Corvette
- For the automobile, see Chevrolet Corvette.
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, smaller than a frigate.
When referring to sailing ships, a corvette is a ship-rigged sloop.
Almost all modern navies use ships smaller than frigates for coastal duty, but not all of them use the term "corvette". During World War II most allied navies had corvettes. The Flower Class were usually Royal Navy vessels although a number were provided by the UK but manned by sailors from countries that had been occupied by Hitler's forces, while the Royal Canadian Navy named theirs after Canadian cities and towns. Their chief duty was to protect convoys in the North Atlantic and on the route to Murmansk, USSR.
Later in WWII the Royal Navy introduced the Castle Class some of which remained in service until the mid 1950s.
