Contents

French corvette Roselys

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Sundew
Ordered	21 September 1939
Builder	J. Lewis and Sons Ltd., Aberdeen, Scotland
Laid down	4 November 1940
Launched	28 May 1941
Out of service	17 September 1941 – transferred to Free France
Identification	Pennant number: K57
Fate	Scrapped at Troon in 1948
France
Name	FFL Roselys
Acquired	17 September 1941
Commissioned	19 September 1941
Identification	K-57
Fate	Returned to Royal Navy in 1947
General characteristics
Class and type	Flower-class corvette (original)
Displacement	925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons)
Length	205 ft (62.48 m)o/a
Beam	33 ft (10.06 m)
Draught	11.5 ft (3.51 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 knots (29.6 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 × BL 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk.IX single gun 2 x double Lewis machine gun 2 × twin Vickers machine gun 2 × Mk.II depth charge throwers 2 × depth charge rails with 40 depth charges initially with minesweeper equipment, later removed

Roselys (formerly HMS Sundew) was one of the nine Flower-class corvettes lent by the Royal Navy to the Free French Naval Forces. She served as a naval escort in World War II.

The vessel was ordered on 21 September 1939. She was constructed in AberdeenbyJ. Lewis and Sons Ltd. Her keel was laid on 4 November 1940. The ship was assigned dock number 155. She was launched on 28 May 1941. The vessel was finally commissioned on 19 September 1941.^[1][2]

Other Flower-class ships in Free French service retained their original flower names translated into French. However, the French for sundew, rosée du matin (literally "morning dew"), was considered unsuitable and the girl's name Roselys ("Rose-Lilly") was used instead, perhaps with the intention of linking the English Tudor rose with the French fleur-de-lys.^[3]

On 30 January 1942, Roselys spotted a U-boat about 400 yards from her. She turned towards the U-boat with the intention to ram it. The U-boat attempted to dive, but it was lightly rammed before it could submerge. As she passed over the U-boat, depth charges were dropped. The U-boat was probably only lightly damaged, and escaped back to port.^[4][5] She was part of Convoy QP 13, and rescued 179 survivors on 5 July 1942 when several ships ran into naval mines. On 10 March 1943, she picked up 81 survivors from the British merchant Tucurina.^[6] Roselys was one of nine Free French escort vessels which supported the Normandy landings on and after 6 June 1944, protecting the movement of landing and supply ships across the English Channel.^[7]

She was returned to the Royal Navy in 1947. She was sold on 23 October 1947, and scrapped at Troon in May 1948.^[8]

• Auphan, Paul; Mordai, Jacques (1959). The French Navy in World War II. Annapolis MD: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 978-1-59114-566-0. (2016 edition)
• Flohic, François (1985). Ni chagrin, ni pitie: Souvenirs d'un marin de la France libre (in French). Paris: Plon. ISBN 2-259-01289-2.
• Friedman, Norman (2008). British Destroyers & Frigates - The Second World War and After. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-015-4.4
• Gardiner, Robert (1987). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Lenton, H.T.; Colledge, J.J. (1963). Warships of World War II - Part 3 Sloops and Frigates. Ian Allan Ltd.
• Preston, Antony; Raven, Alan (1982). Flower Class Corvettes. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-559-2.
• Showell, Jak (2013). Donitz, U-Boats, Convoys: The British Version of His Memoirs from the Admirality's Anti-Submarine Reports. Frontline Books. ISBN 978-147383-086-8.