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HMS Delphinium (K77)

December 14, 2023

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Delphinium.

HMS Delphinium (K77) was a Flower-class corvette built for the Royal Navy (RN) from 1940-1946. From 1941 to 1943 she was active in the Mediterranean as an escort to convoys supporting the Eighth Army and the invasion of Sicily. From mid-1943 onwards she was on convoy escort duties between Africa, the Mediterranean and the United Kingdom; and Atlantic convoys between North America and the United Kingdom. She escorted a total of 68 convoys.[1]

HMS Delphinium (K77)
History
United Kingdom
NameDelphinium
BuilderHenry Robb Ltd., Leith, United Kingdom
Laid down31 October 1939
Launched6 June 1940
Commissioned15 November 1940
Honours and
awards		North Africa and Mediterranean 1941-1943, Sicily 1943, Atlantic 1943-1945
FateScrapped at Pembroke dock in 1949
General characteristics
Class and typeFlower-class corvette
Displacement940 tons
Length205 ft (62.48 m)
Beam33 ft (10.06 m)
Draught11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
PropulsionSingle shaft 2 × fire tube Scotch boilers; 2 screws; 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine; 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range3,500 nmi (6,482 km) @ 12 kt
Complement85
Sensors and
processing systems		1 × SW1C or 2C radar, 1× Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
Armament1 × 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, originally fitted with minesweeping and acoustic mine gear, later removed.

Design and construction edit

The early Flower class corvettes, such as Delphinium were 205 feet 0 inches (62.48 m) long overall, 196 feet 0 inches (59.74 m) at the waterline and 190 feet 0 inches (57.91 m) between perpendiculars. Beam was 33 feet 0 inches (10.06 m) and draught was 14 feet 10 inches (4.52 m) aft.[2][3] Displacement was about 940 long tons (960 t) standard and 1,170 long tons (1,190 t) full load. Two Admiralty Three-drum water tube boilers fed steam to a Vertical Triple Expansion Engine rated at 2,750 indicated horsepower (2,050 kW) which drove a single propeller shaft. This gave a speed of 16 knots (18 mph; 30 km/h).[3] 200 tons of oil were carried, giving a range of 4,000 nautical miles (4,600 mi; 7,400 km) at 12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h).[3]

Design armament was a single BL 4-inch Mk IX naval gun forward and a single 2-pounder "pom-pom" anti-aircraft cannon aft, although the pom-poms were not available until 1941, so early Flowers such as Delphinium were completed with improvised close-range anti aircraft armament such as Lewis guns or Vickers .50 machine guns instead.[4][5]

Delphinium was one of the first group of Flower-class corvettes modified for magnetic minesweeping In February 1941, they were also fitted with SA Type A Mark II gear (a submersible A-frame and bucket) to detonate acoustic mines. Delphinium retained anti-submarine capacity, although there was a reduction in the number of depth charges carried.[6]

Delphinium formed part of the initial 26-ship order for Flower-class corvettes placed on 25 July 1939 under the 1939/40 Naval estimates. She was laid down at Henry Robb's, Leith shipyard on 31 October 1939, was launched on 6 June 1940 and commissioned on 15 November 1940.[7][8]

Service history edit

In February 1942, Delphinium was adopted by Torrington and District, Devon, as part of a warship week National Savings Campaign.[9] Between 1941 and 1945, Delphinium escorted a total of 68 convoys.[1]

After commissioning, Delphinium escorted four Atlantic Convoys in January 1941. In February 1941 she joined convoy OG-53 as an escort during passage to Gibraltar.[10] In December 1941, Delphinium was part of the 11th corvette group based in Alexandria.[11]

Between March and June 1942, she escorted 11 convoys between Tobruk and Alexandria[1] supplying the Eighth Army in North Africa.

