Corvette

Corvette

 A corvette was a small, lightly armed Canadian warship used for anti-submarine warfare in the Second World War. With the convoys of the North Atlantic under siege by German U-Boats in the early years of the war, Canada needed to produce ships quickly. The answer was the corvette, a vessel of about 190 feet long and 33 feet wide. The first 14 appeared in the St Lawrence in the last months of 1940. The Windflower and the Mayflower were the first ones commissioned. The carried only a single 4-inch gun, some machine guns and a store of depth charges. Most, like Chambly and Halifax, bore the names of Canadian towns. Built for efficiency, not comfort, the ships were very uncomfortable. A common saying was that they would roll in wet grass. Nevertheless, the crews developed a rough esprit suitable to the unpretentious little ships and often distinguished themselves with courage. Chambly was the first corvette to take part in the sinking of a German U-Boat, in 1941. Altogether Canada produced 122 corvettes.