HMS Hibiscus (K24)

HMS Hibiscus was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and was in service in the Battle of the Atlantic.

In 1942 she was transferred to the United States Navy as part of the Reverse Lend-Lease arrangement and renamed USS Spry, one of the Temptress-class gunboats.

Hibiscus was built at Harland & Wolff, Belfast, as part of the 1939 War Emergency building programme.

As built, Hibiscus had the short forecastle that was a feature of the early Flowers, and which adversely effected their habitability.

She was involved in three major convoy battles: In October 1940 Hibiscus was part of the escort for HX 79, which was attacked by a U-boat pack, losing 12 ships sunk.

As Madonna , on the river Spaarne at Haarlem in the Netherlands .