In January 1942 (escorting convoy AT-16), Delphinium (along with Primula) ran aground in Great Pass Alexandria.[12] She was refloated with minor damage. On 20 May 1942, the German Submarine U-431 spotted convoy AT-46 about 65 miles east of Tobruk and torpedoed Eocene. Delphinium and the other convoy escorts (Hero and HMS Falk) dropped depth charges over the suspected position of the U-431, however it remained undetected and managed to escape.[13]

In June 1942, Delphinium took part in Operation Vigorous, escorting supply convoy MW11 from the eastern Mediterranean to supply Malta.[1][14]

Between June 1942 and July 1943, Delphinium did not escort any major convoys [1] and in September 1942, was organised as the lead of the 3rd Escort Group assigned to vessels sailing between Port Said and Alexandria. The other vessels in this group were HMS Gloxinia, the Royal Hellenic Navy destroyers Kountouriotis and Spetsai, HMSAS Protea, HMSAS Southern Seas, the minesweeping trawlers HMT Cumbrae and HMT Islay, and the anti-submarine whaler HMS Klo.[15]

On 11 February 1943, the Dutch Tanker, Saroena[16][17] was torpedoed by German submarine U-81, and caught fire. Saroena was run aground in the St. George Bay, near Beirut[18] and Delphinium assisted in the salvage operation.

In July 1943, Delphinium returned to convoy escort duty as part of the Allied invasion of Sicily (convoy KMS 019a), escorting a convoy of tankers sent to re-supply the invasion fleet.[19]

In November 1943, Delphinium was made part of the 47th Escort Group, together with the Royal Hellenic Navy corvettes Sachtouris and Apostolis, HMS Inver (K302), HMSAS Southern Seas and a vessel from the 19th Minesweeping Flotilla.[20]

From August 1943 to May 1945, Delphinium escorted 14 convoys sailing between the Port Said and Chesapeake Bay (GUS/UGS), 20 Atlantic convoys between the Mediterranean and Liverpool (MKS/KMS), and a further 15 convoys variously between United Kingdom and Sierra Leone (OS) as well as within the United Kingdom (TBC/BTC).[1]

Fate edit

Delphinium was scrapped at Pembroke Dock in February 1949.[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Convoy Escort Movements of Royal and Dominion Navy Vessels: Part 4". Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  2. ^ Friedman 2008, p. 324
  3. ^ a b c Lambert & Brown 2008, p. 4
  4. ^ Elliott 1977, p. 184
  5. ^ Lambert & Brown 2008, p. 73
  6. ^ Lambert & Brown 2008, p. xx
  7. ^ Friedman 2008, pp. 339–340
  8. ^ Lambert & Brown 2008, p. 65
  9. ^ "Admiralty Fleet Orders, 26th March, 1942. Page 6. Warship Weeks—List of Ships Adopted". Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  10. ^ Bertke, Donald; et al. (2012). World War II Sea War, Volume 3: The Royal Navy is Bloodied in the Mediterranean. Bertke publications, Drayton, Ohio. p. 276. ISBN 9781937470012.
  11. ^ "ROYAL NAVY SHIPS, January 1942 (Part 4 of 4)". Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  12. ^ Bertke, Donald; et al. (2013). World War II Sea War, Vol 5: Air Raid Pearl Harbor. This Is Not a Drill. Bertke publications, Drayton, Ohio. p. 128. ISBN 9781937470050.
  13. ^ "Convoy AT-46 Alexandria to Tobruk (Mediterranean)". Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  14. ^ O'Hara, Vincent (2012). In Passage Perilous: Malta and the Convoy Battles of June 1942. Indiana University Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-253-00603-5.
  15. ^ "Admiralty war diaries of World War 2. Mediterranean Fleet - July to September 1942". Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  16. ^ "Ships hit by U-boats: Saroena, Dutch steam tanker". Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  17. ^ "ADM 1/14428: Salvage of Dutch tanker Saroena by HMS Delphinium". Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  18. ^ "The Beirut File 1943. Chapter 5. Encounters: U-81 meets 'Saroena'". Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  19. ^ "HMS Bluebell (K 80) - Flower-class Corvette including Convoy Escort Movements". Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  20. ^ . Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2019.

Sources edit

  • Elliott, Peter (1977). Allied Escort Ships of World War II: A complete survey. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers. ISBN 0-356-08401-9.
  • Friedman, Norman (2008). British Destroyers and Frigates: The Second World War and After. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-015-4.
  • Lambert, John; Brown, Les (2008). Flower-Class Corvettes. St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada: Vanwall Publishing. ISBN 978-1-55068-986-0.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-117-7.

