View source for USS Surprise (PG-63)

{{short description|Temptress-class patrol gunboat (Flower-class corvette in U.S. service)}}
{{other ships|USS Surprise|HMS Heliotrope}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Surprise (PG-63).jpg
|Ship caption= USS ''Surprise'' (PG-63)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=HMS ''Heliotrope''
|Ship namesake= [[Heliotropium|Heliotrope]] (flower)
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[John Crown & Sons Ltd]], [[Sunderland, England|Sunderland]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship laid down= 23 October 1939
|Ship launched= 5 June 1940
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= 12 September 1940
|Ship decommissioned= 24 March 1942
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]]: K03
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Transferred to United States Navy
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=United&nbsp;States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1945}}
|Ship name=''Surprise''
|Ship namesake=
|Ship acquired=24 March 1942
|Ship commissioned=24 March 1942
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=20 August 1945
|Ship maiden voyage=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=17 September 1945
|Ship homeport=
|Ship identification= [[Hull number]]: PG-63
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honors=
|Ship fate=Returned to Royal Navy 26 August 1945
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=''Heliotrope''
|Ship acquired=26 August 1945
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship identification=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Sold into civilian service, 1947
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=[[People's Republic of China]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|China|naval}}
|Ship name=''Linyi''
|Ship namesake=[[Linyi]]
|Ship acquired=1949
|Ship commissioned=1949
|Ship decommissioned=1972
|Ship homeport=
|Ship identification=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Scrapped after retirement
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=Patrol [[gunboat]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|925|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (normal)
*{{convert|1375|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (full load)<ref>''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946'', p. 156</ref>
|Ship length={{convert|205|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|14|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship power={{convert|2750|ihp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}}<ref>''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946'', p. 156</ref>
|Ship propulsion=*1 × [[vertical triple expansion]] [[steam engine]]
*2 × boilers <ref>''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946'', p. 156</ref>
*1 × screw
|Ship speed={{convert|16.5|kn|mph km/h|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship range=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship complement=87 officers and enlisted men
|Ship sensors=
|Ship armament=*1 × [[4″/50 caliber gun|{{convert|4|in|mm|abbr=on}} gun]]
*1 × [[3"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on}} gun]]
*2 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{convert|20|mm|in|2|abbr=on}}]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] [[autocannon]]s
*1 × [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]] [[Anti-submarine weapon|anti-submarine]] [[Mortar (weapon)#Design|mortar]]
*2 × [[depth charge]] racks
*4 × depth charge projectors<ref>''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946'', p. 156</ref>
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''USS ''Surprise'' (PG-63)''', the fourth American naval ship of the name, was a {{sclass|Temptress|gunboat|0}} patrol [[gunboat]] during [[World War II]]. She was built as the British {{sclass2|Flower|corvette|0}} [[Corvette#World War II|corvette]] '''HMS ''Heliotrope''''', and was in service with the [[Royal Navy]]  during the first years of the [[Battle of the Atlantic]]. She was loaned to and operated by the [[United States Navy]] from 1942 to 1945. After World War II, she was sold as a merchant vessel and ended her life in the Chinese navy as '''''Lin I'''''.
==Design and construction==
HMS ''Heliotrope'' was built by [[John Crown and Sons Ltd]], [[Sunderland, England|Sunderland]], England, as part of the 1939 building programme.<ref name=Elliott>Elliott p.187</ref> She was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 23 October 1939 and [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 5 June 1940. The ship was completed and entered service on 12 September 1940, being named for the flower [[Heliotropium|heliotrope]], the second ship of that name. As built, ''Heliotrope'' had the short [[forecastle]] that was a feature of the early Flower-class corvette, and which adversely effected their habitability. This was rectified during a refit, with the enclosed deck extended back to be level with the [[Funnel (ship)|funnel]].
==Service history==
===Royal Navy===
After working up, ''Heliotrope'' was assigned to the Western Approaches Escort Force for service as a [[convoy]] escort. In this role she was engaged in all the duties performed by escort ships; protecting convoys, searching for and attacking [[U-boat]]s which attacked ships in convoy, and rescuing survivors.
