HMCS Arvida was a Flower-class corvette that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War.

Following the war, the vessel was converted into a cargo ship and renamed La Ceiba and then Rio Samo.

[1][2] The Flower-class corvettes originated from a need that arose in 1938 to expand the Royal Navy following the Munich Crisis.

[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.

[8] Part of the depth charge rails were made portable so the minesweeping gear could be utilised.

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.

[11] Most Canadian Flower-class corvettes had their forecastles extended which improved crew accommodation and seakeeping.

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

During ONS 127 she rescued survivors from the sinking Canadian destroyer HMCS Ottawa which had been hit by two torpedoes.

[15] Convoy SC 107 was such a disaster that it contributed to Canadian warships being removed from service as ocean escorts for further training.

[16] The ship underwent the first of the modifications at Saint John, New Brunswick from January to April 1942 and then the second from December 1942 to March 1943.