Corvette

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For the automobile, see Chevrolet Corvette.

Image:Dupleix 1856-1887.jpg Image:CanadianCorvettes.jpg A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, smaller than a frigate. Almost all modern navies use ships smaller than frigates for coastal duty, but not all of them use the term corvette. When referring to sailing ships, a corvette is a sloop-of-war.

During World War II most Allied navies had corvettes. The Flower class were usually Royal Navy vessels although a number were provided by the United Kingdom but manned by sailors from countries under Nazi occupation. The Royal Canadian Navy also operated both Castle and Flower Class corvettes which were named after Canadian cities and towns. Approximately 100 Flower class corvettes were built in Canada. Their chief duty was to protect convoys in the North Atlantic and on the route to Murmansk, USSR. The Royal Australian Navy built 60 corvettes, including 20 for the Royal Navy (but crewed by Australians) and 4 for the Royal Indian Navy. These were officially described as Australian Mine Sweepers, or Bathurst class corvettes and were named after Australian towns.

Later in World War II the Royal Navy introduced the Castle class, some of which remained in service until the mid-1950s.

Possibly the most advanced corvette today is the Swedish Navy's Visby-class corvette. It is the first operational warship to extensively utilize stealth technology, although other navies are developing similar vessels since then.

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