HMS Borage (K120)

HMS Borage was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy during World War II.

HMS Borage underway. As originally built with minesweeping gear on bow.
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Borage
Namesake: Borage
Builder: George Brown & Co, Greenock
Yard number: J1161
Laid down: 27 November 1940
Launched: 22 November 1941
Completed: 29 April 1942
Decommissioned: 1946
Identification: Pennant number: K120
Fate: Transferred to the Irish Naval Service
General characteristics [1][2]
Class and type: Flower-class corvette
Displacement: 925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons)
Length: 205 ft (62.48 m)o/a
Beam: 33 ft (10.06 m)
Draught: 11.5 ft (3.51 m)
Propulsion:
  • single shaft
  • 2 × fire tube Scotch boilers
  • 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
  • 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed: 16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range: 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement: 85
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • 1 × SW1C or 2C radar
  • 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV ASDIC
Armament:
  • 1 × 4-inch BL Mk.IX single gun
  • 2 × .50 cal machine gun (twin)
  • 2 × Lewis .303 cal machine gun (twin)
  • 2 × Mk.II depth charge throwers
  • 2 × Depth charge rails with 40 depth charges
  • originally fitted with minesweeping gear, later removed

Construction

Borage was ordered in July 1939 as part of the Royal Navy's 1939 War Emergency building programme. She was laid down by George Brown & Co. of Greenock on 27 November 1940, launched on 22 November 1941 and completed on 29 April 1942. After working up and sea trials she joined Western Approaches Command for anti-submarine warfare and convoy escort duties

Service history

From July 1942 onwards Borage served with close escort groups for convoys on the North Atlantic, Gibraltar and South Atlantic routes. In three years she helped guard more than 50 merchant convoys (outbound and homebound); from these just two ships were damaged and none were lost. Borage contributed to the safe and timely arrival of more than 1,000 merchant ships. In December 1943 she was part of the close escort to convoy JW 55B, which was subject to a failed attack resulting in the sinking of the German battleship Scharnhorst. With the end of hostilities Borage was decommissioned and in 1946 she was sold.

Post-war service

In 1946 Borage was sold to the Irish Naval Service where she was commissioned as LÉ Macha.[3] She was scrapped in November 1970.

Notes
  1. Elliott p186
  2. Conway p62
  3. Blackman, Raymond V B, Jane's Fighting Ships 1963-4, Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd, London, p74

Publications
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
  • Gardiner R, Chesnau R: Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946 (1980) ISBN 0-85177-146-7
  • Elliott, P : Allied Escort Ships of World War II (1977) ISBN 0 356 08401 9
  • Ruegg, B, Hague A: Convoys to Russia 1941–1945 (1992) ISBN 0 905617 66 5
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