| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Corvette |
| Class | Flower |
| Pennant | K 39 |
| Built by | Ferguson Shipbuilders. Ltd. (Port Glasgow, Scotland) |
| Ordered | 31 Aug 1939 |
| Laid down | 22 Nov 1939 |
| Launched | 4 Sep 1940 |
| Commissioned | 3 Jan 1941 |
| End service | |
| History | HMS Hydrangea is not listed as active unit in the October 1945 Navy List Sold in 1947. |
Commands listed for HMS Hydrangea (K 39)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | ||
| 1 | Lt. Joseph Eric Woolfenden, RNR | Oct 1940 | 1 May 1943 | |
| 2 | T/A/Lt.Cdr. Frederick Standen Howell, RNR | 1 May 1943 | 14 Feb 1944 | |
| 3 | T/Lt. Trevor Davies Bennett, RNR | 14 Feb 1944 | late 1944 | |
| 4 | T/Lt. Edwin Charles Leaver, RNR | Dec 1944 | 4 Jan 1945 | |
| 5 | Lt.Cdr. Sydney Warren Hicks, RNZNVR | 4 Jan 1945 | mid 1945 | |
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Notable events involving Hydrangea include:
14 Feb 1941
HMS H 28 (Lt. L.W.A. Bennington, DSC, RN) participated in A/S exercises off Tobermory. Upon completion of these exercises she proceeded to Rothesay together with the Norwegian submarine B 1. They were escorted by the corvette HMS Hydrangea (Lt. J.E. Woolfenden, RNR). (1)
15 Feb 1941
HMS H 50 (Lt. M. Willmott, RN) departed Rothesay for Tobermory. She was escorted by HMS Hydrangea (Lt. J.E. Woolfenden, RNR). (2)
3 Aug 1941
German U-boat U-401 in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, in position 50°30'N, 19°35'W, by depth charges from the British corvette HMS Hydrangea (Lt. J.E. Woolfenden, RNR).
5 Aug 1941
HMS Hydrangea (Lt. J.E. Woolfenden, RNR) picks up 36 survivors from the British merchant Cape Rodney that foundered west of Ushant in position 52°44'N, 11°41'W after being torpedoed and damaged west of Ireland in position 53°26'N, 15°40'W by German U-boat U-75.
Hydrangea also picks up 39 survivors from the British merchant Harlingen that was torpedoed and sunk by U-75 in the same attack.
12 Dec 1942
HMS P 614 (Lt. H.W. Wilkinson, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Freetown together with HMS Hydrangea (A/Lt.Cdr. J.E. Woolfenden, RD, RNR), FFS Commandant Drogou, HMS Viviana (Skr. R. Trueman, RNR) and HMS Northern Isles (T/Lt. J.M. Baldry, RNVR). (3)
21 Dec 1942
HMS P 614 (Lt. H.W. Wilkinson, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Freetown together with HMS Hydrangea (A/Lt.Cdr. J.E. Woolfenden, RD, RNR) and FFS Commandant d'Estienne d'Orves. (3)
24 Dec 1942
HMS P 614 (Lt. H.W. Wilkinson, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Freetown together with HMS Holcombe (Lt.Cdr. S.H. Pinchin, DSC, RN), HMS Hydrangea (A/Lt.Cdr. J.E. Woolfenden, RD, RNR) and HMS ML 289 (T/Lt. S.E. Slater, RNVR). (3)
Sources
- ADM 173/16714
- ADM 173/16790
- ADM 173/17529
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.