American Flower class corvettes
Encyclopedia

The American Flower-class corvettes were those ships of the Flower class built for, or operated by, the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Construction history

In December 1941, after the US entry into World War II, the USN had a large building programme for anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....

 ships, but none nearing completion. To overcome this shortfall, the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 agreed to transfer a number of ASW ships to the USN, including ten Flower class corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...

s. These ships had already been in commission and had seen action during the Battle of the Atlantic.

These ships were classified as Patrol Gunboats, and numbered PG 62 to 71, and were referred to as the Temptress class, after the first ship to be re-commissioned.

The USN also placed orders for 15 more "Flowers" from Canadian shipyards. This was met by transferring a number of vessels under construction for the RN to USN. These ships were of the Modified Flower type, a design which consolidated the various modifications developed in the course of building the original "Flowers".

In the event the USN only took charge of 8 of these ships; the other 7 were transferred back to the RN under Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...

 arrangements.

The US ships were numbered PG 86 to 100 and were referred to as the Action class.

Temptress class

RN name Pennant Builder Completed Transferred USN name Pennant Fate
HMS Veronica K37 Smiths Dock Co.
Smiths Dock Company
Smiths Dock Company, Limited, often referred to simply as Smiths Dock, was a British shipbuilding company.-History:The company was originally established by Thomas Smith who bought William Rowe's shipyard at St. Peter's in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1810 and traded as William Smith & Co. The company...

, South Bank-on-Tees
South Bank, Middlesbrough
South Bank is a small town which forms part of the Middlesbrough urban area that lies 2.3 miles from Middlesbrough centre, in North East England. As the name suggests, it lies on the south bank of the River Tees. Although it is part of the Middlesbrough conurbation, it is a ward of Redcar and...

 
18 Feb 1941 16 Feb 1942 USS Temptress PG-62 Returned to RN 26 Aug 1945
HMS Heliotrope K03 John Crown & Sons Ltd
John Crown & Sons Ltd
John Crown & Sons Ltd, was a British shipbuilding company founded in 1847 and based on the River Wear, Sunderland.-Ships built by John Crown & Sons Ltd:-See also:* List of shipbuilders and shipyards...

, Sunderland
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough...

 
12 Sept 1940 24 Mar 42 USS Surprise
USS Surprise (PG-63)
USS Surprise , the fourth American naval ship of the name, was the British Flower-class corvette HMS Heliotrope loaned to and operated by the United States Navy from 1942-1945 as a Temptress-class patrol gunboat...

 
PG-63 Returned to RN 26 Aug 1945
HMS Hibiscus K24 Harland & Wolff Ltd.
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....

, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 
21 May 1940 2 May 1942 USS Spry PG-64 Returned to RN 26 Aug 1945
HMS Arabis
HMS Arabis (K73)
For the New Zealand corvette of the same name see HMNZS ArabisHMS Arabis was a of the Royal Navy. Originally ordered for the French Navy in the early days of the war, the ship was commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Arabis. She was transferred to the United States Navy in 1942, serving as USS...

K73 Harland & Wolff Ltd.
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....

, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 
5 Apr 1940 30 Apr 1942 USS Saucy PG-65 Returned to RN 26 Aug 1945 and recommissioned as Snapdragon
HMS Periwinkle K55 Harland & Wolff Ltd.
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....

, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 
8 Apr 1940 15 Mar 1942 USS Restless PG-66 Returned to RN 26 Aug 1945
HMS Calendula K28 Harland & Wolff Ltd.
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....

, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 
6 May 1940 12 Mar 1942 USS Ready PG-67 Returned to RN 23 Aug 1945
HMS Begonia
HMS Begonia (K66)
HMS Begonia was a that served in the Royal Navy during World War II, until she was lent to the United States Navy and commissioned as USS Impulse.-Service history:...

K66 Cook, Welton & Gemmell
Cook, Welton & Gemmell
Cook, Welton and Gemmell was a shipbuilders based in Hull and Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire. England.The firm was founded in 1883 on South Bridge Road, Hull, on the Humber bank. The founding partners were William James Cook, Charles Keen Welton and William Gemmell...

, Beverley
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...

 
8 Mar 1941 10 Mar 1942 USS Impulse PG-68 Returned to RN 22 Aug 1945
HMS Larkspur K82 Fleming & Ferguson Ltd.
Ferguson Shipbuilders
Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.-History:The...

, Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...

 
4 JAn 1941 17 Mar 1942 USS Fury PG-69 Returned to RN 22 aug 1945
HMS Heartsease
HMS Heartsease (K15)
HMS Heartsease was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy. She served with both the Royal Navy and the United States Navy during the Second World War, with the latter navy as USS Courage...

K15 Harland & Wolff Ltd.
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....

, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 
4 Jun 1940 3 Apr 1942 USS Courage PG-70 Returned to RN 23 Aug 1945
HMS Candytuft K09 Grangemouth Dry Dock Co., Grangemouth
Grangemouth
Grangemouth is a town and former burgh in the council area of Falkirk, Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk, west of Bo'ness and south-east of Stirling. Grangemouth had a resident population of 17,906 according to the 2001...

 
16 Oct 1940 4 Mar 1942 USS Tenacity PG-71 Returned to RN 26 Aug 1945

Action class

RN name Pennant Builder USN name Pennant Completed To USN Fate
HMS Comfrey K277 Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., Collingwood
Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay.-History:...

 
USS Action
USS Action (PG-86)
USS Action was the lead ship of the Action-class patrol boats acquired by the United States Navy for the task of patrolling American coastal waters during World War II...

