May transferred to the B5 Escort Group, with the same duties. On 10 September 1944, the B5 Escort Group was renamed the 31st Escort Group, with Berkeley Castle as Senior Officer's ship, and returned to UK coastal Waters, continuing to the end of the war in Europe. Berkeley Castle was then employed as an air-sea rescue ship until mid 1946, when she was placed in reserve at Harwich. She was refitted at London in 1949, before returning to reserve. On the night of 31 January/1 February 1953, Berkeley Castle was in dry dock at the naval dockyard at Sheerness, Kent when Sheerness was struck by the North Sea flood of 1953. The tidal surge overtopped the dock gates, flooding the dry dock and causing Berkeley Castle to float off her blocks and capsize. She was refloated, but damage was such that she was beyond economic repair and was not repaired. She was placed on the disposal list in 1955. She arrived at Thos. W. Ward's breaking yard in Grays, Essex, on 29 February 1956 for scrapping. Notes References Publications . Castle-class corvettes 1943 ships Maritime incidents in 1953