Corvette

Corvette, originally a sailing man-of-war, smaller than a frigate but larger than a sloop of war. It was a flush-decked, ship- or bark-rigged vessel, with a single tier of guns either on the upper or main deck. During World War II the term was applied to a type of vessel, lightly armed and armoured but well equipped with anti-aircraft and antisubmarine devices, that could be built more rapidly than a destroyer and could be a substitute in escorting convoys. These small vessels were built in large numbers by Britain and Canada. The United States Navy relied more on similar US-built vessels, known as submarine chasers. See also Ships and Shipbuilding.