HMS Gentian (K90)

HMS "Gentian" (K90) was a Royal Navy Flower-class corvette that served in the Second Battle of the Atlantic, during World War II.

One of the first batch of wartime corvettes laid down, she served most of the time in the Western Approaches, escorting convoys across the North Atlantic with Escort Group B2 and was also on the Arctic runs to Murmansk and Archangel. In 1941 the ship was also involved in escort work out of Gibraltar and was one of the RN corvettes employed on escort duties during D-Day.

Wartime service

Western Approaches Command convoy's involving HMS Gentian

* HX-82 (Departed Halifax, 20 October 1940, arrived Liverpool, 6 November 1940 - ESCORT 01/11 - 04/11)

* OB-236 (Departed Liverpool, 29 October 1940, dispersed 2 December 1940 - ESCORT 01/11 - 01/11)

* HX-90 (Departed Halifax, 21 November 1940, rendezvous with Gentian 2 December 1940, arrived Liverpool, 5 December 1940)

* OB-251 (Departed Liverpool, 28 November 1940, dispersed 17.20W 1 December 1940 - ESCORT 28/11 - 01/12)

* OB-258 (Departed Liverpool, 12 December 1940, dispersed 15 December 1940 - ESCORT 12/12 - 15/12)

* OB-265 (Departed Liverpool, 26 December 1940, dispersed 30 December 1940 - ESCORT 26/12 - 30/12)

* HX-97 (Departed Halifax, 18 November 1940, arrived Liverpool, 3 January 1941 - ESCORT 30/12 - 03/01)

* OB-271 (Departed Liverpool, 8 January 1941, dispersed 12 January 1941 - ESCORT 8/1 - 12/1)

* HX-100 (Departed Halifax, 1 January 1941, arrived Liverpool, 18 January 1941 - ESCORT 13/01 - 17/01)

* HX-103 (Departed Halifax, 15 January 1941, arrived Liverpool, 1 February 1941 - ESCORT 27/01-)

* HG-55 (Departed Gibraltar, 3 March 1941, arrived Liverpool 22 March 1941 - ESCORT 03/03 - 10/03)

* HG-57 (Departed Gibraltar, 25 March 1941, arrived Liverpool, 11 April 1941 - ESCORT 24/03)

* HG-59 (Departed Gibraltar, 15 April 1941, arrived Liverpool, 1 May 1941 - ESCORT 15/04 - 22/04)

* HG-61 (Departed Gibraltar, 6 May 1941, arrived Liverpool, 20 May 1941)

* HG-69 (Departed Gibraltar, 28 July 1941, arrived Liverpool, 11 August 1941- ESCORT 08/08 - 11/08 )

* HG-73 (Departed Gibraltar, 17 September 1941, arrived Liverpool, 1 October 1941 - ESCORT 17/09 - 30/09)

* HX-155 (Departed Halifax, 16 October 1941, arrived Liverpool, 31 October 1941 - ESCORT 25/10 - 31/10)

* ON-34 (Departed Liverpool, 7 November 1941, dispersed 46.18N 52.40W 21 November 1941 - ESCORT 07/11 - 12/11)

* HX-162 (Departed Halifax, 27 November 1941, arrived Liverpool, 11 December 1941 - ESCORT 07/12 - 10/12)

* HX-166 (Departed Halifax, 21 December 1941, arrived Liverpool, 5 January 1942 - ESCORT 30/12 - 04/01)

* HX-180 (Departed Halifax, 15 March 1942, arrived Liverpool, 27 March 1942 - ESCORT 19/03 - 27/03)

* HX-203 (Departed Halifax, 16 August 1942, arrived Liverpool, 28 August 1942)

* ON-128 (Departed Liverpool, 5 September 1942, arrived New York City, 24 September 1942 - Gentian relieved on 18 September 1942)

* HX-208 (Departed New York City, 17 September 1942, arrived Liverpool, 2 October 1942 - Gentian joined convoy on 23 September 1942)

* HX-213 (Departed New York City, 26 Oct 1942, arrived Liverpool, 10 November 1942)

