HMS Sunflower (K41)

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HMS Sunflower (K41) was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy that saw active service in World War II. Built by Smith's Dock Co. at South Bank-on-Tees, she was laid down on 24 May 1940, launched on 19 August 1940, and commissioned on 25 January 1941. Her pennant number was K41, and she was scrapped in September 1947 at Hayle, Cornwall.

Sunflower spent most of the war guarding Allied ships in the Atlantic. She served in Western Approaches and the Mid-Ocean Escort Force as part of Escort Group B7, protecting convoys from German submarines in the dangerous middle of the North Atlantic. During convoy ON 153 in December 1942, she helped rescue survivors after the destroyer Firedrake was torpedoed.

Sunflower is noted as the most successful Royal Navy Flower-class corvette. She sank three U-boats: U-638 on 5 May 1943, U-631 on 17 October 1943, and helped sink U-282 on 29 October 1943, in coordination with other ships.

In 1944 she was chosen for Operation Neptune, the Normandy landings, as part of Escort Group 154, defending channel convoys during the build-up and after Neptune. After the war, she returned to the Channel and was paid off into reserve in May 1945. She remained in reserve at Harwich until the Disposal List, and was sold for demolition to Thos. W. Ward at Hayle, arriving for scrapping in August 1947.