In 18 months service ''Heliotrope'' escorted 18 North Atlantic, eight [[Gibraltar]] and four South Atlantic convoys,<ref>[https://www.naval-history.net/xDKEscorts20Cor-Flower05.htm ''Heliotrope'': convoy movements] at naval-history.net; retrieved 19 July 2020</ref><ref>[http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hague/index.html  ''Heliotrope'': convoy assignments] at convoyweb.org.uk; retrieved 19 July 2020</ref> assisting in the safe passage of over 750 ships.
She was involved in four major convoy battles: In October 1940 ''Heliotrope'' was part of the escort for [[Convoy HX 79|HX 79]], which was attacked by a U-boat [[Wolfpack (naval tactic)|"wolfpack"]], losing 12 ships sunk.<ref>Blair p.200</ref> In May 1941 she joined [[Convoy HX 126|HX 126]] which saw nine ships sunk and one U-boat damaged.<ref>Blair pp.286-7</ref> In August 1941 she joined [[Convoy SL 81|SL 81]] which saw five ships sunk, while one U-boat was destroyed and two damaged<ref>Blair pp.332-4</ref> In October 1941 she was with [[Convoy HG 75|HG 75]] which saw four ships and one escort sunk, and one U-boat destroyed.<ref>Blair p.208</ref>
===US Navy===
''Heliotrope'' was transferred to the U.S. Navy at [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], England, on 24 March 1942, one of a group of corvettes transferred to the [[U.S. Navy]] under reverse [[Lend-Lease]]. She was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] as USS ''Surprise'' the same day. She was delivered with British [[radar]]s and armament installed, and over the course of her U.S. Navy service was gradually converted to U.S. standards. The {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on|0}} gun was mounted forward, the {{convert|3|in|mm|adj=on|0}} gun aft.<ref>''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946'', p. 156</ref>
''Surprise'' sailed from Lisahally, [[County Londonderry]], Northern Ireland on 24 April 1942 to escort a [[convoy]] to [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], Massachusetts. After an overhaul, she proceeded south and for the remainder of 1942 escorted convoys in the [[Caribbean Sea]], principally between [[Trinidad]] and [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|Guantanamo Bay]], Cuba. In January 1943, she extended her range into the South Atlantic and, into 1944, performed escort runs between Trinidad and [[Recife, Brazil|Recife]], Brazil.
''Surprise'' then returned to the United States. In May 1944, she returned to the North Atlantic and, until after the end of World War II in Europe in May 1945, rotated between [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], Greenland, and [[Iceland]] convoy runs and weather patrol duty.
''Surprise'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on 20 August 1945 at [[Chatham Dockyard|Chatham]], England, returned to the Royal Navy on 26 August, and struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 17 September.
==Fate==
She was transferred to China in 1947,<ref>''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946'', p. 156</ref> and, after a period of mercantile service, she was taken into the [[People's Liberation Army Navy]] service as ''Linyi'' after converting to a [[gunboat]], and finally retired in 1972.
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==References==
*{{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/surprise-iii.html}}
* {{cite book |last1=Blair |first1=Clay |title=Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939-1942 |date=1996 |publisher=Cassell |isbn=0-304-35260-8|author-link=Clay Blair}}
* Chesneau, Roger, ed. ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946''. New York: Mayflower Books, 1980. {{ISBN|0-8317-0303-2}}.
* {{cite book |last=Elliott |first=Peter |title=Allied Escort Ships of World War II: A complete survey |year=1977 |publisher=Macdonald and Jane's|location=London |isbn=0-356-08401-9 }}
* Hague, Arnold : ''The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945'' (2000) {{ISBN|1-55125-033-0}} (Canada) . {{ISBN|1-86176-147-3}} (UK)
==External links==
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/09063.htm Photo gallery] at navsource.org
*[https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/surprise-iii.html USS ''Surprise''] at history.navy.mil
*[http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4768.html HMS ''Heliotrope''] at uboat.net
{{Flower class corvette}}
{{John Crown ships}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Surprise (Pg-63)}}
[[Category:World War II patrol vessels of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Wear]]
[[Category:1940 ships]]
[[Category:Temptress-class gunboats|Surprise]]
[[Category:Corvettes of the People's Liberation Army Navy]]
[[Category:Ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy]]