HMS Polyanthus (K47): Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 57°0′0″N 31°6′0″W / 57.00000°N 31.10000°W / 57.00000; -31.10000
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{{short description|Flower-class corvette}}
{{other ships|HMS Polyanthus}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:HMS Polyanthus (K 47).jpg|300px]]
|Ship image=
|Ship caption=''Polyanthus'' during [[World War II]]
|Ship caption=''Polyanthus'' during [[World War II]]
}}
}}
{{Infobox Ship Career
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag=[[Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|60px|Royal Navy Ensign]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=
|Ship name=
|Ship namesake=
|Ship namesake=
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|Ship honours=
|Ship honours=
|Ship captured=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Sunk by ''[[U-952]]''
|Ship fate=Sunk by {{GS|U-952}}
|Ship status=Wreck near 57.00N, 31.10W
|Ship notes=
|Ship notes=
}}
}}
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|Ship class={{sclass2|Flower|corvette}}
|Ship class={{sclass2|Flower|corvette}}
|Ship displacement={{convert|925|LT|t ST|lk=in}}
|Ship displacement={{convert|925|LT|t ST|lk=in}}
|Ship tons burthen=
|Ship length={{convert|205|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}o/a
|Ship length={{convert|205|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}o/a
|Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
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* 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
* 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
* {{convert|2750|ihp|abbr=on}}
* {{convert|2750|ihp|abbr=on}}
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed={{convert|16|kn|km/h|1|lk=in}}
|Ship speed={{convert|16|kn|km/h|1|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|3500|nmi|km|0}} at {{convert|12|kn|km/h|1}}
|Ship range={{convert|3500|nmi|km|0}} at {{convert|12|kn|km/h|1}}
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* 2 × [[Lewis Gun|.303 inch Lewis machine gun]] (twin)
* 2 × [[Lewis Gun|.303 inch Lewis machine gun]] (twin)
* 2 × Mk.II depth charge throwers
* 2 × Mk.II depth charge throwers
* 2 × depth charge rails with 40 depth charges
* 2 × [[Depth charge]] rails with 40 depth charges
|Ship notes=
|Ship notes=
}}
}}
|}
|}
'''HMS ''Polyanthus''''' was a {{sclass2|Flower|corvette}} of the [[Royal Navy]]. She was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 30 November 1940 from [[Leith|Leith Docks]] on the [[Firth of Forth]], at an estimated cost of £55,000.<ref name=Milner>{{cite book| title=North Atlantic Run |author=Milner, Marc |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1985 |page=158 |isbn=0-87021-450-0}}</ref><ref>[http://wilkinp4.blackapplehost.com/History/WW2/WarshipWeek/WarshipWeek.htm Warship Week(s) in World War 2], RishtonWeb, Retrieved April 13, 2011.</ref> ''Polyanthus'' was sunk by the German submarine ''U-952'' using new German weapons technology on 20 September 1943 about 1,000 miles southwest of [[Reykjavik]] during convoy escort duty in the [[Battle of the Atlantic (1939–1945)|Battle of the North Atlantic]].<ref name=ubn>[http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5489.html "HMS Polyanthus (K 47)"], Uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2011</ref><ref>Lawson, Siri,[http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/on202.html "Convoy ON & ONS 18"], WarSailors.com. Retrieved 13 April 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?31818 HMS ''Polyanthus'' (K-47) (+1943)], www.wrecksite.eu, Retrieved 13 April 2011.</ref>
'''HMS ''Polyanthus''''' was a {{sclass2|Flower|corvette}} of the [[Royal Navy]]. She was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 30 November 1940 from [[Leith|Leith Docks]] on the [[Firth of Forth]], at an estimated cost of £55,000.<ref name=Milner>{{cite book| title=North Atlantic Run |author=Milner, Marc |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1985 |page=158 |isbn=0-87021-450-0}}</ref><ref>[http://wilkinp4.blackapplehost.com/History/WW2/WarshipWeek/WarshipWeek.htm Warship Week(s) in World War 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902104155/http://wilkinp4.blackapplehost.com/History/WW2/WarshipWeek/WarshipWeek.htm |date=2 September 2011 }}, RishtonWeb, Retrieved 13 April 2011.</ref> ''Polyanthus'' was sunk by the {{GS|U-952}} using new German weapons technology on 20 September 1943 about 1,000 miles southwest of [[Reykjavík]] during convoy escort duty in the [[Battle of the Atlantic|Battle of the North Atlantic]].<ref name=ubn>{{cite web |url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5489.html
|title=HMS Polyanthus (K 47)
|last=Helgason
|first=Guðmundur
|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
|access-date=13 April 2011
}}</ref><ref>Lawson, Siri,[http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/on202.html "Convoy ON & ONS 18"], WarSailors.com. Retrieved 13 April 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?31818 HMS ''Polyanthus'' (K-47) (+1943)], www.wrecksite.eu, Retrieved 13 April 2011.</ref>


