minesweeping gear, and to accommodate these items the upswept stern gunwale, a characteristic of the original design, was cut away, producing a flat quarterdeck and simple wire rails. The PAs also had an enhanced anti-aircraft (AA) armament; two sets of twin 37 mm AA guns were fitted in a flying bridge amidships and a set of quadruple 20 mm guns was fitted aft. They also had a 20 mm quadruple mount in a tub set on the roof of the bridge; given the Flowers' reputation for rolling in any seas, putting such a weight so high up would have done no good for their seaworthiness. Service history On completion the four PAs had relatively short service careers. After a four-year building period, none of the ships was in service longer than nine months. The first to be completed, PA 2, joined ("15th Outpost Flotilla") in September 1943, and took part in general patrol and escort duties, protecting coastal traffic against air and small craft attack in the English Channel. She was joined by PA 3 in November 1943 and PA 1 in April 1944. The ships took part in a number of naval actions. In September 1943 PA 2 was part of a force escorting the freighter Maladi in the Channel when they were attacked by Allied motor torpedo boats and motor gun boats. One escort was damaged in the action and Maladi was sunk. In January 1944 PA 3 was part of a force that escorted the blockade-runner Münsterland up the Channel, though Münsterland was protected from ships it was sunk by the coastal artillery at Dover. In February PA 2 and PA 3 were with a force that successfully fought off an attack on the tanker Reckum, bringing her safely to Le Havre. The tanker was later sunk by the Dover batteries. In June 1944, during the Allied invasion of Normandy, German naval units in the area came under persistent air attack. During RAF air raids at Le Havre PA 2 - along with six other escorts - was sunk on 15 June and PA 3 was irreparably damaged on 15–16 June. PA 1 survived until August, but was abandoned when the flotilla fled the town ahead of the Allied advance. PA 4 was unfinished when Nantes was liberated. She was launched as La Télindière and sunk as a blockship in April 1945. She was raised and scrapped