HMIS Cornwallis (L09) was an Aubrietia-class sloop initially constructed for the Royal Navy during World War I. Launched on August 21, 1917, by William Hamilton and Company in Port Glasgow, she was originally commissioned as HMS Lychnis. The vessel was built as a minesweeper, reflecting her wartime role in clearing naval mines, and was notable for her service in the Mediterranean Sea, where she achieved the sinking of the German submarine SM U-64 on June 17, 1918, through depth charging and shelling. Following the end of World War I, the ship was transferred to the Royal Indian Marine in 1921 and was renamed HMIS Cornwallis, marking her transition into service with India’s maritime forces. When the Royal Indian Marine was renamed the Royal Indian Navy in 1934, Cornwallis continued her service as part of this fleet. During her career, she was reclassified with a new pennant number U09 in 1940, indicating her role in the evolving naval structure. Throughout World War II, HMIS Cornwallis was primarily employed as a convoy escort in the Indian Ocean, serving with the Eastern Fleet from 1942 to 1945. Her duties involved protecting merchant vessels and maintaining supply lines in a strategically vital region, contributing to the Allied war effort against Axis forces. Although originally designed as a minesweeper, her wartime service emphasized her versatility in escort duties during a period of intense naval conflict. After the conclusion of World War II, HMIS Cornwallis was decommissioned and scrapped in 1946, shortly following the war’s end. Her service record highlights her transition from a World War I minesweeper to a key component of India’s naval forces during World War II, underscoring her maritime significance in both conflicts and her role in safeguarding vital maritime routes in the Indian Ocean.

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