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HMCS Bittersweet

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HMCS Bittersweet May 1943 MC-2115.jpg
HMCS Bittersweet about to be taken in tow by HMCS Skeena, May 1943.
History
United Kingdom
NameBittersweet
NamesakeFlowering vines Solanum dulcamara and Celastrus scandens
OperatorRoyal Navy
Ordered22 January 1940
BuilderMarine Industries Ltd., Sorel-Tracy, Quebec
Laid down17 April 1940
Launched12 September 1940
Commissioned23 January 1941
Decommissioned15 May 1941
IdentificationPennant number: K182
FateLoaned to Canada 1941; Returned on 22 June 1945; scrapped November 1950.
Canada
NameBittersweet
OperatorRoyal Canadian Navy
Acquiredloaned from Royal Navy
Commissioned15 May 1941
Decommissioned22 June 1945
IdentificationPennant number: K182
FateReturned to Royal Navy
General characteristics
Class and typeFlower-class corvette (original)[1]
Displacement925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons)
Length205 ft (62.48 m)o/a
Beam33 ft (10.06 m)
Draught11.5 ft (3.51 m)
Propulsion
  • single shaft
  • 2 × fire tube Scotch boilers
  • 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
  • 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement85
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 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.

Discover more about HMCS Bittersweet related topics

Flower-class corvette

Flower-class corvette

The Flower-class corvette was a British class of 294 corvettes used during World War II by the Allied navies particularly as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the Battle of the Atlantic. Royal Navy ships of this class were named after flowers.

Corvette

Corvette

A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloop-of-war.

Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service.

Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Canadian Navy

The Royal Canadian Navy is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submarines, 12 coastal defence vessels, eight patrol class training vessels, two offshore patrol vessels, and several auxiliary vessels. The RCN consists of 8,570 Regular Force and 4,111 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by 3,800 civilians. Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee is the current commander of the Royal Canadian Navy and chief of the Naval Staff.

World War II

World War II

World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries, including all of the great powers, fought as part of two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. Many participants threw their economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind this total war, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and the delivery of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war.

Battle of the Atlantic

Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, announced the day after the declaration of war, and Germany's subsequent counter-blockade. The campaign peaked from mid-1940 through to the end of 1943.

Solanum dulcamara

Solanum dulcamara

Solanum dulcamara is a species of vine in the genus Solanum of the family Solanaceae. Common names include bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, bitter nightshade, blue bindweed, Amara Dulcis, climbing nightshade, felonwort, fellenwort, felonwood, poisonberry, poisonflower, scarlet berry, snakeberry, trailing bittersweet, trailing nightshade, violet bloom, and woody nightshade.

Celastrus scandens

Celastrus scandens

Celastrus scandens, commonly called American bittersweet or bittersweet, is a species of Celastrus that blooms mostly in June and is commonly found on rich, well-drained soils of woodlands. It is a sturdy perennial vine that may have twining, woody stems that are 30 feet (9.1 m) or longer and an inch or more thick at the base. The stems are yellowish-green to brown and wind around other vegetation, sometimes killing saplings by restricting further growth. It has tiny, scentless flowers at the tips of the branches. It has colorful, orange fruits that are the size of a pea. These fruits are poisonous to humans when ingested, but are favorites of birds. C. scandens roots were used by Native Americans and pioneers to induce vomiting, to treat venereal disease, and to treat symptoms of tuberculosis.

Background

Main article: 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]

Construction

Bittersweet 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]

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Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service.

Marine Industries

Marine Industries

Marine Industries Limited (MIL) was a Canadian ship building, hydro-electric and rail car manufacturing company, in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, with a shipyard located on the Richelieu river about 1 km from the St. Lawrence River. It employed up to 8,500 people during the World War II support effort.

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean formed by the confluence of the Ashley, Cooper, and Wando rivers. Charleston had a population of 150,277 at the 2020 census. The 2020 population of the Charleston metropolitan area, comprising Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, was 799,636 residents, the third-largest in the state, 8th-largest in the Deep South and the 74th-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States.

War service

Bittersweet, 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

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United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is 242,495 square kilometres (93,628 sq mi), with an estimated 2023 population of over 68 million people.

