HMCS Bittersweet

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HMCS Bittersweet about to be taken in tow by HMCS Skeena, May 1943.
History
United Kingdom
NameBittersweet
NamesakeFlowering vine Solanum dulcamara
OperatorRoyal Navy
Ordered22 January 1940
BuilderMarine Industries Ltd., Sorel
Laid down17 April 1940
Launched12 September 1940
IdentificationPennant number: K182
FateLoaned to Canada 1941; Returned on 22 June 1945; scrapped November 1950.
Canada
NameBittersweet
OperatorRoyal Canadian Navy
Acquiredloaned from Royal Navy
Commissioned23 January 1941
Decommissioned22 June 1945
IdentificationPennant number: K182
FateReturned to Royal Navy
General characteristics
Class and typeFlower-class corvette (original)
Displacement950 long tons (970 t)
Length205 ft 1 in (62.51 m) o/a
Beam33 ft 1 in (10.08 m)
Draught13 ft 5 in (4.09 m)
Propulsion
  • single shaft
  • 2 ×
    Scotch boilers
  • 1 × 4-cylinder triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
  • 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range3,450 nmi (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement47
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 × SW1C or 2C radar
  • 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
Armament

HMCS Bittersweet was a Flower-class corvette that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Ordered by the Royal Navy at the beginning of the war, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy who had an excess of personnel and not enough ships. Laid down and Launched in 1940, the corvette fought as an ocean convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. The vessel was named for the flowering vine solanum dulcamara. Since the vessel was owned by the British, it kept its flower name. Following the war, Bittersweet was returned to the Royal Navy and was broken up for scrap in 1950.

Design and description

Main article: Flower-class corvette

Flower-class

kW). The Scotch boilers were replaced with water-tube boilers in later 1939–1940 and 1940–1941 Programme ships. The corvettes had a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). This gave them a range of 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).[5] The vessels were extremely wet.[6]

The Canadian Flower-class vessels were initially armed with a

ASDIC sonar set installed. The Flower-class ships had a complement of 47 officers and ratings.[3] The Royal Canadian Navy initially ordered 54 corvettes in 1940 and these were fitted with Mark II Oropesa minesweeping gear used for destroying contact mines.[8] Part of the depth charge rails were made portable so the minesweeping gear could be utilised.[9]

Modifications

In Canadian service the vessels were altered due to experience with the design's deficiencies. The

bow was increased, which led to an enlarged bridge. This allowed for the installation of Oerlikon 20 mm (0.8 in) cannon, replacing the Browning and Vickers machine guns.[12] Some of the corvettes were rearmed with Hedgehog anti-submarine mortars.[13] The complements of the ships grew throughout the war rising from the initial 47 to as many as 104.[12]

Construction and career

At the opening of the Second World War, the Canadian shipbuilding industry was incapable of building large, sophisticated warships. However, Canada required new large, advanced escort ships for national defence and sought to acquire

Sorel, Quebec. Bittersweet was laid down on 17 April 1940 and launched on 12 September 1940.[16] As the ship was ordered by the British, the ship kept its flower name Bittersweet, the common name of the flowering vine solanum dulcamara. To prevent being icebound by the freeze-up of the St. Lawrence River, the incomplete Bittersweet was towed to Liverpool, Nova Scotia to finish construction.[16]

There were delays in the arrival of essential equipment for the British corvettes in Canada and some of them sailed without their main armament as they departed from Canadian dockyards as soon as they were fit for the Atlantic crossing. Due to a lack of ships and a surplus of manpower, the Royal Canadian Navy offered to crew the ships until mid-1941 when enough of the Canadian corvettes would become available.

British Admiralty requested that Canada take over the ships permanently.[17] Bittersweet departed Halifax on 5 March as part of HX 113 to undergo more construction at yards on the River Tyne from 1 April to 6 June. After completion, the corvette worked up at Tobermory and departed for Newfoundland via Iceland on 27 June.[16]

Bittersweet was assigned to the Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF) upon arrival.[16] In September 1941, Bittersweet was assigned to Escort Group (EG) 22. EG 22 was escorting convoy HX 148 in September and were forced to make a large detour to avoid the German U-boat wolfpack "Markgraf".[18] She served as an ocean escort until December of that year. Beginning on 31 December, the corvette underwent its forecastle extension at Charleston, South Carolina, keeping the ship out of service until March 1942.[16]

In February 1942, the

ONS 93, was sighted by the U-boat wolfpack "Hecht". In the ensuing battle during the night of 11/12 May, the convoy lost seven ships comprising 36,284 GRT. The convoy suffered further attacks but no losses over the following days until contact was lost in bad weather.[20] On 15 August 1942, A3 was escorting convoy SC 95 when it was spotted by the wolfpack "Lohs". In the following attacks, the convoy lost two ships.[21] The following month, on 18 September, A3's convoy, SC 100, came under attack again by the wolfpack "Lohs". However, the convoy escapes only to find a new wolfpack, "Pfeil" was established along their route. The Germans kept contact sporadically with the convoy until 25 September. The convoy lost five ships, but spared greater losses due to the severe weather.[22]

The corvette was reassigned to EG C3 in January 1943. C3 and their convoy, ONS 163 are redirected around wolfpacks in February. However, in March, C3 and their convoy HX 229 are intercepted by the wolfpack "Raubgraf" and lose two ships. C3 then escorts three more convoys without issue, evading the wolfpacks placed in their paths.

