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Motor Torpedo Boats + RAF Rescue Boats

Hi Len. Now I show my ignorance. 18yrs in the RN and I didn't even know that the RN used MTB's, I thought they were all RAF crewed. Still, if you can't land an aircraft on it I never considered thinking about it.:D
Good site though. Enjoyed reading through it
 
Hi Len, the greatest sax player this country ever produced the late Great Freddy Gardner served on MTB and
rescue boats during the war, he could make a sax sit up and beg Bernard
 
Lend Dave Chocks Bernard we watched them on the box earlier too and what brave men they were and couldn't they shift. Jean.
 
My workmate & good friend Jack Poole RIP, was a C/Petty Officer on Motor Torpedo Boats WW2, his son & g/daughter are members of this forum. Len.
 
Took this picture of P1041 Gay Archer in Watchet harbour, this year.

DSCN0970.JPG


Colin
 
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Claire, From 1961 to when he retired knowing your Granddad as i did he was calm & collected never lost his temper, never ranted or raved just the sort of brave man to crew one of those MTB`s which were very flimsy despite there high speed and a lot of good brave seamen died in many MTB`s which were sunk by the enemy, i hope the wounded survived and RIP to those who died. Len.
 
When I was a boy, there was a retired MTB permanently moored alongside in Aberystwyth harbour. She was named TS Thunderer. The local troop of Sea Cadets used her as their headquarters. With Birmingham’s strong connection with mid-Wales, as anyone any idea of what happened to her? David
 
db84124 said:
When I was a boy, there was a retired MTB permanently moored alongside in Aberystwyth harbour. She was named TS Thunderer. The local troop of Sea Cadets used her as their headquarters. With Birmingham’s strong connection with mid-Wales, as anyone any idea of what happened to her? David
Click to expand...
Hi David, Sorry to say T/S Thunderer lies on the bottom of Cardigan Bay, Google "info on t/s thunderer wales" an ex sea cadet tells of training on her. Len.
 
Oh, what a shame! I wonder how that came about. The writer says, "the two big American petrol engines had been removed". She must have been towed out into the Bay and scuttled !!!
I'll go into this in the morning, Len. It's midnight here.
Thanks awfully for the connection. Good night, David
 
Goodnight David, It will be warm in Salerno, its freezing something off here in Birmingham i can hear a lot of clanging but i am not looking outside to see if there any brass monkeys about!!!. Len.
 
Good morning Len. I would love to take a ride in one of these boats when the weather is warmer of course. Jean.
 
hi.any one see our mtb.it was on the severn at stourport.called seajem just down from the power station the 3 huge engines had been replaced with a single leyland engine.it was plywood and always smelled of damp.we bought from sharpness.and brought it up river with a seagull outboard engine.
i took us a week.many a weekend we spent onboard that boat.it was sold in 90 becouse the rules,on river boats got stricked. friends up stream had a vic 20.another classic.when i see that film pt 109 it brings back happy times.
 
Pete does Pete and said he used to fish by the power station. Hope that makes sense?. He said he thinks it was used to patrol the river. Jean.
 
jean it does.i bet he was one of the fishermen who threw maggots at us for making too much wash:D
 
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We had a little boat in those days and when Pete went over the speed limit he would chase us. I won't say what Pete called him. Do you remember the sand bank towards Bewdley ? that's were we would stop off with our picnic lunch but very often the cows beet us to it. Jean.
 
Pete that boat was just up from Amy Turtles boat off Crossroads. Thanks Darby for the photo's. Jean.
 
Pete did you own that one at Stourport only the owner always wore his sailing cap or his captains hat?.
 
This Brearley St.lad was Air Sea Rescue R.A.F....we shall never know how many lives he saved.:)
I am proud to have known him...
 
Thanks Ray I bet you are proud to have known such a brave gentleman. Jean.
 
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Good morning, Len,
I’m afraid almost 48 hours have gone by but at last I’ve found a little time to go into the history of the Aberystwyth boat. Based on your search suggestion in Post #13 (better to type in “TS Thunderer Aberystwyth”; if not, Google comes up with the BHF posting and an avalanche of irrelevant references), I’ve re-read the article written by the nostalgic sea cadet in which he initially states "I was a member of TS Thunderer - a retired wartime Fairmile B or C Class motor launch ......". He goes on to write “the two big American petrol engines had been removed”. Wikipedia informs me that the Fairmile C motor gun boat was powered by three, 850 hp (630 kW) supercharged Hall-Scott (a Berkeley, California-based US manufacturing company) petrol engines. The Fairmile B motor launch, on the other hand, had two 650 bhp (480 kW) Hall-Scott Defender petrol engines. Having read that two engines were removed from Thunderer, she must have been a Class B boat, described by Wikipedia as a ‘motor launch’.

This paragraph I have “lifted” from Wikipedia:
“All (B Class;approximately 650 were built between 1940 and 1945 ) boats were essentially the same, although they could be adapted to serve in several roles by the expedient of having pre-drilled rails on their decks spaced to allow fitment of various types of armaments. Many were later converted to Rescue Motor Launches with small sickbays aft of the funnel, and several more were converted to use as War Department Ambulance Launches with larger sickbays” ....... "Some boats were configured as Motor Torpedo Boats."

For further, more-detailed information please see :

Fairmile B Class …………. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairmile_B_motor_launch

Fairmile C Class ………….. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairmile_C_motor_gun_boat

Hall-Scott ………………… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall-Scott

I haven’t come across how Thunderer sank – or, more probably, how she was sunk – in Cardigan Bay. I’m working on a letter to the Cambrian News, mid-Wales’s equivalent to the Birmingham Post/Mail. Will report back as soon as I hear something. David
 
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We are still in the grip of snow & ice but with your warm fingers David keep up the good work, this sinking has all the elements of a good mystery, i look forward to the solution. Len.
 
Torbay (South Devon, England for those living beyond our shores) was fortunate that Fairmile 'B's and an HDML were operating here after WW2 until recent times on a regular basis as Ferry services and short cruise vessels.

In my estimation these ships are the most elegant looking of ships and I only wish that I had enough money to restore and own one. :) They have been replaced by newer vessels but I have only made one sailing.

I knew most of the skippers and was always able to go 'up top' with them and take in a better view of the ships movements. These ships were very well used and before the relaxation of pub opening hours it was one of the few places that you could obtain alcoholic drinks 'out of hours'. :D In fact many took the Ferries just for that purpose. I recall on group of American tourists, not realizing that they had only crossed a bay, asked when the ship returned to the mainland. Wide smiles by those who overheard this.

One vessel has recently (Western Lady III) returned to the Port of Brixham much to the pleasure of many who remember the 'good days' of the Ferry Service to Torquay which was a much more pleasurable experience than by road during the holiday season.

https://www.savethewesternladies.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
 
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