Flower class Olympic catchers
Posted by:
bramr (IP Logged)
Date: November 14, 2018 09:15AM
15 Flower class corvettes were used by the Onassis company Olympic (Balleneros SA or Bellenera Ltda SA?) as whale catchers. First 13 bought in 1950?, 2 in 1951, Olympic Winner in?
Olympic Leader (no.1) ex (HMS Nepeta)/USN Pert
Olympic Cruiser (no.2) ex (HMS Dittany)/USN Beacon
Olympic Explorer (no.3) ex (HMS Musk)/USN Might
Olympic Promotor (no.4) ex (HMS Milfoil)/USN Intensity
These four were towed two by two by the Dutch tugs Witte Zee and Tyne from Savannah 23/1/50 to Germany. ex Pert and Might bought from United Boat Service, New York. Other two as well?
Olympic Fighter (no.5) ex HMCS Saskatoon
This corvette was towed by Dutch tug Zwarte Zee from Genoa 8/5/50 to Kiel 19/5/50 ex Tra Los Montes (owner Panamanian Lines Inc/E. Eugenides) together with a second corvette.
Olympic Chaser (no.6?) ex HMCS Pictou.
Could this be the second corvette towed by the Zwarte Zee? and has the name Rio Grande something to do with it?
Olympic Conqueror (no.7) ex HMS Tulip
Olympic Runner (no.8) ex HMS Trillium/HMCS Trillium. Since completion manned by the Canadian Navy, returned to the RN at Milford Haven 16/6/45.
Olympic Arrow (no.9) ex HMCS Brantford
Olympic Victor (no.10) ex HMCS Mimico (lchd in the UK as HMS Bulrush) but transferred before completion to the RCN in return for a Canadian built Algerine minesweeper.
Olympic Champion (no.11?) ex HMCS Parry Sound
Olympic Lightning (no.12?) ex HMCS Smith Falls
Olympic Rider (no.14?) ex HMS Jonquil
Olympic Hunter (n.15?) ex HMS Vetch
These last two were used as passenger ferries (without much conversion work) by the Greek government as Lemnos and Patrai. Laid up Greece 1948 and sold 1951.
Olympic Winner (no.16) ex HMCS Woodstock
This corvette was in reserve Esquimalt 2-4/45 afterwards used as a temporarily weather ship in the Pacific till 3/46. Laid up Pacific coast before sale? Could be used as a yacht outside the whaling season.
3 corvettes HMCS Nanaimo, HMCS Shediac and HMCS Moncton were towed by the Dutch tug Zwarte Zee from Vancouver to Kiel arr. 10/51 for Ballenera Ltda SA. Re-sold 8/52 to the only Dutch whaling company and converted in the Netherlands.
3 corvettes (USN Caprice)/HMS Honesty, (USN Kim)/HMS Statice and (USN Vitality)/HMS Willowherb returned by the RN to the USA in 1946, arrived 7/51 Hamburg. Also for Olympic? Not converted or used, sold 1/61 Hamburg for scrap.
Answers for the question marks are welcome as well any history between sale from the three navies and the re-sale to Olympic as it looks like none of the above corvettes went straight to Olympic.