Pictou, Nova Scotia to work up. Bittersweet then returned to convoy escort duties, sailing from Londonderry in October 1944 with convoy ON 262. That was to the last convoy the corvette sailed with. Upon arrival in Canada, Bittersweet went to Pictou for another refit.[16]

Bittersweet resumed duties her duties briefly with Halifax Force before transferring to Sydney Force. She remained with Sydney Force for the remainder of the war. Bittersweet was returned to the Royal Navy on 22 June 1945 at Aberdeen, Scotland. She was broken up at Charlestown, Fife in 1950.[16] For service in the Battle of the Atlantic, Bittersweet was awarded the battle honour "Atlantic 1941–45".[24]

Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted

Convoy Escort Group Dates Notes
HX 140 22 July–2 August 1941[25] Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 4
 11–18 August 1941[26] Iceland to Newfoundland
HX 148 7–10 September 1941[25] Newfoundland to Iceland
SC 45 21–30 September 1941[27] Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 21
 5–11 October 1941[26] Iceland to Newfoundland
SC 50 19–31 October 1941[27] Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 32
 6–14 November 1941[26] Iceland to Newfoundland
SC 56 24 November–6 December 1941[27] Newfoundland to Iceland
HX 178 3–6 March 1942[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 79
 24 March–3 April 1942[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 185
MOEF group A3
 18–26 April 1942[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 92
 MOEF group A3 7–18 May 1942[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 85
MOEF group C4
 31 May–2 June 1942[27] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 102
 MOEF group A3 21–25 June 1942[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 196 MOEF group A3 2–10 July 1942[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 114
 MOEF group A3 20–30 July 1942[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 95 MOEF group A3 8–18 August 1942[27] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 125
 MOEF group A3 29 August–7 September 1942[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 100 MOEF group A3 16–28 September 1942[27] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 135
 MOEF group A3 3–15 October 1942[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 212 MOEF group A3 5–14 January 1943[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 163
MOEF group C3
 25 January–6 February 1943[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 226 MOEF group C3 14–23 February 1943[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 172
 MOEF group C3 10–21 March 1943[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 124 MOEF group C3 28 March–8 April 1943[27] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 180
 MOEF group C3 25 April–7 May 1943[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 238 MOEF group C3 13–21 May 1943[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 187
 2–10 June 1943[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 244 20–29 June 1943[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 192
 10–18 July 1943[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 249 29 July–5 August 1943[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ONS 16
 21–29 August 1943[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 150 3–14 January 1944[27] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ONS 32
 22 January–11 February 1944[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 279 17–28 February 1944[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 227
 9–17 March 1944[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 284 26 March–5 April 1944[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 232
 14–23 April 1944[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 289 3–13 May 1944[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 237
 20–29 May 1944[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 294 9–19 June 1944[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 242
 25 June–5 July 1944[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 299 16–23 July 1944[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 247
 3–10 August 1944[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 304 23 August–1 September 1944[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 253
 14–25 September 1944[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 311 3–12 October 1944[25] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 262
 26 October–7 November 1944[26] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
ON 298
 WLEF 3–5 May 1945[26] Newfoundland to Halifax
ON 299
 WLEF 9–10 May 1945[26] Newfoundland to Halifax
ON 300
 WLEF 14–15 May 1945[26] Newfoundland to Halifax

Citations

  1. ^ Fitzsimons 1978, pp. 1137–1142.
  2. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II, p. 68.
  3. ^ a b c Preston & Raven 1973, p. 1.
  4. ^ McKay & Harland 1993, p. 8.
  5. ^ a b Lynch 1981, p. 66.
  6. ^ McKay & Harland 1993, p. 11.
  7. ^ McKay & Harland 1993, p. 14.
  8. ^ McKay & Harland 1993, p. 12.
  9. ^ Preston & Raven 1973, pp. 3–4.
  10. ^ Preston & Raven 1973, p. 4.
  11. ^ Lynch 1981, p. 12.
  12. ^ a b Lynch 1981, pp. 10, 12.
  13. ^ Macpherson & Barrie 2002, p. 103.
  14. ^ Douglas, Sarty & Whitby 2002, p. 82.
  15. ^ Brown 2007, p. 52.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i Macpherson & Barrie 2002, p. 110.
  17. ^ a b Douglas, Sarty & Whitby 2002, pp. 153–154, 157.
  18. ^ Rohwer 2005, pp. 96–97.
  19. ^ Rohwer 2005, p. 145.
  20. ^ Rohwer 2005, p. 165.
  21. ^ Rohwer 2005, p. 188.
  22. ^ Rohwer 2005, p. 194.
  23. ^ Rohwer 2005, pp. 230, 238, 240, 247, 250.
  24. ^ Thomas 1998, p. 34.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "HX convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "ON convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h "SC convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.

References


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