HMS Poppy (K213)

The Flower class arose as a result of the Royal Navy's realisation in the late 1930s that it had a shortage of escort vessels, particularly coastal escorts for use on the East coast of Britain, as the likelihood of war with Germany increased. To meet this urgent requirement, a design developed based on the whale-catcher - this design was much more capable than naval trawlers, but cheaper and quicker to build than the s or sloops that were alternatives for the coastal escort role. The early Flowers, such as Aubrietia were long overall, at the waterline and between perpendiculars. Beam was and draught was aft. Displacement was about standard and full load. Two Admiralty three-drum water tube boilers fed steam to a vertical triple-expansion engine rated at which drove a single propeller shaft. This gave a speed of . ==Service history==

On 27 June 1942, Poppy departed Reykjavík, Iceland, escorting convoy PQ-17, bound for Arkhangelsk, Russia. On 4 July 1942, the Admiralty ordered the convoy to disperse. Poppy rescued 53 survivors from the United States cargo ship , at . Efforts were made by the captain of to repair Hoosier and take her under tow, but when the was spotted astern she was again abandoned and Poppy tried to sink Hoosier with gun fire, but was unsuccessful. Poppy escorted 51 convoys during the war, along with anti-submarine exercises with Royal Navy submarines off of Lough Foyle, and once each off Derry and Campbeltown. ==References==