In the yearly years of WWII, the loss of ships crossing the Atlantic with supplies for the allies was staggering. German U-boats were responsible for most of this toll. The tide was turned with the development of the convoy system and the construction of a large number of corvettes of the “Flower” class (they were named after flowers) to serve as escort vessels. Our model of corvette is the HMS Bergamot which was launched in 1940 and saw extensive service during the war. She crossed the Atlantic on conboy duty several times and was also an escort vessel for the famous convoy PQ-18, which sailed from Scotland to Murmansk and suffered heavy losses from attacks by German forces.

Our model, built by T.J. Anderson, is masterfully painted to illustrate the weathering expected for a ship at sea for a long period in the North Atlantic. She is shown equipped with typical antisubmarine armament including depth charges and rockets and an assortment of guns, including a 4″ gun for firing at Uboats and various antiaircraft weapons. Other details include a radar under a dome and an assortment of ship’s boats and life rafts to assist in the
rescue of crews from torpedoed ships.