French Flower class corvettes

Class overview
Operators:	French Navy  Free French Naval Forces  Kriegsmarine  Royal Navy  United States Navy
Completed:	22, plus 8 transferred
Lost:	4
General characteristics (Flower-class corvette (original))
Type:	Corvette
Displacement:	925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons)
Length:	205 ft (62.48 m) o/a
Beam:	33 ft 11 1⁄2 in (10.35 m)
Draught:	11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
Propulsion:	1939-1940 program single shaft 2 × fire tube Scotch boilers 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW) 1940-1941 program single shaft 2 × 225 pounds per square inch (1,550 kPa) water tube boilers 1 × 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed:	16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range:	5,000 nautical miles (9,260 km) at 9 knots (16.7 km/h) 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h) 2,900 nautical miles (5,371 km) at 15 knots (27.8 km/h)
Complement:	79
Sensors and processing systems:	1 × SW1C or 2C radar 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
Armament:	1 × 4 inch BL Mk.IX single gun (Fr: 1 × 100 mm naval gun, single) 2 × Vickers .50 machine guns (twin) (Fr: 2 × 13.2mm AA) 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 gear, later removed

French Flower-class corvettes were those ships of the Flower class built for, or operated by, the French Navy and Free French Naval Forces in World War II. At the outbreak of the war, four anti-submarine warfare ships were ordered from a British shipyard, and a further 18 ships were later ordered from several British and French shipyards. Following the Fall of France in June 1940, the ships in Britain were taken over by the Royal Navy, while those in France fell into German hands. Eight of the ships taken over by the Royal Navy were later transferred to the Free French Naval Forces.

At the outbreak of World War II the Marine nationale (French Navy) needed ships for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and, following the Royal Navy's example, placed orders from Smiths Dock in South Bank, Middlesbrough for four ASW corvettes. Smiths had developed plans for a basic ASW vessel, using merchant ship equipment and machinery, that could be mass-produced in Merchant shipyards.

Following this the Marine nationale ordered a further 18 ships, to be built at a number of British and French shipyards. These were identical to the British "Flowers" except that French 100 mm (3.9 in) and 13.2 mm AA guns were to be fitted.

The Fall of France in June 1940 brought a drastic change to these building programmes. Of the original four, only one, La Bastiase, was completed. On 22 June 1940, the day of France's capitulation, she was undergoing sea trials in the North Sea when she struck a mine off Hartlepool and sank. Of the others, La Malouine was taken over as she was by the Royal Navy (RN) on completion, while the other two were taken over and renamed.

Of the second order, the 12 ships under construction in Britain were taken over by the RN; all were renamed and given Flower names in keeping with the class.

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Wikipedia