- Background
- Construction
- War service Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted
- Post-war service
- References
- External links
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}{{Infobox ship imageShip image=HMCS Bittersweet May 1943 MC-2115.jpg | Ship caption=HMCS Bittersweet about to be taken in tow by HMCS Skeena, May 1943. }}{{Infobox ship career | Hide header= | Ship country=United Kingdom | United Kingdom|naval}} | Ship name= Bittersweet | Ship namesake=Flowering vines Solanum dulcamara and Celastrus scandens | Ship operator= Royal Navy | Ship ordered= 22 January 1940 | Ship awarded= | Ship builder=Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel-Tracy, Quebec | Ship original cost= | Ship yard number= | Ship way number= | Ship laid down=17 April 1940 | Ship launched=12 September 1940 | Ship sponsor= | Ship christened= | Ship completed= | Ship acquired= | Ship commissioned= 23 January 1941 | Ship recommissioned= | Ship decommissioned=15 May 1941 | Ship maiden voyage= | Ship in service= | Ship out of service= | Ship renamed= | Ship reclassified= | Ship refit= | Ship struck= | Ship reinstated= | Ship homeport= | Ship identification=Pennant number: K182 | Ship motto= | Ship nickname= | Ship honours= | Ship honors= | Ship captured= | Ship fate= Loaned to Canada 1941; Returned on 22 June 1945; scrapped November 1950. | Ship status= | Ship notes= | Ship badge= }}{{Infobox ship career | Hide header=title | Ship country= Canada | Canada|naval-1911}} | Ship name= Bittersweet | Ship operator= Royal Canadian Navy | Ship acquired= loaned from Royal Navy | Ship commissioned= 15 May 1941 | Ship recommissioned= | Ship decommissioned=22 June 1945 | Ship maiden voyage= | Ship in service= | Ship out of service= | Ship renamed= | Ship reclassified= | Ship refit= | Ship struck= | Ship reinstated= | Ship homeport= | Ship identification= Pennant number: K182 | Ship motto= | Ship nickname= | Ship honours= | Ship fate= returned to Royal Navy | Ship status= | Ship notes= | Ship badge= }}{{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header= | Header caption= | Flower|corvette|3}} (original)[1] | 925|LT|t ST|lk=in}} | 205|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}o/a | 33|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} | 11.5|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} | Ship power= | Ship propulsion=*single shaft- 2 × fire tube Scotch boilers
- 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
- {{convert|2750|ihp|abbr=on}}
| 16|kn|km/h|1}} | 3500|nmi|km|0}} at {{convert|12|kn|km/h|1}} | Ship endurance= | Ship complement=85 | Ship time to activate= | Ship sensors=*1 × SW1C or 2C radar- 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
| Ship EW= | 4|in|mm|sing=on|sigfig=4}} Mk.IX single gun- 2 × .50 cal machine gun (twin)
- 2 × Lewis .303 cal machine gun (twin)
- 2 × Mk.II depth charge throwers
- 2 × Depth charge rails with 40 depth charges
- originally fitted with minesweeping gear, later removed
| Ship armour= | Ship aircraft= | Ship aircraft facilities= | Ship notes= }} | HMCS Bittersweet was a {{sclass2-|Flower|corvette|3}} that was commissioned in the Royal Navy but served primarily in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She was used mainly in the Battle of the Atlantic as an ocean escort. She was named for flowering vines Solanum dulcamara and Celastrus scandens. Background{{main|Flower-class corvette}}Flower-class corvettes like Bittersweet serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.[2][3][4] The "corvette" designation was created by the French for a class of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877.[5] During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s, Winston Churchill reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on a whaling ship design.[6] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[7] ConstructionBittersweet was ordered on 22 January 1940 for the Royal Navy in the 1939-1940 Flower-class building program from Marine Industries Ltd. in Sorel, Quebec. She was laid down on 17 April 1940 and launched on 12 September 1940. She was commissioned on 23 January 1941 into the Royal Navy. On 15 May 1941 she was one of ten Flower-class corvettes transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy. She could be told apart from other Canadian Flowers by her lack of minesweeping gear and the siting of the after gun tub amidships.[8] Bittersweet had three refits in her career. Her first one was at Charleston in December 1941 which lasted until February 1942. Her second refit was at Baltimore in October to November 1943 where she had her fo'c'sle extended. The last refit took place at Pictou, Nova Scotia and lasted until February 1945.[9]War serviceBittersweet, after commissioning, headed back to the United Kingdom, fitting out on the Tyne and working up at Tobermory. On 15 May 1941 she was loaned to Canada and was assigned to the Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF) in June. She served as an ocean escort until December of that year. In March 1942 after resuming her duties she joined several escort groups as part of Mid-Ocean Escort Force and served with them until October 1943 before departing for another refit. Her last ocean convoy escort duty took place in October 1944. After another refit, 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.