External links edit

  • Convoy lists HMS Delphinium

December 14, 2023
delphinium, other, ships, with, same, name, delphinium, flower, class, corvette, built, royal, navy, from, 1940, 1946, from, 1941, 1943, active, mediterranean, escort, convoys, supporting, eighth, army, invasion, sicily, from, 1943, onwards, convoy, escort, du. For other ships with the same name see HMS Delphinium HMS Delphinium K77 was a Flower class corvette built for the Royal Navy RN from 1940 1946 From 1941 to 1943 she was active in the Mediterranean as an escort to convoys supporting the Eighth Army and the invasion of Sicily From mid 1943 onwards she was on convoy escort duties between Africa the Mediterranean and the United Kingdom and Atlantic convoys between North America and the United Kingdom She escorted a total of 68 convoys 1 HMS Delphinium K77 HistoryUnited KingdomNameDelphiniumBuilderHenry Robb Ltd Leith United KingdomLaid down31 October 1939Launched6 June 1940Commissioned15 November 1940Honours andawardsNorth Africa and Mediterranean 1941 1943 Sicily 1943 Atlantic 1943 1945FateScrapped at Pembroke dock in 1949General characteristicsClass and typeFlower class corvetteDisplacement940 tonsLength205 ft 62 48 m Beam33 ft 10 06 m Draught11 ft 6 in 3 51 m PropulsionSingle shaft 2 fire tube Scotch boilers 2 screws 1 4 cycle triple expansion reciprocating steam engine 2 750 ihp 2 050 kW Speed16 knots 29 6 km h Range3 500 nmi 6 482 km 12 ktComplement85Sensors and processing systems1 SW1C or 2C radar 1 Type 123A or Type 127DV sonarArmament1 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 originally fitted with minesweeping and acoustic mine gear later removed Contents 1 Design and construction 2 Service history 2 1 Fate 3 References 4 Sources 5 External linksDesign and construction editThe early Flower class corvettes such as Delphinium were 205 feet 0 inches 62 48 m long overall 196 feet 0 inches 59 74 m at the waterline and 190 feet 0 inches 57 91 m between perpendiculars Beam was 33 feet 0 inches 10 06 m and draught was 14 feet 10 inches 4 52 m aft 2 3 Displacement was about 940 long tons 960 t standard and 1 170 long tons 1 190 t full load Two Admiralty Three drum water tube boilers fed steam to a Vertical Triple Expansion Engine rated at 2 750 indicated horsepower 2 050 kW which drove a single propeller shaft This gave a speed of 16 knots 18 mph 30 km h 3 200 tons of oil were carried giving a range of 4 000 nautical miles 4 600 mi 7 400 km at 12 knots 14 mph 22 km h 3 Design armament was a single BL 4 inch Mk IX naval gun forward and a single 2 pounder pom pom anti aircraft cannon aft although the pom poms were not available until 1941 so early Flowers such as Delphinium were completed with improvised close range anti aircraft armament such as Lewis guns or Vickers 50 machine guns instead 4 5 Delphinium was one of the first group of Flower class corvettes modified for magnetic minesweeping In February 1941 they were also fitted with SA Type A Mark II gear a submersible A frame and bucket to detonate acoustic mines Delphinium retained anti submarine capacity although there was a reduction in the number of depth charges carried 6 Delphinium formed part of the initial 26 ship order for Flower class corvettes placed on 25 July 1939 under the 1939 40 Naval estimates She was laid down at Henry Robb s Leith shipyard on 31 October 1939 was launched on 6 June 1940 and commissioned on 15 November 1940 7 8 Service history editIn February 1942 Delphinium was adopted by Torrington and District Devon as part of a warship week National Savings Campaign 9 Between 1941 and 1945 Delphinium escorted a total of 68 convoys 1 After commissioning Delphinium escorted four Atlantic Convoys in January 1941 In February 1941 she joined convoy OG 53 as an escort during passage to Gibraltar 10 In December 1941 Delphinium was part of the 11th corvette group based in Alexandria 11 Between March and June 1942 she escorted 11 convoys between Tobruk and Alexandria 1 supplying the Eighth Army in North Africa In January 1942 escorting convoy AT 16 Delphinium along with Primula ran aground in Great Pass Alexandria 12 She was refloated with minor damage On 20 May 1942 the German Submarine U 431 