HMS Larkspur (K82)

HMS Larkspur was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and was in service in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1942 she was transferred to the United States Navy as part of the Reverse Lend-Lease arrangement and renamed USS Fury, one of the Temptress-class gunboats. With the end of hostilities she was returned to the Royal Navy and sold into mercantile service.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Larkspur.

USS Fury, formerly HMS Larkspur, off Liverpool.
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Larkspur
Namesake: Larkspur (flower)
Builder: Fleming & Ferguson, Paisley
Laid down: 26 March 1940
Launched: 5 September 1940
Commissioned: 4 January 1941
Decommissioned: 15 March 1942
Identification: Pennant number: K82
Fate: Transferred to United States Navy
United States
Name: USS Fury
Commissioned: 17 March 1942
Decommissioned: 22 August 1945
Identification: Hull number: PG-69
Fate: Returned to Royal Navy
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Larkspur
Fate: Sold into civilian service, 1947
General characteristics [1]
Class and type: Flower-class corvette
Displacement: 925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons)
Length: 205 ft (62.48 m)o/a
Beam: 33 ft 2 in (10.11 m)
Draught: 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m)
Propulsion:
  • single shaft
  • 2 × fire tube Scotch boilers
  • 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
  • 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed: 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h)
Range: 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement: 85
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • 1 × SW1C or 2C radar
  • 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
Armament:
  • 1 × 4-inch BL Mk.IX single gun
  • 2 × .50 cal machine gun (twin)
  • 2 × Lewis .303 cal machine gun (twin)
  • 2 × Mk.II depth charge throwers
  • 2 × Depth charge rails with 40 depth charges
  • originally fitted with minesweeping gear, later removed

Design and construction

Larkspur was built at Fleming and Ferguson, of Paisley, as part of the 1939 War Emergency building programme.[2] She was laid down on 26 March 1940 and launched 5 September 1940. She was completed and entered service on 4 January 1941, being named for the Larkspur family of garden flowers. While building Larkspur was modified to include the extended forecastle that became a feature of the Flowers, added to improve habitability. She also gained a navy-style open bridge, though she retained the merchantile foremast position forward of the bridge.

Service history

Royal Navy

After working up, Larkspur was assigned to the Western Approaches Escort Force for service as a convoy escort. In this role she was engaged in all the duties performed by escort ships; protecting convoys, searching for and attacking U-boats which attacked ships in convoy, and rescuing survivors. In 14 months service Larkspur escorted 10 North Atlantic, one South Atlantic and five Gibraltar convoys [3][4] assisting in the safe passage of over 400 ships.

She was involved in two major convoy battles:: In July 1941 Larkspur was part of the escort for OG 69, which was attacked by a U-boat pack, losing 9 ships sunk.[5] In September 1941 she was with HG 73, which lost nine merchant and one warship sunk.[6]

US Navy
For other ships with the same name, see USS Fury.

Following the entry of the United States into the war the US Navy was in need of anti-submarine warfare vessels, and to meet this need a number of ships were transferred from the Royal Navy as part of a reverse Lend-Lease arrangement.[2] Larkspur was commissioned into the USN on 17 March 1942 as USS Fury. After an overhaul Fury was employed as an escort on the East Coast convoy route, and for convoys between New York and the Caribbean. In 1945 Fury was also employed in anti-submarine patrols off the East Coast ports.

In August 1945 she was decommissioned and returned to the Royal Navy.[7]

Fate

Larkspur was stricken in 1946 and sold into commercial service as the merchant ship Larkslock. She was scrapped at Hong Kong in 1953.[7][8]

Notes
  1. Conway p62
  2. Elliott p.189
  3. Larkspur: convoy movements at naval-history.net; retrieved 18 July 2020
  4. Larkspur: convoy assignments at convoyweb.org.uk; retrieved 18 July 2020
  5. Blair pp.327-329
  6. Blair pp.389-391
  7. Fury at history.navy.mil; retrieved 18 July 2020
  8. Larkspur at uboat.net; retrieved 18 July 2020
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References
  • Clay Blair : Hitler’s U-Boat War Vol I (1996) ISBN 0-304-35260-8
  • R Gardiner, R Gray : Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946 (1980) ISBN 0-85177-146-7
  • Elliott, Peter: Allied Escort Ships of World War II (1977) ISBN 0-356-08401-9
  • Hague, Arnold : The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945 (2000) ISBN 1-55125-033-0 (Canada) . ISBN 1-86176-147-3 (UK)
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