HMS Lotus (K130)

HMS "Lotus" (K130) was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy.

She was built by Henry Robb Limited, of Leith, Scotland and launched on 16 January 1942. Originally named HMS "Phlox", she was renamed in April 1942 after the previous HMS "Lotus" was transferred to the Free French Navy. She was commissioned in May 1942.

Career

Wartime

"Lotus" served as an escort for a number of convoys, including the ill-fated Convoy PQ-17, where she rescued 38 survivors from the SS "River Afton", which had been torpedoed by U 703. In late 1942 she was operating in the Mediterranean, where on 12 November, in company with HMS "Starwort", she depth charged and damaged U 660 off Oran. The damaged U-boat was forced to scuttle herself.

Postwar

"Lotus" survived the Second World War, and served with the Royal Navy until 1947. In 1947 she was put up for sale and boughtby Christian Salvesen Ltd. She became the merchant vessel "Southern Lotus". She was refitted as a buoy tender at Smith's Dock in 1948 and later used as a whaler until 1963. She was towed from Leith Harbour to Melsomvik in the Spring of 1963 and laid up. She was sold in December 1966 for breaking up in Belgium and towed together with the "Southern Briar" (formerly HMS "Cyclamen") by the tug "Temi III". The towing wire broke on 18 December in stormy weather, causing both ships to ground and be wrecked off Jutland.

References

*Colledge
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5573.html HMS Lotus at Uboat.net]
* [http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/russian/index.html Convoy web]
* [http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hague/search3.php?query=%22Lotus%22&Submit=Find+Vessel HMS Lotus on the Arnold Hague database at convoyweb.org.uk.] Look for entries labelled "Lotus" and "HMS Lotus"