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Acanthus Updated Jan. 7-2008 To Acanthus on the "Ships starting with A" page. Tonnage: 900 (925?) displ. t. Built at Troon, Scotland 1941. Captain: Grønningsether, later Captain Bruun. 5 British built, Flower class corvettes were taken over by the Norwegian Navy in the U.K. They were Montbretia, Eglantine, Acanthus and Rose in 1941, and Potentilla in Jan.-1942. The Norwegian navy was to be responsible for supplying the crews, their salary, food and uniforms, while other expenses were to be paid by Royal Navy. They were used as escorts in the North Atlantic and carried out over 80 attacks against U-boats. When Potentilla was returned to Royal Navy in March of 1944, she was replaced by a Castle class corvette, which was named Tunsberg Castle under the Norwegian flag. Buttercup, also Flower class, was transferred after the loss of Tunsberg Castle in 1944. See individual links for details on each corvette. Related pages on this website:
Acanthus was in Group B 6 of Liverpool Escort Force, which otherwise consisted of the destroyers Fame and Viscount and the 3 Norwegian corvettes Potentilla, Eglantine and Montbretia. Acanthus is mentioned among the escorts for the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 34 in Nov.-1941. In Jan.-1942 she escorted the westbound ON 58* (with Montbretia), which left Liverpool on Jan. 20-1942, but due to bad weather it returnd to port the next day. The following month she's listed, together with Rose, as escort for the westbound Convoy ON 64* (departure Liverpool Febr. 7), and in March she appears (with Eglantine, Potentilla and Rose) in the westbound Convoy ON 73*, which departed Liverpool on March 5 and dispersed on the 16th. The first external site that I've linked to at the end of this page lists her as escort for Convoy HX 182 in March/Apr.-1942. Eglantine is also included. As will be seen, they're not mentioned on my own page for this convoy, but I don't have the names of any of the escorts. She then escorted the westbound Convoy ON 86* (with Eglantine, Potentilla and Rose), which departed Liverpool on Apr. 14, and at the beginning of May she was in the slow Convoy SC 83, which left Halifax on May 7-1942. Again, she's not mentioned on my own page for this convoy, but I don't have the names of any of the escorts - see the external link provided below, where Eglantine, Potentilla and Rose are also included. In June we find Acanthus mentioned, along with Montbretia, Potentilla and Rose, in Convoy ON 101* (departure Liverpool June 5), and later that month they all appear in the slow eastbound Convoy SC 88. (Again, no escorts are named on my own page for this convoy, but they are included at the external link below). In July she escorted the westbound Convoy ON 111* (with Montbretia and Potentilla), departing Liverpool on July 10, dispersed on the 24th, and at the end of that month Acanthus is listed among the escorts for Convoy HX 200 (again with Montbretia and Potentilla), which arrived Liverpool on Aug. 7-1942. Acanthus subsequently left Oversay, England on Aug. 16-1942 and joined the westbound Convoy ON 122, which was also escorted by Potentilla, Montbretia, and Eglantine, as well as the British destroyer Viscount. Several U-boats attacked during the night of Aug. 24/25, and sank 4 ships; 3 British (Katvaldis 3 died, Sheaf Mount 31 died, Empire Breeze 1 died) and the Norwegian D/S Trolla of Trondheim, which was torpedoed by U-438 (Franzius). Acanthus, Potentilla, Montbretia, and Eglantine are also listed as escorts for Convoy HX 205, which left Halifax at the end of August and arrived Liverpool on Sept. 11-1942. I'm not sure exactly when they joined, but for info, according to Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System", the westbound ON 122 had been dispersed on Sept. 3, and according to the Commodore's notes for HX 205 "Escort was met at 09:00 on Sept 2 in 46 46N 51 10W", presumably referring to the ocean escort? All 4 of them show up again in the westbound Convoy ON 132*, which departed Liverpool on Sept. 19-1942. Acanthus also took part in the fierce battle for Convoy SC 104 the following month, in which several Norwegian ships sailed. This convoy departed New York on Oct. 3-1942. 8 merchant ships were lost, but not without damage and loss to the attackers, as can be seen in Uboat.net's account on SC 104 - link below. Acanthus took on board 21 of the 39 survivors from U-353, including the commander, Wolfgang Römer. (U-353 was sunk by depth charges from Fame on Oct. 16-1942). Merchant ships sunk were: The British Ashworth - all 49 died, Empire Mersey - 16 died, and Southern Empress - 48 died, the Norwegian D/S Fagersten - 19 died and D/S Senta - 35 died (no survivors), the Greek Nellie - 32 died, the Yugoslavian Nikolina Matkovic - 14 died, and the American Susana - 38 died. Please see my page about Potentilla for more details on this battle, as well as the external link provided at the end of this page. In Dec.