HMS Vetch

History
HMS Vetch in coastal waters off Liverpool

Name:	HMS Vetch
Ordered:	12 December 1939
Builder:	Smiths Dock Company, Middlesbrough
Laid down:	15 March 1941
Launched:	27 May 1941
Commissioned:	11 August 1941
Decommissioned:	29 June 1945
Out of service:	Sold in August 1945
Renamed:	Patrai in 1945 Olympic Hunter in 1951 Otori Maru No.18 in 1956
Reclassified:	Merchant vessel in 1945
Refit:	Liverpool - 8 May-13 August 1942
Identification:	Pennant number: K132
Fate:	Scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type:	Flower-class corvette
Displacement:	1,060 tons
Length:	205 ft (62 m)
Beam:	33 ft (10 m)
Draught:	16.6 ft (5.1 m)
Propulsion:	Two cylindrical fire tube boilers vertical triple-expansion steam engine
Speed:	16 knots (30 km/h) at 2,750 hp (2,050 kW)
Range:	3,500 nautical miles at 12 knots (6,500 km at 22 km/h)
Complement:	85 men
Armament:	1 × BL 4 inch Mk IX naval gun, 1 × QF 2-pounder naval gun, 4 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 2 × stern depth charge racks with 40 depth charges 1 × Hedgehog A/S mortar

HMS Vetch (K132) was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. After helping to escort many convoys and sinking two U-boats, she was decommissioned and sold in 1945.

As part of the 1939 War Programme, HMS Vetch was ordered on 12 December 1939 from Smiths Dock Company Limited of Middlesbrough. The ship was not laid down until 15 March 1941 but she was quickly launched on 27 May 1941 and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 11 August 1941.

In October 1941 Vetch was assigned to the 36th Escort Group (36 EG) based at Liverpool, part of Western Approaches Command. Between 20 August and 4 September the ship underwent sea trials at Tobermory and her first convoy escort duty was with OG 74 between 13 and 27 September 1941 (which included 27 ships plus the first escort carrier, Audacity and the Ocean Boarding Vessel, Corinthian which was continuing on into the South Atlantic).

OG 74 was protected by the sloop Deptford and other corvettes (Arbutus, Marigold and Penstemon). The convoy was spotted by a U-boat on 20 September which shadowed and reported the convoy's position to German headquarters. An aircraft from Audacity forced this U-boat to dive and the submarine was also attacked by Deptford and Arbutus (these vessels were relieved by destroyers and rejoined the convoy). Other U-boats were now directed against the convoy and two merchant ships were sunk and during an emergency turn four merchant vessels became detached from the convoy. On 21 September, a German long-range Condor aircraft located the convoy and bombed and sank the Walmer Castle. Audacity launched Martlet aircraft which managed to shoot down the German aircraft.

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Wikipedia