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Allied Warships

HMS Orchis (K 76)

Corvette of the Flower class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeCorvette
ClassFlower 
PennantK 76 
Built byHarland & Wolff Ltd. (Belfast, Northern Ireland) 
Ordered19 Sep, 1939 
Laid down18 Jun, 1940 
Launched15 Oct, 1940 
Commissioned29 Nov, 1940 
Lost21 Aug, 1944 
Loss position
 
History

On 21 August 1944 HMS Orchis (A/T/Lt.Cdr. Bryan Webster Harris, DSC, RNVR) is severely damaged by a mine, and beached off 'Juno' Beach at Courseulles-sur-Mer, and subsequently declared a Constructive Total Loss (CTL).

Commanding Officers:
Lt. Arthur Denis White, RNR
12 November 1940 – 17 May 1941
Promoted to Lt.Cdr. on ???

T/Lt. H. Vernon, RNR
17 May 1941 – 5 October 1941

Lt. C.E. Keene, RN
5 October 1941 - ???

Lt. Arthur Denis White, RNR
??? – 16 March 1943

Lt. E.D.A. Dyer, RCNVR
16 March 1943 – 20 October 1943

A/T/Lt.Cdr. Bryan Webster Harris, RNVR
20 October 1943 >
DSC awarded on 22 February 1944
Bar to DSC awarded on 28 November 1944 


Noteable events involving Orchis include:

6 May, 1941
HMS Orchis (Lt. H. Vernon, RNR) picks up survivors from the British armed boarding vessel HMS Camito that was torpedoed the previous day by the German submarine U-97 in position 50º40'N, 21º30'W.

15 Aug, 1944
The German submarine U-741 was sunk in the English Channel north-west of Le Havre, in position 50º20'84"N, 00º34'68"W, by depth charges from the British corvette HMS Orchis (A/T/Lt.Cdr. B.W. Harris, DSC, RNVR). (see map)


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