Tobermory, Mull

Tobermory, Mull

Tobermory is the capital of, and until 1973 the only burgh on, the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is located on the east coast of Mishnish, the most northerly part of the island, near the northern entrance of the Sound of Mull. The village was founded as a fishing port in 1788; its layout was based on the designs of Dumfriesshire engineer Thomas Telford. It has a current population of about 1,000.

Canada

Canada

Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. It is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. The country is sparsely inhabited, with most residing south of the 55th parallel in urban areas. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Newfoundland Escort Force

Newfoundland Escort Force

The Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF) was a Second World War naval command created on 20 May 1941 as part of the Allied convoy system in the Battle of the Atlantic. Created in response to the movement of German U-boats into the western Atlantic Ocean, the Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF) was instituted to cover the convoy escort gap that existed between the local convoy escort in Canada and the United Kingdom. The Royal Canadian Navy provided the majority of naval vessels to the NEF along with its commander Commodore Leonard W. Murray, with units from the British, Norwegian, Polish, French and Dutch navies also assigned. The NEF was reconstituted as part of the Mid-Ocean Escort Force in 1942.

Mid-Ocean Escort Force

Mid-Ocean Escort Force

Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF) referred to the organisation of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and Newfoundland, and the British Isles. The allocation of United States, British, and Canadian escorts to these convoys reflected preferences of the United States upon their declaration of war, and the organisation persisted through the winter of 1942–43 despite withdrawal of United States ships from the escort groups. By the summer of 1943, United States Atlantic escorts were focused on the faster CU convoys and the UG convoys between Chesapeake Bay and the Mediterranean Sea; and only British and Canadian escorts remained on the HX, SC and ON convoys.

HX convoys

HX convoys

The HX convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War. They were east-bound convoys and originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia from where they sailed to ports in the United Kingdom. They absorbed the BHX convoys from Bermuda en route. Later, after the United States entered the war, HX convoys began at New York.

Newfoundland (island)

Newfoundland (island)

Newfoundland is a large island off the east coast of the North American mainland and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It has 29 percent of the province's land area. The island is separated from the Labrador Peninsula by the Strait of Belle Isle and from Cape Breton Island by the Cabot Strait. It blocks the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, creating the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world's largest estuary. Newfoundland's nearest neighbour is the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

Iceland

Iceland

Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 36% of the population. Iceland is the largest part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate.

ON convoys

ON convoys

The ON convoys were a series of North Atlantic trade convoys running Outbound from the British Isles to North America during the Battle of the Atlantic.

SC convoys

SC convoys

The SC convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys that ran during the battle of the Atlantic during World War II.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2021, its population was 1,903,100, making up about 27% of Ireland's population and about 3% of the UK's population. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. The government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the government of the Republic of Ireland in several areas agreed under the terms of the Belfast Agreement. The Republic of Ireland also has a consultative role on non-devolved governmental matters through the British-Irish Governmental Conference (BIIG).

Post-war service

Bittersweet was returned to the Royal Navy on 22 June 1945 at Aberdeen, Scotland. She was broken up at Rosyth in 1950.[9]

Source: "HMCS Bittersweet", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, January 25th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Bittersweet.

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Further Reading

HMCS Pictou

HMCS Kenogami

HMCS Camrose

HMCS Mayflower

HMCS Trillium

HMCS Rosthern

HMCS Dauphin

HMCS Wetaskiwin

HMCS Galt

HMCS Eyebright

HMCS Battleford

HMCS Chilliwack

HMCS Napanee

HMCS Shediac

HMCS Prescott

HMCS Brandon (K149)

HMCS Drumheller

HMCS Dunvegan
References
  1. ^ Lenton, H.T.; Colledge, J.J (1968). British and Dominion Warships of World War II. Doubleday & Company. pp. 201, 214.
  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. ^ Milner, Marc (1985). North Atlantic Run. Naval Institute Press. pp. 117–119, 142–145, 158, 175–176, 226, 235&285–291. ISBN 0-87021-450-0.
  8. ^ Macpherson, Ken; Milner, Marc (1993). Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939-1945. St. Catharines: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN 0-92027-783-7.
  9. ^ a b c Macpherson, Ken; Burgess, John (1981). The ships of Canada's naval forces 1910-1981 : a complete pictorial history of Canadian warships. Toronto: Collins. p. 71. ISBN 0-00216-856-1.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h "SC convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
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