HMS Orchis
Flower-class corvette
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
HMS Orchis was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy during World War II.
_IWM_FL_4270.jpg)
Underway in the River Clyde, December 1942 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Orchis |
| Builder | Harland & Wolff[1] |
| Yard number | 1075[1] |
| Laid down | 18 June 1940 |
| Launched | 15 October 1940 |
| Completed | 29 November 1940[1] |
| Commissioned | 29 November 1940 |
| Identification | Pennant number: K76 |
| Fate | Mined off Juno Beach 21 August 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Flower-class corvette |
| Displacement | 925 long tons[2] |
| Length | 205 ft (62 m) o/a[2] |
| Beam | 33 ft (10 m)[2] |
| Draught | 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 16 kn (30 km/h)[2] |
| Range | 3,500 nmi (6,500 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h) |
| Complement | 90[2] |
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Operations | Battle of the Atlantic |
North Atlantic trade convoy escort
In March 1941, Orchis was the first ship fitted with the very successful 10-cm wavelength Type 271 radar enabling detection of a surfaced submarine at 5,000 yards (4,600 m) or a submarine periscope at 1,300 yards (1,200 m).[3] Orchis was assigned first to the 4th Escort Group based at Greenock[4] and then to Escort Group B3 of the Mid-Ocean Escort Force through early 1944.[5] Orchis escorted convoy ONS 18 during the battle around this and ON 202.[6]
English Channel
Orchis was then assigned to patrol the English Channel, and sank the German submarine U-741 on 15 August 1944.[7] U-741 torpedoed LST-404 of convoy FTM-69 while Orchis was escorting nearby convoy FTC-68. Orchis gained and held sonar contact on U-741 and flooded the forward part of the U-boat with two Hedgehog attacks and two depth charge attacks. One person escaped from the aft torpedo-room hatch of the sunken U-boat, and was rescued by Orchis.[8]
On 21 August 1944, Orchis struck a mine that destroyed the bow back to the 4-inch gun. The damaged ship was beached on Juno Beach and declared a total loss.[9][10]