-1942 we find her mentioned among the escorts for the westbound Convoy ON 155, together with Eglantine, and the 2 of them also escorted the slow eastbound Convoy SC 116 in Jan.-1943 (not available on my own site, but ref. external link below), as well as the westbound Convoy ON 165 the following month. The external site already mentioned also has Acanthus and Eglantine in Convoy HX 227, which left New York on Febr. 18-1943 and arrived Liverpool on March 6. This convoy is not available on my own site. In Apr.-1943 Acanthus, Eglantine, Potentilla and Rose are listed in the westbound Convoy ONS 6*, which departed Liverpool on Apr. 29, and in May that year all 4 them are named among the escorts for Convoy SC 131 (no escorts are named on my own page for this convoy, but see external link below). In June-1943 Acanthus is listed, together with Potentilla and Rose, in the westbound Convoy ON 189*, departing Liverpool on June-16. The following month the 3 of them appear among the escorts for Convoy HX 246, and later that month we find them mentioned in the westbound Convoy ON 194*, which left Liverpool on July 24. In Aug. that year all 3 escorted Convoy HX 251 (simply noted as the B 6 Group on my page about this convoy). In Dec.-1943, Acanthus escorted the Arctic Convoy JW 55A, returning with RA 55A. The former sailed from Loch Ewe on Dec. 12-1943 and arrived Kola on the 22nd, and the latter left Kola that same day and arrived Loch Ewe on Jan. 1-1944. The Norwegian Stord was also among the escorts for both these convoys. There were no Norwegian ships in any of these convoys and, therefore, they are not included in my Arctic Convoys section, but if more info is needed, it can be found at the 2nd external link provided below. Acanthus was subsequently used as escort for the westbound North Atlantic Convoy ON 221*, which left Liverpool on Jan. 24-1944. At the beginning of Febr. Acanthus, Eglantine and Rose are listed among the escorts for the westbound Convoy ONS 29*, which left Liverpool on Febr. 12. Later that month all 3 of them escorted Convoy HX 281, and the following month Acanthus and Eglantine were used as escorts for the westbound Convoy ON 229*, which departed Liverpool on March 23. Both of them are also named among the escorts for HX 286 in Apr.-1944. At the beginning of Sept. that same year Acanthus, Buttercup, Rose and Tunsberg Castle escorted the westbound Convoy ON 252*, which left Liverpool on Sept. 7-1944, and later that month all 4 of them escorted Convoy HX 310. As will be seen, no escorts are named on my own pages for some of the HX convoys that I've linked to here, but see the external links provided below, where Acanthus also appears in Convoy HX 326 in Dec.-1944. Acanthus is also mentioned among the escorts for the westbound Convoy ON 277 in Jan.-1945, and going back to the external site already mentioned we find her in Convoy HX 334 later that month. The following month she's listed as escorting the westbound Convoy ON 285*, which left Southend on Febr. 16. Buttercup is also included, and they both show up again in the slow Convoy SC 169, which left Halifax for the U.K. on March 7-1945 (not available on my own site, but see external link below), as well as in the westbound Convoy ON 294* at the beginning of Apr., and in SC 173 later that month (departed Halifax on Apr. 18-1945).
Jan-Olof, Sweden has told me that according to Lenton & Colledge Acanthus became mercantile (incorrect) Andanes in 1946, sold in 1956, whale catcher Colin Frye (Union Whaling). She's listed as Andenes at Uboat.net (link below); this is also repeated in a posting to my ship forum; the thread starts here, there are several responses. I've only seen this corvette referred to as Acanthus in Norwegian books. Atle Wilmar, Norway has given me the following dates: Came under Norwegian command (as Acanthus) at Troon on Sept. 26-1941, "ready for war" Nov. 1-1941. After the war was over in Norway she arrived Bergen on May 15-1945, purchased in 1946 and renamed Andenes on Aug. 10-1946. Related external links: The site also has a section on the Group Wotan and the Battle for Convoy SC 104 - Detailed description of the convoy battle. (A section of Rob Fisher's Home Page). 2 Norwegian casualties of Southern Empress - Olaf K. Hansen is listed as captain of this ship, a Whale Catcher Helge Dahl is also commemorated. The Norwegian armed forces - includes info on the Norwegian Navy, ships, submarines etc. etc. Related links Uboat.net: Back to Acanthus on the "Ships starting with A" page. The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, and misc. (ref. My sources).
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