French corvette Alysse
Flower-class corvette
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alysse (formerly HMS Alyssum) was one of the nine Flower-class corvettes lent by the Royal Navy to the Free French Naval Forces.
Flower-class corvette in 1942 paint | |
| History | |
|---|---|
  France | |
| Name | Alysse |
| Ordered | 12 December 1939 |
| Laid down | 24 June 1940 |
| Launched | 3 March 1941 |
| Commissioned | 17 June 1941 |
| Identification | Pennant number: K100 |
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk on 9 February 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Flower-class corvette |
| Displacement | 950 tonnes |
| Length | 62.7 m (205 ft 9 in) |
| Beam | 10.9 m (35 ft 9 in) |
| Draught | 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Range |
|
| Complement | 70 |
| Sensors & processing systems | Type 271 surface radar |
| Armament |
|
Construction
Alysse was built by George Brown & Co.
War service
Originally built as HMS Alyssum by the British Royal Navy, she was loaned to the Free French Navy upon completion on 17 June 1941.
| Year | Month | Name of convoy |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 | July | convoy England-United States |
| 1941 | August | SC 40 |
| 1941 | September | SC 44 |
| 1941 | September | ON 19 |
| 1941 | October | SC 50 |
| 1941 | November | |
| 1941 | December | |
| 1942 | January | SC 62 |
| 1942 | January | ON 60 |
Shortly after midnight on 9 February 1942 while escorting convoy ON 60, Alysse was torpedoed by the German submarine U-654.[2] The torpedo struck Alysse on the port side in the forward part of the ship causing her to settle by the bow. The surviving crew were rescued by HMCS Hepatica and HMCS Moose Jaw; 36 crew members were lost. Hepatica then attempted to tow Alysse but after 30 minutes the tow parted. A further attempt was made to tow her to port later that day but after 18 hours Alysse foundered and sank at 6°34N/44°10W.[3]
