HMS Polyanthus (K47): Difference between revisions

History
United Kingdom
Builder	Henry Robb Ltd.
Laid down	19 March 1940
Launched	30 November 1940
Completed	23 April 1941
Out of service	21 September 1943
Fate	Sunk by German submarine U-952
General characteristics
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 (10.06 m)
Draught	11.5 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);
Speed	16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range	3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement	85
Armament	1 × 4 inch BL Mk.IX single gun; 2 × Vickers .50 machine guns (twin); 2 × .303 inch Lewis machine gun (twin); 2 × Mk.II depth charge throwers; 2 × Depth charge rails with 40 depth charges;

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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]

Notes and references[edit]

Notes

^ ^a ^b Milner, Marc (1985). North Atlantic Run. Naval Institute Press. p. 158. ISBN 0-87021-450-0.
^ Warship Week(s) in World War 2 Archived 2 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, RishtonWeb, Retrieved 13 April 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Polyanthus (K 47)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
^ Lawson, Siri,"Convoy ON & ONS 18", WarSailors.com. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
^ HMS Polyanthus (K-47) (+1943), www.wrecksite.eu, Retrieved 13 April 2011.
^ Ossian, Robert,"Complete List of Sailing Vessels", www.thepirateking.com, Retrieved 13 April 2011.
^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 11, pp.1137–1142.
^ Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II, New Jersey: Random House, 1996, ISBN 0-517-67963-9, page 68.
^ Blake, Nicholas and Lawrence, Richard, The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy, Stackpole Books, 2005, pp 39-63. ISBN 0-8117-3275-4
^ 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
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Corvettes". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
^ ^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.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Polyanthus (K 47)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2011.

Bibliography

Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.

External links[edit]

Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ship's company list". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
"The Last Hurrah of the Wolf Packs" an article reprinted from Canadian Forces Internal News Sources (September 1993)

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

[Milner-1] 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.

[ubn-3] 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.

[Jane-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.

[GNAT-12] 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.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{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 image
-|Ship image=HMS Polyanthus (K 47).jpg
+|Ship image=
 |Ship caption=''Polyanthus'' during [[World War II]]
 }}
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 |Hide header=
 |Ship country=United&nbsp;Kingdom
-|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|UK|naval}}
+|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
 |Ship name=
 |Ship namesake=
@@ Line 32: / Line 34: @@
 |Ship captured=
 |Ship fate=Sunk by {{GS|U-952}}
-|Ship status=Wreck near {{coord|57|00|N|31|10|W}}
 |Ship notes=
 }}
@@ Line 38: / Line 39: @@
 |Hide header=
 |Header caption=
-|Ship class={{sclass2-|Flower|corvette}}
+|Ship class={{sclass2|Flower|corvette}}
 |Ship displacement={{convert|925|LT|t ST|lk=in}}
 |Ship length={{convert|205|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}o/a
@@ Line 64: / Line 65: @@
 }}
 |}
-'''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 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
+'''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
-|accessdate=13 April 2011
+|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==
 {{main|Flower-class corvette}}
-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/>
+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==
@@ Line 83: / Line 84: @@
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
-|accessdate=13 April 2011
+|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.,
+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>
@@ Line 94: / Line 95: @@
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
-|accessdate= 13 April 2011
+|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/>
@@ Line 104: / Line 105: @@
 {{Reflist|30em}}
 '''Bibliography'''
-*{{colledge}}
+* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
 ==External links==
-*{{cite web
+* {{cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship3075.html
 |title=Ship's company list
@@ Line 114: / Line 115: @@
 |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)
+* [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)
-*[http://www.batamemories.org.uk/MAIN/ENG/00-EN-Pages/WAR%20PAGES/Leslie%20Hockley.html Able seaman Leslie Hockley], a crewman on HMS ''Polyanthus''
 {{coord|57|0|0|N|31|6|0|W|display=title}}
+ <!-- non-breaking space to keep AWB drones from altering the space before the navbox -->
 {{Flower class corvette|original}}
 {{September 1943 shipwrecks}}
@@ Line 124: / Line 126: @@
 [[Category:1940 ships]]
 [[Category:Flower-class corvettes of the Royal Navy]]
-[[Category:Leith-built ships]]
+[[Category:Ships built in Leith]]
 [[Category:Maritime incidents in September 1943]]
 [[Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II]]
 [[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
-[[Category:Ships lost with all hands]]
+[[Category:Warships lost with all hands]]

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in September 1943
Shipwrecks	3 Sep: I-25 4 Sep: USS LCI(L)-339 5 Sep: USS YP-279 7 Sep: Maloja, Velella 8 Sep: Calitea II, Etna, U-983, Vesuvio 9 Sep: Antonio Bajamonti, Cattaro, Conte Verde, Ermanno Carlotto, FR 22, FR 118, Lepanto, USS Nauset, Roma, Taranto 10 Sep: HMS Abdiel, Argo, Piero Foscari 11 Sep: Conte di Savoia, Giuseppe La Masa, Pegaso, USS Rowan 12 Sep: Ametista, USS Navajo, U-617 13 Sep: Terra Nova 14 Sep: Giuseppe Sirtori, Katsonis, Newfoundland 15 Sep: Ro-101 16 Sep: Heisternest 18 Sep: Francesco Rismondo 19 Sep: Kansai Maru, U-341 20 Sep: HMCS St. Croix, U-338, U-346 21 Sep: HMS Polyanthus 22 Sep: U-229 23 Sep: Gaetano Donizetti 24 Sep: Francesco Stocco 25 Sep: Giuseppe Sirtori, USS Skill 26 Sep: HMS Intrepid, Vasilissa Olga 27 Sep: Ardena, Enrico Cosenz, U-161, U-221 28 Sep: USS Cisco 30 Sep: Sanct Svithun Unknown date: HMS Gallant, USS Grayling, I-20, I-182, USS LCT-209, K-1, USS Pompano, Sebastiano Caboto, U-669
Other incidents	7 Sep: U-760 8 Sep: USS Bluefish, U-988 9 Sep: Giuseppe Finzi, USS Peto 10 Sep: I-2 11 Sep: USS Savannah 13 Sep: HMHS Newfoundland, HMS Uganda 14 Sep: HMS Warspite 16 Sep: USS Pompon 19 Sep: Tango Maru 23 Sep: Kulmerland 25 Sep: Enrico Cosenz
1942 1943 1944 August 1943 October 1943

Latest revision as of 10:05, 14 August 2023

Background[edit]

War duty and sinking[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]

External links[edit]