spotted convoy AT 46 about 65 miles east of Tobruk and torpedoed Eocene Delphinium and the other convoy escorts Hero and HMS Falk dropped depth charges over the suspected position of the U 431 however it remained undetected and managed to escape 13 In June 1942 Delphinium took part in Operation Vigorous escorting supply convoy MW11 from the eastern Mediterranean to supply Malta 1 14 Between June 1942 and July 1943 Delphinium did not escort any major convoys 1 and in September 1942 was organised as the lead of the 3rd Escort Group assigned to vessels sailing between Port Said and Alexandria The other vessels in this group were HMS Gloxinia the Royal Hellenic Navy destroyers Kountouriotis and Spetsai HMSAS Protea HMSAS Southern Seas the minesweeping trawlers HMT Cumbrae and HMT Islay and the anti submarine whaler HMS Klo 15 On 11 February 1943 the Dutch Tanker Saroena 16 17 was torpedoed by German submarine U 81 and caught fire Saroena was run aground in the St George Bay near Beirut 18 and Delphinium assisted in the salvage operation In July 1943 Delphinium returned to convoy escort duty as part of the Allied invasion of Sicily convoy KMS 019a escorting a convoy of tankers sent to re supply the invasion fleet 19 In November 1943 Delphinium was made part of the 47th Escort Group together with the Royal Hellenic Navy corvettes Sachtouris and Apostolis HMS Inver K302 HMSAS Southern Seas and a vessel from the 19th Minesweeping Flotilla 20 From August 1943 to May 1945 Delphinium escorted 14 convoys sailing between the Port Said and Chesapeake Bay GUS UGS 20 Atlantic convoys between the Mediterranean and Liverpool MKS KMS and a further 15 convoys variously between United Kingdom and Sierra Leone OS as well as within the United Kingdom TBC BTC 1 Fate edit Delphinium was scrapped at Pembroke Dock in February 1949 citation needed References edit a b c d e f Convoy Escort Movements of Royal and Dominion Navy Vessels Part 4 Retrieved 3 January 2019 Friedman 2008 p 324 a b c Lambert amp Brown 2008 p 4 Elliott 1977 p 184 Lambert amp Brown 2008 p 73 Lambert amp Brown 2008 p xx Friedman 2008 pp 339 340 Lambert amp Brown 2008 p 65 Admiralty Fleet Orders 26th March 1942 Page 6 Warship Weeks List of Ships Adopted Retrieved 3 January 2019 Bertke Donald et al 2012 World War II Sea War Volume 3 The Royal Navy is Bloodied in the Mediterranean Bertke publications Drayton Ohio p 276 ISBN 9781937470012 ROYAL NAVY SHIPS January 1942 Part 4 of 4 Retrieved 5 January 2019 Bertke Donald et al 2013 World War II Sea War Vol 5 Air Raid Pearl Harbor This Is Not a Drill Bertke publications Drayton Ohio p 128 ISBN 9781937470050 Convoy AT 46 Alexandria to Tobruk Mediterranean Retrieved 3 January 2019 O Hara Vincent 2012 In Passage Perilous Malta and the Convoy Battles of June 1942 Indiana University Press p 25 ISBN 978 0 253 00603 5 Admiralty war diaries of World War 2 Mediterranean Fleet July to September 1942 Retrieved 5 January 2019 Ships hit by U boats Saroena Dutch steam tanker Retrieved 3 January 2019 ADM 1 14428 Salvage of Dutch tanker Saroena by HMS Delphinium Retrieved 3 January 2019 The Beirut File 1943 Chapter 5 Encounters U 81 meets Saroena Retrieved 5 January 2019 HMS Bluebell K 80 Flower class Corvette including Convoy Escort Movements Retrieved 5 January 2019 Admiralty war diaries of World War 2 LEVANT COMMAND September to November 1943 Archived from the original on 1 January 2011 Retrieved 5 January 2019 Sources editElliott Peter 1977 Allied Escort Ships of World War II A complete survey London Macdonald and Jane s Publishers ISBN 0 356 08401 9 Friedman Norman 2008 British Destroyers and Frigates The Second World War and After Barnsley UK Seaforth Publishing ISBN 978 1 84832 015 4 Lambert John Brown Les 2008 Flower Class Corvettes St Catharines Ontario Canada Vanwall Publishing ISBN 978 1 55068 986 0 Rohwer Jurgen Hummelchen Gerhard 1992 Chronology of the War at Sea 1939 1945 London Greenhill Books ISBN 1 85367 117 7 External links editConvoy lists HMS Delphinium Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title HMS Delphinium K77 amp oldid 1154886367, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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