User:Jonathan Fenny/sandbox

Airworthy
Sea Hurricane Mk X AE977(once registered G-TWTD now G-CHTK) currently operated by Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar.Built in Canada as a Mk X Hurricane by Canadian Car & Foundry (factory serial CCF41H/8020).This aircraft would have been built with a Packard Merlin engine.It was intended to serve in the RAF but was transferred to the Fleet Air Arm.Converted to Sea Hurricane Mk X in Summer 1942.Badly damaged at RNAS Yeovilton in a mid air collision on 5th December 1942 and was written off but was put into storage.It was eventually restored to airworthy status by Hawker Restorations Ltd of Milden,UK.It became airworthy in 2000 and then was shipped to USA where it became based at Planes of Fame in Galveston,Texas and also Chino,California.It has been painted up in various RAF paintschemes.Currently it bears the colours of Hurricane Mk.I P2921 ‘Blue Peter’ flown by Pete Brothers of 32 Squadron, Biggin Hill during 1940.
 * Sea Hurricane Mk Ib Z7015 (registered G-BKTH) operated by Shuttleworth Collection Old Warden, England. Former service with 759 and 880 Naval Air Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm.

=HMS Wallflower K44=

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Adoption by Knaresborough and association with the town
Knaresborough held its warship week between 21st March and 28th March 1942. The target was to just raise £100,000,yet the town raised an astonishing amount of money during the week. At the end it was announced £337,712 had been raised which was equivalent to each townsperson raising £41 12s 10d.The town’s achievements resulted in Knaresborough being declared champions of the Yorkshire Warship weeks that were held between 1941 and 1942

In October 1943, a dirty and ragged White Ensign Flag which had been flown from HMS Wallflower during its convoy escort duties was presented to Knaresborough in recognition of the link between the warship and the town

Notable incidents in the ship's war record
19 Aug 1941 Whilst Wallflower was escorting Convoy OG 71 from the UK to Gibraltar, the crew were able to pick up 10 survivors from the British passenger ship Aguila.The survivors, which included the ship’s captain and  naval officers  belonging to his crew, were taken to safety in Gibraltar.Gibraltar was OG 71’s final destination Aguila had been torpedoed and sunk by the U-boat U-201 west-south-west of Fastnet Rock in position 49°23'N, 17°56'W.C. OG 71 resulted in significant losses in terms of ships and lives lost on the Allied side. The Aguila was carrying numerous passengers which included female WRNS personnel.Around 21-22 women passengers of the WRNS died in the sinking. OG 71 earned the nickname ‘The Nightmare Convoy’. After being sighted by German long range patrol aircraft on the 17th ships from the convoy were attacked in succession by U-boats during the 19th August. After the 19th August,German submarines lost contact with the convoy for 2 days before contact was established.Further ships were sunk on the 23rd.

http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1063.html http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5566.html Lund, Paul; Ludlam, Harry; Shuttleworth, Tom (1987). Nightmare Convoy. Foulsham. ISBN 978-0-572-01452-0. http://uboat.net/ops/convoys/convoys.php?convoy=OG-71

On the 28 Aug 1942 Wallflower saved a significant number of survivors from the Dutch merchant vessel Abbekerk.In all 62 survivors from the ship were rescued from the Atlantic after Abbekerk had been torpedoed by U-boat U-604 Abbekerk was travelling unescorted and was hit by several torpedoes, but fortunately for the 62 crewmen they could abandon ship in good order and the entire crew bar 2 men boarded lifeboats.They avoided being spotted by the German submarine which  had surfaced and was hoping to gain intelligence off the crew and then the Dutchmen sailed eastwards. They aimed to reach Ireland and all 62 managed to survive for 3 days before they were spotted by the crew of HMS Wallflower.Wallflower was escorting westbound convoy ON-124 at the time she encountered the survivors.

http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/2089.html

25 Aug 1943 German U-boat U-523 was sunk in the North Atlantic west of Vigo, in position 42°03'N, 18°02'W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Wanderer (Lt.Cdr. R.F. Whinney, RN) and the British corvette HMS Wallflower (Lt. G.R. Greaves, RNR).

Ships that Wallflower is credited with sinking
Shared sinking of U-523 25 August 43.