* HX-219 (Departed New York City, 13 December 1942, arrived Liverpool, 29 December 1942)

* ON-159 (Departed Liverpool, 4 January 1943, arrived New York, 20 January 1943)

* ON-161 (Departed Liverpool, 12 Jan 1943, arrived New York, 31 January 1943 - Gentian joined convoy on January 24 1943)

* ON-170 (Departed Liverpool, 3 March 1943, arrived New York, 20 March 1943)
* ONS-4 (Departed Liverpool, 13 April 1943, arrived Halifax, 5 May 1943 - ESCORT 14/04 - 29/04)

* SC-129 (Departed Halifax, 2 May 1943, Gentian joined convoy with Escort Group B2 on 6 May)

* ONS-9 (Departed Liverpool, 28 May 1943, arrived Halifax, 9 June 1943 - ESCORT 01/06 - 07/06)

* ONS-13 (Departed Liverpool,14 July 1943, arrived Halifax, 29 July 1943 - ESCORT 15/07 - 25/07)

* SC-138 (Departed Halifax, 30 July 1943, arrived Liverpool, 12 August 1943 - ESCORT 03/08 - 12/08)

* ONS-22 (Departed Liverpool, 4 November 1943, arrived Halifax, 22 November 1943 - ESCORT 05/11 - 17/11)

* HX-267 (Departed New York City, 19 November 1943, arrived Liverpool, 3 December 1943 - ESCORT 25/11 - 02/12)

* ONS-25 (Departed Liverpool, 15 December 1943, arrived Halifax, 3 January 1944 - ESCORT 17/12 - 30/12)

* HX-273 (Departed New York City, 29 December 1943, arrived Liverpool, 14 January 1944 - ESCORT 03/01 - 14/01)

* ON-221 (Departed Liverpool, 24 January 1944, arrived NYC, 11 February 1944 - ESCORT 25/01 - 06/02)

* HX-278 (Departed New York City, 5 February 1944, arrived Liverpool, 20 February 1944 - ESCORT 10/02 - 20/02)

* ON-226 (Departed Liverpool, 29 February 1944, arrived NYC, 15 March 1944 - ESCORT 01/03 - 10/03)

* SC-155 (Departed Halifax, 14 March 1944, arrived Liverpool, 29 March 1944 - ESCORT 17/03 - 28/03)

* FTC-1 (Departed Seine Bay, 8 June 1944, arrived Southend 10 June 1944 - ESCORT 08/06 - 10/06)

* FTC-6 (Departed Seine Bay, 13 June 1944, arrived Southend 14 June 1944 - ESCORT 13/06 - 14/06)

* FTM-29 (Departed Seine Bay, 6 July 1944, arrived Southend 7 July 1944 - ESCORT 06/07 - 06/07)

* MKS-74G (Departed Gibraltar, 31 December 1944, arrived Liverpool, 10 January 1945 - ESCORT 08/01 - 10/01)

* BTC-82 (Departed Milford Haven 27 February 1945, arrived Southend 2 March 1945 - ESCORT 27/02 - 02/03)

Ship's Company

* Lt. Frederick Meares Osborne RANVR CMG DSC & Bar (CO 13 September 1940 - 28 February 1943)
* Lt Cdr H Russell DSC RNR (CO)
* AB George Richard Hendley (13 September 1940 - 31 October 1940)
* Signalman Denis Patrick (Dave) Davies (25 October 1943 - 1 April 1944)
* Edward (Ted) Attrell
* Leading Signalman RRJ (Jim) Adams

Sources and references

* Macintryre, Donald. U-boat Killer (Cassel & Co, 1956)
* Syrett, David. The Defeat of the German U-Boats: The Battle of the Atlantic (University of South Carolina Press, 1994)

External links

* http://uboat.net/allies/personnel/macintyre.htm
* http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4759.html
* http://www.warsailors.com/
* http://www.cbrnp.com/RNP/Flower/ARTICLES/Davies.htm
* [http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hague/search3.php?query=Gentian&Submit=Find+Vessel HMS "Gentian" on the Arnold Hague database at convoyweb.org.uk.]