HMSSunflower(K41)

For other ships with the same name, seeHMS Sunflower.

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMSSunflower
Ordered	31 August 1939
Builder	Smith's Dock Co., Ltd. (South Bank-on-Tees, U.K.)
Laid down	24 May 1940
Launched	19 August 1940
Commissioned	25 January 1941
Identification	Pennant number:K41
Fate	Scrapped in September 1947 atHayle.
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Flower-classcorvette
Displacement	925 long tons (940 t)
Length	205 ft (62 m)o/a
Beam	33 ft (10 m)
Draught	11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
Installed power	30 ft 4 in (9.25 m)
Propulsion	1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating engine 2 × Scotch fire-tube boilers 1 × screw
Speed	16kn(18 mph; 30 km/h)
Range	3,500nmi(4,000 mi; 6,500 km) at 12 kn (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Complement	85
Sensors and processing systems	1 × SW1C or 2C radar 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
Armament	1 ×BL 4 in (100 mm) Mk.IX gun 4 × Vickers.50 calmachine gun(2×2) 4 ×Lewis.303 cal machine gun(2×2) 2 × Mk.II depth charge throwers 2 ×Depth chargerails with 40 depth charges
Service record
Operations:	Battle of the Atlantic Normandy 1944 English Channel 1944-45

HMSSunflowerwas aFlower-classcorvetteof theRoyal Navy.She served during theSecond World War.

She was built atSmith's Dock Company,South Bank on Teesand launched on 19 August 1940. She was sold on 17 May 1947 and scrapped atHayle,Cornwall, in September 1947.

HMSSunflowerwas the most successful of the Royal Navy Flower-class. She single-handedly sank two U-boats:U-638on 5 May 1943 andU-631on 17 October 1943. She shared sinking ofU-282on 29 October 1943.

Officers and crew

The task faced by the Captain, Lt. Cdr.John Treasure Jones,RNR, with his new crew was the same for all corvettes which were manned mainly by volunteers. Jones wrote:

"Around 90% of my crew had not been to sea before. They had been called-up, done a little training in barracks and then sent to man the ships. They were strengthened and knit together by a small number of trained ratings and naval pensioners. I had three officers plus an Engin-room Artificer, who was in charge of the engine and boiler rooms, with a Stoker Petty Officer to assist him. Of my three officers, only one had been to sea as an officer and he had just joined the Royal Naval Reserve prior to the war.My Second Officer was little older; his only sea experience was that he had served six months on the lower deck in one of the battleships, then been sent to an officers training college for 3 months; this was his first ship as an officer. My Third Officer was a young man of 19. He had joined-up straight from school, done six months on the lower deck as a rating, followed by 3 months at an officers training college before being appointed to my ship. I was daddy to these men was well as Captain, since I was 35 at the time. "

"We sailed fromMiddlesbroughin January 1940 forTobermory,to work-up before being sent to join a group on ocean escort of convoys. To start with I had difficulty in finding three men who could steer the ship, and as we had encountered bad weather as soon as we had put to sea, most of them were seasick. "

After a few weeks working-up the ship and the crew,Admiral Stephensonwould then personally inspect each escort and put the Captain and crew through a stiff test before releasing them for operational service.

Service history

Battle of the Atlantic

During work-upSunflowerwas deployed as escort for the submarineHMSThunderboltand the large Free French submarineSurcoufduring passage to theFirth of Clyde.

In 1941Western Approaches Commandhad formed eight escort groups.The 1st Escort Group consisted of six destroyers and four Flower-class corvettes.They were soon in action with other groups between 19 July – 1 August 1941 with ConvoyON 69defending 26 merchant ships from 8U-boatsand 2Italian submarines.

In February and March 1942 the original eight escort groups were reorganized into theMid-Ocean Escort Force(MOEF).

Corvettes of B7 Group moored in Londonderry.Alisma,Dianella,Sunflower&Kingcup.The white areas are where the official censor has painted out security sensitive material

Sunflowerwas part ofEscort Group B7,one of seven such British naval groups which served with the Mid-Ocean Escort Force. It provided convoy protection in the most dangerous midsection of the North Atlantic route.B7's first convoys, in the spring of 1942, were uneventful, and as the pace of theBattle of the Atlantichotted up in the summer and autumn, the group's charges were escorted without loss. But in December, while escortingON 153,the convoy came under attack, and three ships were sunk. During this action, on 11 December,Firedrakewas torpedoed by theU-boatU-211and sank with the loss of 168 of her crew, including her current commander, and the group's Senior Officer – Escort (SOE), Commander Eric Tilden. Initially, 35 survived the torpedoing, but only 27 managed to get on boardSunflower,which was under the command of Lieut- CommanderJohn Treasure Jones.

B7 was involved in the battles for convoysONS 20 and ON 206,ON 207andON 208,during which period nine U-boats were destroyed.

In February 1943 the command passed to A/Lt.Cdr. James Plomer,RCNVRand during the following nine months they would have a series of notable successes.

Convoy ONS 5, comprising 46 merchant ships, departedLiverpoolon 21 April 1943. In early May, they were under sustained submarine attacks. On 5 MayU-638was sunk bySunflower.The convoy arrived inHalifax, Nova Scotiaon 12 May. This was a major convoy battle which saw the destruction of six U-boats for the loss of thirteen ships.

Convoy ON 206, comprising 68 merchant ships, departed Liverpool on 11 October 1943. It arrived inNew Yorkon 27 October 1943 without loss. On 17 OctoberU-631was sunk in the North Atlantic, South-east ofCape Farewell, Greenland,bydepth chargesfromSunflower.

On 29 October 1943U-282,which had been shadowing Convoy ON 208, was sunk byHedgehogattacks carried out together withHMSDuncanandHMSVidette.

Normandy 1944

In May 1944Sunflowerwas nominated for service in Force L for theNormandy Landings,code name Operation Neptune. She was assigned as part of Escort Group 154 with HM CorvettesSweetbriarK209 andOxlipK123.They were employed in convoy defence during the build-up operations in the English Channel and then retained in the Channel for convoy defence after termination of Neptune.

English Channel 1944–45

On 30 AugustSunflowerwas deployed for Channel convoy defence based atSheerness.By the beginning of October merchant convoys were being detached from joined ocean convoys in Southwestern Approaches and routed through the English Channel for passage to and from London because the air threat from bases in France had been removed by the military advance to Germany. In February 1945 she resumed Channel convoy defence. German submarines andE-Boatswere active in Channel area for mine and attacks bysnorkelfitted U-boats were being made on assembly points for convoys and coastal traffic in Home waters.

In May 1945 she was paid off, de-stored and reduced to 'Reserve' status.

Fate

HMSSunflowerremained in 'Reserve' atHarwichuntil placed on the 'Disposal List' in 1947. The ship was sold for demolition byThos. W. WardatHayle,Cornwall later that year and arrived at the breaker's yard in August 1947.

Sources

• Elliott, Peter (1977).Allied Escort Ships of World War II.Macdonald and Jane's.ISBN0-356-08401-9.
• Treasure Jones, John (2008).Tramp to Queen.History Press Limited.ISBN978-0-7524-4625-7.

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur."HMS Sunflower".Uboat.net.
• Mason RN, Lt Cdr Geoffrey B."Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2".naval-history.net.
• Helgason, Guðmundur."James Plomer".Uboat.net.
• "James Plomer".The Nauticapedia.