HMS Florizel (J404), US pennant No. BAM-26, was an Auk-class minesweeper ordered by the US Navy to be supplied to the Royal Navy (RN) under Lend-lease. Florizel was built by Associated Ship Builders at Harbour Island, Seattle, Washington, United States and commissioned by the Royal Navy as Pennant No. J404. She was ordered 24 March 1942, laid down 27 January 1943, launched 20 May 1943 and commissioned 14 April 1944.
_1944.jpg) HMS Florizel in 1944
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Florizel |
| Ordered | 24 March 1942 |
| Builder | Associated Shipbuilders |
| Laid down | 27 January 1943 |
| Launched | 20 May 1943 |
| Commissioned | 14 April 1944 |
| Out of service | 14 December 1946 sold to Greece |
| Renamed |
|
| Identification | Pennant number J404 |
| Fate | Broken up at Messina 1967 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Auk-class minesweeper |
| Displacement | 945 tons |
| Length | 184 ft 6 in (56.24 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Draft | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 × 1,710 shp (1,275 kW) Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines |
| Speed | 14.8 knots (27 km/h) |
| Complement | 104 |
| Armament |
|
1944 Collision
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On 10 December 1944 HMS Charlestown collided with Florizel off Harwich, England. Due to the Charlestown's advanced age – the keel was laid more than 26+1⁄2 years earlier – and the pressing need for experienced crews on newer warships, the Royal Navy declined repairs. Florizel survived the encounter and returned to duty.[1]
Postwar history
edit- 14 December 1946 Sold to Greece
- 1947 Renamed Merchant Ship Aida
- 1953 Converted to a cargo ship
- 1959 Renamed Lasithi
- 1967 Broken up in Messina
Other ships named Florizel
edit- SS Florizel a passenger ship commissioned in 1909 and sank off of St. John's, Newfoundland.
- SS Empire Florizel (169503) was a short lived UK transport ship launched 21 April 1943 and was bombed and sunk on 21 Jul 1943 off Augusta, Sicily.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ "USS Abbot (DD 184) History". Abbot.us. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Convoy KMS 19 Malta-Augusta / Augusta-Malta". warsailors.com. 9 October 1943. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "ss EMPIRE FLORIZEL built by Lithgows Port Glasgow Clydebuilt Ships Database". Clydesite.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
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This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.