HMS Florizel

HMS Florizel (J404), US pennant No. BAM-26, was an Auk-class minesweeper ordered by the US Navy to be supplied to the Royal Navy (RN) under Lend-lease. Florizel was built by Associated Ship Builders at Harbour Island, Seattle, Washington, United States and commissioned by the Royal Navy as Pennant No. J404. She was ordered 24 March 1942, laid down 27 January 1943, launched 20 May 1943 and commissioned 14 April 1944.

HMS Florizel in 1944
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Florizel
Ordered	24 March 1942
Builder	Associated Shipbuilders
Laid down	27 January 1943
Launched	20 May 1943
Commissioned	14 April 1944
Out of service	14 December 1946 sold to Greece
Renamed	1947 merchant ship Aida 1959 HNS Lasithi
Identification	Pennant number J404
Fate	Broken up at Messina 1967
General characteristics
Class and type	Auk-class minesweeper
Displacement	945 tons
Length	184 ft 6 in (56.24 m)
Beam	33 ft (10 m)
Draft	9 ft 6 in (2.90 m)
Propulsion	2 × 1,710 shp (1,275 kW) Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines
Speed	14.8 knots (27 km/h)
Complement	104
Armament	3 in (76 mm) dual-purpose gun mount 2 × twin 40 mm gun mounts 2 × 20 mm gun mounts 2 × Depth charge tracks 5 × depth charge projectors

1944 Collision

Patch of HMS Florizel

On 10 December 1944 HMS Charlestown collided with Florizel off Harwich, England. Due to the Charlestown's advanced age – the keel was laid more than 26+1⁄2 years earlier – and the pressing need for experienced crews on newer warships, the Royal Navy declined repairs. Florizel survived the encounter and returned to duty.^[1]

Postwar history

• 14 December 1946 Sold to Greece
• 1947 Renamed Merchant Ship Aida
• 1953 Converted to a cargo ship
• 1959 Renamed Lasithi
• 1967 Broken up in Messina

Other ships named Florizel

• SS Florizel a passenger ship commissioned in 1909 and sank off of St. John's, Newfoundland.
• SS Empire Florizel (169503) was a short lived UK transport ship launched 21 April 1943 and was bombed and sunk on 21 Jul 1943 off Augusta, Sicily.^[2][3]

References

1. "USS Abbot (DD 184) History". Abbot.us. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
2. "Convoy KMS 19 Malta-Augusta / Augusta-Malta". warsailors.com. 9 October 1943. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
3. "ss EMPIRE FLORIZEL built by Lithgows Port Glasgow Clydebuilt Ships Database". Clydesite.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.