Port Glasgow, Scotland. ^[1] She was launched 14 January 1941 and the ship was commissioned 16 May 1941. ^[1]

The ship sustained collision damage and undertook repairs in October 1941 at the Birkenhead Graving Dock. ^{[3] [4]}

Between 17 September and 1 October 1941, the ship served as an escort in Convoy HG 73. On 26/27 September, German submarine U-201 torpedoed and sank the ship's Cervantes and HMS Springbank, whose survivors were taken by several ships, including HMS Jasmine. ^[5] HMS Jasmine then sank the Springbank by a combination of depth charges and 4-inch gunfire rather than leave her as a hazard to shipping. ^[6]

On 15 November 1942, Jasmine, along with HMS Inconstant and HMS Nigella engaged German submarine U-181 with depth charges forcing the submarine to a depth of 570ft but failed to destroy her. ^[7]

The ship was broken up for scrap on 11 September 1948. ^[1]

References

1. "HMS Jasmine (K 23) of the Royal Navy". uboat.net. 1939-08-31. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
2. Robins, Nick (2021-09-30). From War to Peace. Seaforth Publishing. p. 72. ISBN   978-1-3990-0961-4.
3. "DAMAGE SUSTAINED BY THE CORVETTE HMS JASMINE IN COLLISION. 8 OCTOBER 1941, BIRKENHEAD GRAVING DOCK". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
4. "DAMAGE SUSTAINED BY THE CORVETTE HMS JASMINE IN COLLISION. 8 OCTOBER 1941, BIRKENHEAD GRAVING DOCK". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
5. Pattisson, Rodney; Pickthall, Barry (2019-05-07). Superdocious!. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 9-10. ISBN   978-1-4729-3559-5.
6. Taylor, Bruce; Morgan, Daniel (2011-11-09). U-Boat Attack Logs. Pen and Sword. ISBN   978-1-4738-2003-6.
7. Paterson, Lawrence (2017-05-16). Hitler's Gray Wolves. Skyhorse. ISBN   978-1-5107-1773-2.