 
PG-86 22 Nov 1942 same day Sold 6 Feb 1946
HMS Cornel K278 Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., Collingwood
Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay.-History:...

 
USS Alacrity
USS Alacrity (PG-87)
USS Alacrity was an Action-class patrol boat acquired by the United States Navy for the task of patrolling American coastal waters during World War II....

 
PG-87 10 Dec 1942 " Sold 22 Sept 1945
HMS Flax K284 Kingston Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

 
USS Brisk
USS Brisk (PG-89)
HMS Flax , a modified Flower class corvette, was laid down on 28 February 1942 at Kingston, Ontario, Canada, by War Supplies Ltd., for the Royal Navy. Launched on 15 June 1942 it was reallocated to the United States under the so-called "Reverse Lend-Lease" program and renamed and...

 
PG-89 6 Dec 1942 " Sold 18 Oct 1946
HMS Mandrake K287 Midland Shipyards Ltd., Midland
Midland, Ontario
Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport. It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area...

 
USS Haste
USS Haste (PG-92)
Haste , was one of a group of Canadian corvettes turned over to the United States Navy and manned by the Coast Guard. She was launched as Mandrake by Morton Engineering & Dry Dock Co., Quebec, Canada, 22 August 1942, taken over by the US Navy renamed, and commissioned 6 April 1943, Lt. W. A...

 
PG-92 6 Apr 1943 " Sold 1949
HMS Milfoil K288 Midland Shipyards Ltd., Midland
Midland, Ontario
Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport. It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area...

 
USS Intensity  PG-93 31 Mar 1943 " Sold
HMS Musk K289 Midland Shipyards Ltd., Midland
Midland, Ontario
Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport. It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area...

 
USS Might
USS Might (PG-94)
USS Might was laid down as Canadian corvette CN-312 by Morton Engineering and Drydock Co., Ltd., Quebec, Canada, on 28 November 1941 and launched as HMCS Musk on 15 July 1942. The ship was transferred to the United States Navy on 20 July 1942, renamed Might on 14 August 1942, and commissioned at...

 
PG-94 22 Dec 1942 " Sold
HMS Nepeta K290 Midland Shipyards Ltd., Midland
Midland, Ontario
Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport. It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area...

 
USS Pert
USS Pert (PG-95)
USS Pert , the second United States Navy ship of that name, was one of eight Canadian-built corvettes turned over to the U.S. Navy for operation by the United States Coast Guard. She was laid down by Morton Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Ltd., Quebec, Canada, 22 July 1942; launched...

 
PG-95 22 Dec 1942 " Sold 18 Oct 1946
HMS Privet K291 Midland Shipyards Ltd., Midland
Midland, Ontario
Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport. It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area...

 
USS Prudent
USS Prudent (PG-96)
USS Prudent , originally ordered as HMS Privet, was an Action-class patrol gunboat in the United States Navy.Prudent was laid down by the Morton Engine and Dry Dock Company, Ltd., in Montreal, Quebec, on 14 August 1942; launched on 4 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Vincent Godfrey; delivered to...

 
PG-96 16 Aug 1943 " Sold 1949

Transferred to RN

RN name Pennant Builder USN name Pennant Completed To RN Fate
HMS Dittany  K279 Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., Collingwood
Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay.-History:...

 
USS Beacon PG-88 31 May 1943 same day Returned to USN 20 Jun 1946
HMS Honesty
HMS Honesty (K285)
The second USS Caprice , formerly CN-308, was launched 28 September 1942, by Kingston Shipbuilding Co., Kingston, Ontario, Canada, for the United States Navy...

 
K285 Kingston Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

 
USS Caprice PG-90 28 Mar 1943 " Returned to USN 20 Jun 1946
HMS Linaria
HMS Linaria (K282)
HMS Linaria was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy, which saw service during the Second World War. Originally built for the US Navy as Clash , formerly CN-309, she was launched on 18 November 1942, by Midland Shipyards, Ltd., Midland, Ontario, Canada. Upon completion Clash was transferred to...

 
K282 Midland Shipyards Ltd., Midland
Midland, Ontario
Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport. It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area...

 
USS Clash PG-91 19 Jun 1943 " Returned to USN 27 Jul 1946
HMS Rosebay
HMS Rosebay (K286)
The HMS Rosebay was a U.S. Naval Ship built for World War II. She was disposed soon afterward....

 
K286 Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., Collingwood
Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay.-History:...

 
USS Splendor PG-97 f " Returned to USN 20 Mar 1946
HMS Smilax
HMS Smilax (K280)
HMS Smilax was originally launched as Tact , a built for the United States Navy by Collingwood Shipyards, Ltd., Collingwood, Ontario, Canada—was launched on 14 November 1942...

 
K280 Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., Collingwood
Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay.-History:...

 
USS Tact PG-98 21 Jun 1943 " Returned to USN 5 Jan 1946
HMS Statice
HMS Statice (K281)
When the United States entered World War II at the end of 1941, the United States Navy found itself sadly deficient in ocean escort-type vessels. A crash building program was instituted; but, to meet more immediate needs, the government contracted with shipbuilding firms in England and Canada to...

 
K281 Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., Collingwood
Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay.-History:...

 
USS Vim PG-99 20 Sep 1943 " Returned to USN 21 Jun 1946
HMS Willowherb
HMS Willowherb (K283)
During the first year and more after America entered the war against the Axis, the United States Navy suffered from an acute shortage of warships, particularly of antisubmarine warfare and escort types. To fill that need, an extensive ship construction and acquisition program was inaugurated...

 
K283 Midland Shipyards Ltd., Midland
Midland, Ontario
Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport. It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area...

USS Vitality PG-100 30 Aug 1943 " Returned to USN 11 Jun 1946
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