HMSRhododendron(K78)
 HMSRhododendronduring refueling trials at sea
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSRhododendron |
| Ordered | 19 September 1939 |
| Builder | Harland and Wolff Ltd.,Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Laid down | 22 May 1940 |
| Launched | 2 September 1940 |
| Commissioned | 18 October 1940 |
| Out of service | 17 May 1947 – placed in reserve |
| Identification | Pennant number:K78 |
| Fate | Sold 1950; scrapped 1968 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Flower-classcorvette(original) |
| Displacement | 925long 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 |
|
| Speed | 16 knots (29.6 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 |
|
HMSRhododendronwas aFlower-classcorvettethat served with theRoyal Navyduring theSecond World War.She served as an ocean escort in theBattle of the Atlantic.[1][2]
Background
[edit]The ship was ordered on 19 September 1939 fromHarland and Wolffin Belfast, Northern Ireland. The ship's keel was laid on 22 May 1940,[3]and the ship was launched on 2 September. The ship was commissioned about one month later, on 18 October.[4]
War Service
[edit]On 21 November 1940,Rhododendron,part of the escort for Convoy OB244, attacked the GermanU-boatU-103withdepth charges,helping to drive the submarine away from the convoy. AlthoughU-103escaped unscathed, this attack led to the incorrect claim thatRhododendronhad sunkU-104.[5][2]That same day, she picked up 36 survivors from the merchant shipDaydawn,which earlier that day had been sunk byU-103.[2]At the beginning of 1941,Rhododendronwas part of the 8th Escort Group.[6]On 17 January 1941, she detonated a mine in Liverpool harbor, knocking out her engines and steering gear and causing minor structural damage.Rhododendronwas under repair at Liverpool for three months.[7][8][2]On 28 July 1941, she picked up 26 survivors from theLapland,a merchant ship which was torpedoed byU-203.[2][9]On 1 October 1941,Rhododendronwas part of the 36th Escort Group, based at Liverpool.[10]
In November 1942, the British and Americans landed in French North Africa inOperation Torch,withRhododendronhelping to escort one of the convoys carrying invasion forces from Britain to the Centre Task Force beaches atArzewnearOraninAlgeriaon 9 November.[11]On 4 July 1943, she picked up more than 300 survivors from several merchant ships which were torpedoed by German submarinesU-409andU-375off ofAlgeria.
Fate
[edit]
She was sold in 1950 to a shipping company, where she was turned into the merchantMaj Finke.She was sold for demolition inSouth Africain 1968.
References
[edit]- ^Mason, Geoffrey B. (31 May 2011)."HMS Rhododendron (K78) — Flower-class Corvette including Convoy Movements".Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2.naval-history.net.Retrieved7 March2017.
- ^abcdeHelgason, Guðmundur."HMS Rhododendron (K 78): Corvette of the Flower class".uboat.net.Retrieved7 March2017.
- ^Lynch, p. 98
- ^Friedman, p. 340
- ^Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,p. 42
- ^Kindell, Don (7 April 2012)."Royal Navy Ships, January 1941 (Part 1 of 2)".British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day.naval-history.net.Retrieved12 January2020.
- ^H.M. Ships Damaged or Sunk by Enemy Action1952,p. 349
- ^Kindell, Don (7 April 2012)."Naval Events, January 1941 (Part 2 of 2): Wednesday 15th - Friday 31st".British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day.naval-history.net.Retrieved12 January2020.
- ^Kindell, Don (8 April 2012)."Naval Events, July 1941 (Part 2 of 2): Tuesday 15th - Thursday 31st".British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day.naval-history.net.Retrieved12 January2020.
- ^Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,p. 89
- ^Winser 2002,pp. 12, 65
Sources
[edit]- Blair, Clay (2000).Hitler's U-boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942.London: Cassell & Co.ISBN0-304-35260-8.
- Friedman, Norman (2008).British Destroyers & Frigates - The Second World War and After.Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN978-1-84832-015-4.
- Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger, eds. (1980).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946.London: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN0-85177-146-7.
- H.M. Ships Damaged or Sunk by Enemy Action: 3rd. SEPT. 1939 to 2nd. SEPT. 1945.Admiralty. 1952.Retrieved1 September2018.
- Lynch, John (2012).Belfast Built Ships.Stroud, UK: The History Press.ISBN978-075246-539-5.
- Preston, Antony; Raven, Alan (1982).Flower Class Corvettes.London: Arms and Armour Press.ISBN0-85368-559-2.
- Rohwer, Jürgen;Hümmelchen, Gerhard (1992).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945.London: Greenhill Books.ISBN1-85367-117-7.
- Ruegg, Bob; Hague, Arnold (1992).Convoys to Russia: 1941–1945.Kendal, UK: World Ship Society.ISBN0-905617-66-5.
- Winser, John de S. (2002).British Invasion Fleets: The Mediterranean and beyond 1942–1945.Gravesend, UK: World Ship Society.ISBN0-9543310-0-1.
