Editing Flower-class corvette (section)

==Post-war use==
The relatively small Flowers were among the first warships to be declared surplus by Allied navies following the end of World War II. They had seen years of hard service in the North Atlantic and were made obsolete by the numerous destroyer escorts and frigates that entered service in the latter part of the war.

32 vessels from the RN, RCN, and USN were transferred to [[Argentina]], [[Chile]], the [[Dominican Republic]], [[Greece]], [[India]], the [[Republic of Ireland]], [[South Africa]], and [[Venezuela]]. These were typically operated according to their original design, as coastal patrol vessels, with many serving until the 1970s.

The [[Irish Naval Service|Irish Navy]] bought three Flowers in 1946 ({{ship|LE|Macha}}, {{ship|LE|Cliona}}, and {{ship|LE|Maev}}). The fledgling navy had intended to buy three more corvettes, as well as a number of surplus [[minesweeper]]s, but severe budget restrictions cancelled these plans, leaving the original three to serve alone through the 1950s and 1960s despite antiquated armament, poor accommodation, and maintenance problems. Taken out of service 1968–1970 and scrapped shortly afterwards. Replaced by {{sclass2|Ton|minesweeper|1}}s before the building of a similar size vessel, LE ''Deirdre''. Entry into the [[European Economic Community]] in 1973 assisted in funding for the building of three future ships.

110 surplus Flowers were sold for commercial use. These saw various careers as mercantile freighters, smugglers, tugs, weather ships, and whalers. The remainder were scrapped. Of particular interest is the story of {{HMCS|Sudbury|K162|6}}. She was declared surplus by the RCN and sold as a towboat specializing in deep-sea salvage. In November 1955, she rescued the freighter ''Makedonia'' in the [[Pacific Ocean|North Pacific]], towing the vessel for over one month through severe weather, becoming one of the most famous salvage ships of all time.

The surplus RCN Flowers {{HMCS|Norsyd|K520|2}} and {{HMCS|Beauharnois|K540|2}} were sold as mercantile freighters but were subsequently acquired in 1946 by the ''[[Mossad LeAliyah Bet]]'', a branch of the Jewish Defense Association (''[[Haganah]]'') in the [[Mandatory Palestine|British Mandate for Palestine]]. ''Mossad Le'aliyah Bet'' organized Jewish immigration from Europe into Palestine, in violation of unilateral British restrictions. The corvettes were intercepted in the [[Mediterranean Sea]] during the summer of 1946 by the destroyer {{HMS|Venus|R50|2}} and [[internment|interned]] in Palestine. After Israel became independent in 1948, these commercial ships were commissioned into the [[Israeli Navy]] as the warships ''Hashomer'' and ''Hagana'' respectively.

Allied navies disposed of their Flowers so quickly following the war, the RN could not supply a single vessel to play ''Compass Rose'' in the 1953 film production of [[Nicholas Monsarrat]]'s novel [[The Cruel Sea (novel)|''The Cruel Sea'']]. The [[Hellenic Navy|Royal Hellenic Navy]] supplied {{ship|Greek corvette|Kriezis||2}} (formerly {{HMS|Coreopsis|K32|6}}) for the role prior to her scrapping.

The only survivor of the entire class is {{HMCS|Sackville|K181|2}}, owned by the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust. She was laid up in reserve in March 1946 and converted in 1952 to a research vessel for Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries, a role she served in until the early 1980s when she was acquired by the trust.<ref name = "lastflower">{{cite web |url= http://www.cbrnp.com/RNP/Flower/ARTICLES/Sackville.htm |title= HMCS ''Sackville'': The last flower (1941–2000) |work= History in Illustration |access-date=2008-06-10 }}</ref> She has been restored to her wartime appearance and serves in the summer months as a museum ship in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]], while wintering securely in the naval dockyard at [[CFB Halifax]] under the care of [[Maritime Forces Atlantic]], [[Canadian Forces Maritime Command|Maritime Command]]. ''Sackville''{{'}}s presence in Halifax is considered very appropriate, given the port was an important North American convoy assembly port during the war. ''Sackville'' makes her first appearance each spring when she is towed by a naval tug from HMC Dockyard to a location off [[Point Pleasant Park]] on the first Sunday in May to participate in the ''Commemoration of the Battle of the Atlantic'' ceremonies held at a memorial in the park overlooking the entrance to [[Halifax Harbour]]. ''Sackville'' typically hosts several dozen RCN veterans on this day and has also participated in several [[burial at sea|burials at sea]] for dispersing the ashes of RCN veterans of the Battle of the Atlantic at this location.