HMS Calendula was a Flower-class corvette constructed for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, serving primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic. Built at Harland & Wolff in Belfast as part of the 1939 War Emergency programme, she was ordered on 19 September 1939, laid down roughly six weeks later, and launched on 21 March 1940, with her construction completed by 6 May 1940. As a typical Flower-class vessel, she featured a small, robust hull designed for convoy escort duties and anti-submarine warfare. Following her commissioning, Calendula was assigned to the Western Approaches Escort Force, where she played a vital role in convoy protection, searching for and attacking German U-boats, and rescuing survivors from attacked vessels. Her service record includes participation in two significant convoy battles: in September 1940, she escorted convoy HX 72, which suffered the loss of 11 ships, and in November, she was transferred to Freetown to join the local escort group. In March 1941, she was part of convoy SL 68, which experienced a four-day running battle resulting in the sinking of nine merchant ships. Over her two years of service, Calendula escorted ten North Atlantic and ten South Atlantic convoys, aiding the safe passage of over 400 ships, and protected four "Winston Special" troop convoys. In March 1942, Calendula was transferred to the United States Navy under the reverse Lend-Lease arrangement and was commissioned as USS Ready. As a Temptress-class gunboat, she continued her convoy escort duties in the western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea throughout the remainder of the war. After hostilities ended, USS Ready was returned to the Royal Navy in August 1945, and she was subsequently stricken from the naval register in September 1945. Following her decommissioning, Calendula was sold into merchant service, becoming Villa Cisneros in 1948 and later renamed Villa Bens in 1949. Her career highlights her importance in wartime convoy escort operations and her adaptability across different navies and roles.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.