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One For Vaughan

NeilB

By NeilB
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Vaughan

Vaughan

Posted
Posted

Thank very much for that Neil, very interesting.

As there was no commentary, my question would be : what were they doing it for? It all looked in very good condition, to me!

When I visited Portsmouth dockyard in September I wanted to see this boat but she must have already been in the shed under re-fit at the time. All there was was this board, on her regular mooring.

 

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She was one of the production boats, built during the war but her prototype was MGB 56, built in 1938. She was the houseboat "Morning Flight" that I grew up on in Thorpe. That curved and sloping shape to the superstructure was why they were nick-named "whale-backs". 81 was built with Packard Merlins, built in America, but 56 had Rolls Royce Merlins. In this photo of 1955, you can see the same classic British Power Boat Co shape, which was also used for the American ELCO PT boats.

 

5a3e27e861363_Gunboat50s.thumb.jpeg.3809249fa9851943d7607bb26a8ebad7.jpeg

 

Some things I found interesting in the film were that the traditional stuffing box and inboard bearing are the same as you find on the Broads, just a bit bigger. Also that the shaft is tapered and keyed at both ends, so that it can be turned round and re-used when it gets worn at the bearing points. This is also common on the Broads.

The inside of the hull didn't look the same to me. Morning Flight was built Admiralty fashion, with diagonal stringers as well as timbers and mainframes. This boat appears to have carvel planking, rather than the original double diagonal. Maybe this was done when she was re-built, or maybe it is because these boats were built quicker and more cheaply during the War itself. They didn't expect them to last very long, in Coastal Forces!

Thanks again for posting that - maybe I will see her on the water when I come through Portsmouth again next year!

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MBA Marine

MBA Marine

Posted
Posted

There be a boat that has had a lifetime's worth of work for a long lifetime,  just look at the equipment and hoses in the engine bay, inc what looked like an Onan generator all I would say under 20yrs old, the condition if those internal timers all look like new,  and the man power at their disposal combined with the facilities (lifting gantry ect) this is stuff off dreams,  clean tidy and light working environment I am truly envious.

Nice boat. 

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Vaughan

Vaughan

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18 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

She should go faster in reverse now!

Peter is referring of course, to wartime Italian tanks, which were said to have a five-speed gearbox, 4 of which were reverse!

Historically, this is even more interesting, since the Vosper "short 72" MTB, of which MTB 102 was the prototype, went into production with Isotta Fraschini Italian engines, which were considered to be the best. Problem came later, when Italy declared war on the wrong side. So no more supplies, and no more spares!

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TheQ

TheQ

Posted
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Those of us a bit younger do know about Italian tanks, especially if their grandfather was RSM of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment, In the deserts of north Africa. Mind you if I was in one of their tanks I'd want 4 reverse gears , their armour was as good as tissue paper... Unlike the Matilda 2, which was impervious to almost anything until Rommel turned up with 88s...

They improvised big guns mounted on the back of 3 ton lorries in the desert, the only way to get them to bear on target without killing the driver, was to go into battle backwards

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TheQ

TheQ

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3 hours ago, grendel said:

The Archer self propelled gun was a 17pdr mounted rear facing on a valentine chassis.

Produced From March 43, from what I've just looked up , they were too late for the WW2 desert war which we had won in May 43. Which is why I hadn't heard of them...

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