==Background==
==Background==
{{main|Flower class corvette}}
{{main|Flower-class corvette}}
Flower-class corvettes like ''Polyanthus'' serving with the Royal Navy during [[World War II]] were different to earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.<ref>Ossian, Robert,[http://www.thepirateking.com/ships/ship_types.htm "Complete List of Sailing Vessels"], www.thepirateking.com, Retrieved 13 April 2011.</ref><ref>Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare'' (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 11, pp.1137–1142.</ref><ref name=Jane>''Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II'', New Jersey: Random House, 1996, ISBN 0-517-67963-9, page 68.</ref> The "corvette" designation was created by the French in the 19th century as a class of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877.<ref>Blake, Nicholas and Lawrence, Richard, ''The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy'', Stackpole Books, 2005, pp 39-63. ISBN 0811732754</ref> During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s, [[Winston Churchill]] reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on a [[whaling ship]] design.<ref>Chesneau, Roger and Gardiner, Robert, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships (1922-1946)'', US Naval Institute Press (June 1980), p. 62 ISBN 0870219138</ref> The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.<ref name = Milner/>
Flower-class corvettes like ''Polyanthus'' serving with the Royal Navy during [[World War II]] were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.<ref>Ossian, Robert,[http://www.thepirateking.com/ships/ship_types.htm "Complete List of Sailing Vessels"], www.thepirateking.com, Retrieved 13 April 2011.</ref><ref>Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare'' (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 11, pp.1137–1142.</ref><ref name=Jane>''Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II'', New Jersey: Random House, 1996, {{ISBN|0-517-67963-9}}, page 68.</ref> The "corvette" designation was created by the French in the 19th century as a class of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877.<ref>Blake, Nicholas and Lawrence, Richard, ''The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy'', Stackpole Books, 2005, pp 39-63. {{ISBN|0-8117-3275-4}}</ref> During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s, [[Winston Churchill]] reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on a [[whaling ship]] design.<ref>Chesneau, Roger and Gardiner, Robert, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946'', US Naval Institute Press (June 1980), p. 62 {{ISBN|0-87021-913-8}}</ref> The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.<ref name = Milner/>


==War duty and sinking==
==War duty and sinking==
Although designed for quick and cheap construction, ''Polyanthus'' and ships like her in the Flower class were effective in convoy escort during the Battle of the North Atlantic.<ref>[http://uboat.net/allies/warships/types.html?type=Corvette Corvettes], Uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2011</ref>{{{{Failed verification|date=April 2011|talk=Uboat.net source}}
Although designed for quick and cheap construction, ''Polyanthus'' and ships like her in the Flower class were operative in convoy escort during the Battle of the North Atlantic.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://uboat.net/allies/warships/types.html?type=Corvette
|title=Corvettes
|last=Helgason
|first=Guðmundur
|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
The primary mission of protection against [[U-boats]] saw ''Polyanthus'' active in several transatlantic convoys in the early part of the war. By late 1943, the [[Kriegsmarine]] were using the acoustic homing [[G7es torpedo]] - which the Allies called "German Navy Acoustic Torpedo" ([[GNAT (torpedo)|GNAT]]) - which they hoped would reverse the changing tide of war, favouring the [[Western Allies|Allies]] in the Atlantic.<ref name=GNAT>Pocock, Micahel W.,
|access-date=13 April 2011
}}</ref>
The primary mission of protection against [[U-boat]]s saw ''Polyanthus'' active in several transatlantic convoys in the early part of the war. By late 1943, the ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' were using an [[G7es torpedo|acoustic homing torpedo]] - known to the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] as a [[GNAT (torpedo)|GNAT]] - which they hoped would reverse the changing tide of war, favouring the Allies in the Atlantic.<ref name=GNAT>Pocock, Michael W.,
http://www.maritimequest.com/daily_event_archive/2007/pages/sept/23_convoy_on_202.htm "Daily Event for September 23", www.MaritimeQuest.com, 2007, Retrieved 13 April 2011.</ref>
http://www.maritimequest.com/daily_event_archive/2007/pages/sept/23_convoy_on_202.htm "Daily Event for September 23", www.MaritimeQuest.com, 2007, Retrieved 13 April 2011.</ref>