[9] Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted Convoy | Escort Group | Dates | Notes | HX 140 | 22 July-2 Aug 1941[10] | Newfoundland to Iceland | ON 4 | 11-18 Aug 1941[11] | Iceland to Newfoundland | HX 148 | 7-10 Sept 1941[10] | Newfoundland to Iceland | SC 45 | 21-30 Sept 1941[12] | Newfoundland to Iceland | ON 21 | 5-11 Oct 1941[11] | Iceland to Newfoundland | SC 50 | 19-31 Oct 1941[12] | Newfoundland to Iceland | ON 32 | 6-14 Nov 1941[11] | Iceland to Newfoundland | SC 56 | 24 Nov-6 Dec 1941[12] | Newfoundland to Iceland | HX 178 | 3–6 March 1942[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 79 | 24 March-3 April 1942[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 185 | MOEF group A3 | 18–26 April 1942[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 92 | MOEF group A3 | 7–18 May 1942[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | SC 85 | MOEF group C4 | 31 May-2 June 1942[12] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 102 | MOEF group A3 | 21–25 June 1942[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 196 | MOEF group A3 | 2–10 July 1942[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 114 | MOEF group A3 | 20–30 July 1942[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | SC 95 | MOEF group A3 | 8-18 Aug 1942[12] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 125 | MOEF group A3 | 29 Aug-7 Sept 1942[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | SC 100 | MOEF group A3 | 16-28 Sept 1942[12] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 135 | MOEF group A3 | 3-15 Oct 1942[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 212 | MOEF group A3 | 5-14 Jan 1943[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 163 | MOEF group C3 | 25 Jan-6 Feb 1943[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 226 | MOEF group C3 | 14-23 Feb 1943[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 172 | MOEF group C3 | 10–21 March 1943[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | SC 124 | MOEF group C3 | 28 March-8 April 1943[12] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 180 | MOEF group C3 | 25 April-7 May 1943[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 238 | MOEF group C3 | 13–21 May 1943[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 187 | 2–10 June 1943[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 244 | 20–29 June 1943[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 192 | 10–18 July 1943[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 249 | 29 July-5 Aug 1943[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ONS 16 | 21-29 Aug 1943[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | SC 150 | 3-14 Jan 1944[12] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ONS 32 | 22 Jan-11 Feb 1944[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 279 | 17-28 Feb 1944[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 227 | 9–17 March 1944[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 284 | 26 March-5 April 1944[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 232 | 14–23 April 1944[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 289 | 3–13 May 1944[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 237 | 20–29 May 1944[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 294 | 9–19 June 1944[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 242 | 25 June-5 July 1944[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 299 | 16–23 July 1944[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 247 | 3-10 Aug 1944[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 304 | 23 Aug-1 Sept 1944[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 253 | 14-25 Sept 1944[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | HX 311 | 3-12 Oct 1944[10] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | ON 262 | 26 Oct-7 Nov 1944[11] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | ON 298 | WLEF | 3–5 May 1945[11] | Newfoundland to Halifax | ON 299 | WLEF | 9–10 May 1945[11] | Newfoundland to Halifax | ON 300 | WLEF | 14–15 May 1945[11] | Newfoundland to Halifax |
Post-war serviceBittersweet was returned to the Royal Navy on 22 June 1945 at Aberdeen, Scotland. She was broken up at Rosyth in 1950.[9]References1. ^{{cite book|last=Lenton |first=H.T. |last2=Colledge |first2=J.J |year=1968 |title=British and Dominion Warships of World War II |publisher=Doubleday & Company |pages=201, 214 |isbn=}} 2. ^Ossian, Robert,"Complete List of Sailing Vessels", www.thepirateking.com, Retrieved 13 April 2011. 3. ^Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 11, pp.1137–1142. 4. ^Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II, New Jersey: Random House, 1996, {{ISBN|0-517-67963-9}}, page 68. 5. ^Blake, Nicholas and Lawrence, Richard, The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy, Stackpole Books, 2005, pp 39-63. {{ISBN|0-8117-3275-4}} 6. ^Chesneau, Roger and Gardiner, Robert, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships (1922-1946), US Naval Institute Press (June 1980), p. 62 {{ISBN|0-87021-913-8}} 7. ^{{cite book| title=North Atlantic Run |author=Milner, Marc |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1985 |pages=117–119, 142–145, 158, 175–176, 226,235&285–291 |isbn=0-87021-450-0}} 8. ^{{cite book |last=Macpherson |first=Ken |last2=Milner |first2=Marc |year=1993 |title=Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939-1945|publisher=Vanwell Publishing |location=St. Catharines|pages= |isbn=0-92027-783-7}} 9. ^1 2 {{cite book |last=Macpherson |first=Ken |last2=Burgess |first2=John |year=1981 |title=The ships of Canada's naval forces 1910-1981 : a complete pictorial history of Canadian warships |publisher=Collins |location=Toronto|pages=71 |isbn=0-00216-856-1}} 10. ^1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 {{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hx/index.html|title=HX convoys|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|accessdate=2011-06-19}} 11. ^1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 {{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/on/index.html|title=ON convoys|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|accessdate=2011-06-19}} 12. ^1 2 3 4 5 6 7 {{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/sc/index.html|title=SC convoys|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|accessdate=2011-06-19}}
External links- Canadian Navy Heritage Project: Ship Technical Information{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
- Canadian Navy Heritage Project: Photo Archive{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{Flower class corvette|original}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Bittersweet, HMCS}} 4 : Ships of the Royal Canadian Navy|Flower-class corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy|Flower-class corvettes of the Royal Navy|1940 ships |