HMCS ''Bittersweet'' was a that was commissioned in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

but served primarily in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') 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 subma ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. She was used mainly in the

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 blocka ...

as an ocean escort. She was named for flowering vines ''

Solanum dulcamara ''Solanum dulcamara'' is a species of vine in the genus ''Solanum'' (which also includes the potato and the tomato) of the family Solanaceae. Common names include bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, bitter nightshade, blue bindweed, Amara Dulci ...

'' and ''

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 ...

''.

Background

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.''Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II'', New Jersey: Random House, 1996, , page 68. 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. 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 A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Jap ...

design.Chesneau, Roger and Gardiner, Robert, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946'', US Naval Institute Press (June 1980), p. 62 The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.

Construction

''Bittersweet'' was ordered on 22 January 1940 for the

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. ''Bittersweet'' had three refits in her career. Her first one was at

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoun ...

in December 1941 which lasted until February 1942. Her second refit was at

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in October to November 1943 where she had her

fo'c'sle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " be ...

extended. The last refit took place at

Pictou, Nova Scotia Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'') is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of the larger town of New Gla ...

and lasted until February 1945.

War service

''Bittersweet'', after commissioning, headed back to the

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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, fitting out on the Tyne and working up at Tobermory. On 15 May 1941 she was loaned to

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, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

and was assigned to the

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 ...

(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 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 c ...

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.

Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted

Post-war service

''Bittersweet'' was returned to the Royal Navy on 22 June 1945 at

Aberdeen, Scotland Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), an ...

. She was broken up at

Rosyth Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440. The new town was founded as a Garden city-style subur ...

in 1950.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bittersweet, HMCS Flower-class corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy Flower-class corvettes of the Royal Navy 1940 ships