On the night of 19–20 September 1943, two westbound Convoys [[Convoys ONS 18/ON 202|ONS18 and ON 202]] were facing frequent U-boat engagements, calling ''Polyanthus'' to their aid in the wake of several setbacks, including the near destruction of [[HMS Escapade (H17)|HMS ''Escapade'']] and [[HMS Lagen|HMS ''Lagen'']].<ref name=GNAT/> After successfully driving away ''[[German submarine U-238|U-238]]'', ''Polyanthus'' was ordered to rescue the crew from the escort [[USS McCook (DD-252)|HMCS ''St. Croix'']], recently sunk by [[German submarine U-305|''U-305'']]. Whilst under the command of Lieutenant John Gordon Aitken [[Royal Naval Reserve|RNR]], ''Polyanthus'' was sunk by ''U-952'' using a GNAT before any rescue could be effected.<ref name=ubn/><ref>[http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3075.html HMS ''Polyanthus'' (K 47)] Uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2011</ref> At least 7 officers and 77 crew were lost with ''Polyanthus'', with the single known survivor himself drowning within days at the hands of yet another U-boat attack on the ship that rescued him, {{HMS|Itchen|K227|6}}.<ref name=ubn/>
On the night of 19–20 September 1943, two westbound Convoys [[Convoys ONS 18/ON 202|ONS18 and ON 202]] were facing frequent U-boat engagements, calling ''Polyanthus'' to their aid in the wake of several setbacks, including the near destruction of {{HMS|Escapade|H17|6}} and {{HMS|Lagan|K259|6}}.<ref name=GNAT/> After successfully driving away {{GS|U-238||2}}, ''Polyanthus'' was ordered to rescue the crew from the escort {{HMCS|St. Croix|I81|6}}, recently sunk by {{GS|U-305||2}}. Whilst under the command of Lieutenant John Gordon Aitken [[Royal Naval Reserve|RNR]], ''Polyanthus'' was sunk by ''U-952'' using a GNAT before any rescue could be effected.<ref name=ubn/><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3075.html
|title=HMS ''Polyanthus'' (K 47)
|last=Helgason
|first=Guðmundur
|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
|access-date= 13 April 2011
}}</ref> At least 7 officers and 77 crew were lost with ''Polyanthus'' among them Lt [[Graham Shepard]]. The only known survivor drowned within days at the hands of another U-boat attack on the ship that rescued him, {{HMS|Itchen|K227|6}}.<ref name=ubn/>


==See also==
==See also==
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==Notes and references==
==Notes and references==
;Notes
'''Notes'''
{{reflist|2}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
;Bibliography
'''Bibliography'''
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{cite web
*[http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship3075.html Ship's company list at Uboat.net]
|url=http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship3075.html
*[http://www.familyheritage.ca/Articles/lasthurrah.html "The Last Hurrah of the Wolf Packs"] an article reprinted from Canadian Forces Internal News Sources (September 1993)
|title=Ship's company list
*[http://www.batamemories.org.uk/MAIN/ENG/00-EN-Pages/WAR%20PAGES/Leslie%20Hockley.html Able seaman Leslie Hockley], a crewman on HMS ''Polyanthus''
|last=Helgason
|first=Guðmundur
|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
}}
* [http://www.familyheritage.ca/Articles/lasthurrah.html "The Last Hurrah of the Wolf Packs"] an article reprinted from Canadian Forces Internal News Sources (September 1993)

