Naval history saved for posterity

I'm pleased to read that two of the very few surviving British coastal craft from World War II have been purchased for the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust. The Daily Mail reports:

The high-speed boats, which were the fastest of their type, proved vital to Britain's wartime sea campaign.

One, MGB 81, is an example of the vessel which was active during the U.S. landing at Omaha beach during D-Day.

MGBs - Motor Gun Boats - were small in size and their high speed made them difficult targets for German E-boats.




They were used extensively in the Mediterranean to sink German and Italian ships.

The other boat, HSL 102, is the only surviving example of the 100 class high-speed launch which was used at RAF Calshot, near Southampton, to retrieve shot-down airmen from the sea.




During the war, the HSL vessels saved a total of 10,000 airmen of various nationalities.

There's more at the link.

Of interest to US readers is the fact that the first of the famous PT boats of the US Navy during World War II were based on pre-war British fast coastal craft designs. The US developed the design further, strengthening it for longer-range operations in the Pacific, and making the boats dual-purpose, with both gun and torpedo armament. British Coastal Forces retained their lighter designs, suitable for use in the English Channel and North Sea, and distinguished between Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB's) and Motor Gun Boats (MGB's), which had different weapons and operational tasks. Only in 1943, with the advent of the larger Fairmile Model D Motor Torpedo Boat, was the MGB designation dropped, as these craft, like their US PT boat cousins, were big enough to carry both torpedoes and guns. Coastal Forces also used Motor Launches (ML's) and a few Steam Gun Boats (SGB's).

US airmen during World War II also learned to love High Speed Launches such as HSL 102. These craft saved thousands of airmen whose aircraft had ditched in the English Channel and North Sea. It's reported that the tot of rum traditionally served to rescued airmen aboard the launches was particularly popular with US fliers! A short wartime video clip of the rescue launches in action may be viewed here.

Because of their light (wood) construction, most of the US PT boats and British coastal craft were disposed of after the war, many being simply burned at their moorings because they weren't considered worth bringing back. Very few have survived to the present day. It's good to see these two examples of warship history preserved for posterity.

Peter