[4] Based on a traditional whaler-type design, the initial Canadian ships of the Flower class had a standard displacement of 950 long tons (970 t).

[3] The Royal Canadian Navy initially ordered 54 corvettes in 1940 and these were fitted with Mark II Oropesa minesweeping gear used for destroying contact mines.

Corvettes were first fitted with basic SW-1 and SW-2 CQ surface warning radar, notable for their fishbone-like antenna and reputation for failure in poor weather or in the dark.

This allowed for the installation of Oerlikon 20 mm (0.8 in) cannon, replacing the Browning and Vickers machine guns.

She was commissioned on 5 August 1941 at Saint John and then sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia to undergo work ups.

Hampered by faulty radar, the escort is overwhelmed, losing the destroyer HMCS Ottawa during the battle.

[17] During the battle, Amherst was fired upon by the German submarine U-92 but all of the torpedoes missed while recovering the survivors of SS Hindanger.

[18] Amherst and sister ship Sherbrooke detached from the convoy on 15 September, escorting four merchant vessels that had been damaged in the battle to St. John's, Newfoundland.

[21] At the end of October, C-4 was deployed on escort duty, this time with convoy SC 107, consisting of 42 ships.

During his first encounter the commanding officer, Lieutenant Louis Audette, went up to the crowsnest to direct fire down on the surfaced U-boat.

They passed through the Strait of Gibraltar uneventfully, but came under attack by German Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor aircraft, damaging one of the troopships.

In early April C-4 escorted convoy ON 177, making the trip safely, after being rerouted to avoid German wolfpacks.

[28] Amherst underwent a major refit at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, getting her forecastle extended among other changes to the ship from May to November 1943.

After more workups at Pictou, Nova Scotia the corvette returned to convoy escort duty in the Atlantic until her second refit in September 1944.

In March the corvette joined the escort group C-7 for one more round trip to the United Kingdom before the end of the war in the Atlantic.

[14] Amherst was awarded the battle honours "Atlantic 1941–45"[29] and "Gulf of St. Lawrence 1944"[30] for service during the Second World War.

The ship was one of seven corvettes disposed of by sale on 17 October to the Venezuelan Navy and was renamed Carobobo.