HMS Pimpernel
HMS Pimpernel (K71) was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.[1]
Construction and career
[edit]The ship was ordered in September 1939, laid down on 19 July 1940 at Harland & Wolff in Belfast and launched 16 November 1940.[1][2][3] The ship was commissioned 9 Jan 1941.[1][2]
Between 19 July and 1 August 1941, the ship acted as one of the escort ships for Convoy OG 69.[4]
In August 1942, the ship picked up survivors from several ships that had been sunk by U-boats, including by U-553.[5] Pimpernel scuttled the British ship Empire Bede which had been heavily damaged by torpedo fire.[6]
Between 3 and 12 January 1943 the ship formed part of the escort squadron for Convoy TM 1.[7]
In May 1943, the ship acted as an escort for the convoy ONS 7 between Scotland and North America.[8]
The ship participated in convoys OS 105 and KMS 79 from 17 to 21 January 1945.[9]
The ship was broken up and scrapped at Portaferry, Northern Ireland in October 1948.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "HMS Pimpernel (K 71) of the Royal Navy". uboat.net. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ^ a b "HMS Pimpernel K 71 - NI Community Heritage Archive". NI Community Heritage Archive – Causeway Coast and Glens Museum Services. 1940-11-16. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ^ "Shipbuilding and Engineering Works". Harland and Wolff. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ^ Syrett, David (2003). "THE Battle for Convoy OG 69, 20–29 July 1941". The Mariner's Mirror. 89 (1): 71–81. doi:10.1080/00253359.2003.10659275. ISSN 0025-3359.
- ^ "A Look Back at My Life and Service in the Merchant Navy". BBC. 2006-03-21. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ^ "Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII". uboat.net. 1942-08-18. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ^ "Convoy TMF.1". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ^ Syrett, David (1994). The Defeat of the German U-boats. Columbia, S.C: University of South Carolina Press. pp. 119–120. ISBN 978-0-87249-984-3.
- ^ "HMS Pimpernel: report on proceedings of convoys OS 105 and KMS 79 from 17 to 21 January". The National Archives. 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
External links
[edit]- "HMS Pimpernel [digital copy] : Summary of service, 1941-1945". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 2025-02-16.: A summary of sea service of those involved was produced in 1978 and is available in the collections of the Imperial War Museum.