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{{Flower class corvette|original}}
{{Flower class corvette|original}}
{{September 1943 shipwrecks}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Polyanthus, HMS}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polyanthus, HMS}}
[[Category:1940 ships]]
[[Category:1940 ships]]
[[Category:Flower class corvettes of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Flower-class corvettes of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Scotland]]
[[Category:Ships built in Leith]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1943]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in September 1943]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German submarines]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Warships lost with all hands]]

[[sl:HMS Polyanthus (K47)]]

Latest revision as of 10:05, 14 August 2023

History
United Kingdom
BuilderHenry Robb Ltd.
Laid down19 March 1940
Launched30 November 1940
Completed23 April 1941
Out of service21 September 1943
FateSunk by German submarine U-952
General characteristics
Class and typeFlower-class corvette
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 × water tube 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
Armament

HMS Polyanthus was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 30 November 1940 from Leith Docks on the Firth of Forth, at an estimated cost of £55,000.[1][2] Polyanthus was sunk by the German submarine U-952 using new German weapons technology on 20 September 1943 about 1,000 miles southwest of Reykjavík during convoy escort duty in the Battle of the North Atlantic.[3][4][5]

Background[edit]

Flower-class corvettes like Polyanthus serving with the Royal Navy during World War II were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.[6][7][8] The "corvette" designation was created by the French in the 19th century as a class of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877.[9] During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s, Winston Churchill reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on a whaling ship design.[10] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[1]

War duty and sinking[edit]

Although designed for quick and cheap construction, Polyanthus and ships like her in the Flower class were operative in convoy escort during the Battle of the North Atlantic.[11] The primary mission of protection against U-boats saw Polyanthus active in several transatlantic convoys in the early part of the war. By late 1943, the Kriegsmarine were using an acoustic homing torpedo - known to the Allies as a GNAT - which they hoped would reverse the changing tide of war, favouring the Allies in the Atlantic.[12]

On the night of 19–20 September 1943, two westbound Convoys ONS18 and ON 202 were facing frequent U-boat engagements, calling Polyanthus to their aid in the wake of several setbacks, including the near destruction of HMS Escapade and HMS Lagan.[12] After successfully driving away U-238, Polyanthus was ordered to rescue the crew from the escort HMCS St. Croix, recently sunk by U-305. Whilst under the command of Lieutenant John Gordon Aitken RNR, Polyanthus was sunk by U-952 using a GNAT before any rescue could be effected.[3][13] At least 7 officers and 77 crew were lost with Polyanthus among them Lt Graham Shepard. The only known survivor drowned within days at the hands of another U-boat attack on the ship that rescued him, HMS Itchen.[3]

See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Milner, Marc (1985). North Atlantic Run. Naval Institute Press. p. 158. ISBN 0-87021-450-0.
  2. ^ Warship Week(s) in World War 2 Archived 2 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, RishtonWeb, Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  3. ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Polyanthus (K 47)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  4. ^ Lawson, Siri,"Convoy ON & ONS 18", WarSailors.com. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  5. ^ HMS Polyanthus (K-47) (+1943), www.wrecksite.eu, Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  6. ^ Ossian, Robert,"Complete List of Sailing Vessels", www.thepirateking.com, Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  7. ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 11, pp.1137–1142.
  8. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II, New Jersey: Random House, 1996, ISBN 0-517-67963-9, page 68.
  9. ^ Blake, Nicholas and Lawrence, Richard, The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy, Stackpole Books, 2005, pp 39-63. ISBN 0-8117-3275-4
  10. ^ Chesneau, Roger and Gardiner, Robert, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946, US Naval Institute Press (June 1980), p. 62 ISBN 0-87021-913-8
  11. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Corvettes". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  12. ^ a b Pocock, Michael W., http://www.maritimequest.com/daily_event_archive/2007/pages/sept/23_convoy_on_202.htm "Daily Event for September 23", www.MaritimeQuest.com, 2007, Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  13. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Polyanthus (K 47)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2011.

Bibliography

External links[edit]

57°0′0″N 31°6′0″W / 57.00000°N 31.10000°W / 57.00000; -31.10000