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The Golden Galleon!

Hrimfaxi

By Hrimfaxi
in Broads Chat

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Hrimfaxi

Hrimfaxi

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I'm sitting here, thinking about my trip to the Broads next week, when I remembered a day trip that used to launch from Great Yarmouth aboard the Golden Galleon...

I want to know what happened to her and have done a little research.  I've found some posts on other forums that she is still afloat, although derelict, moored around Reedham?  Talk of it being donated to the Sea Scouts? Last post I could see was in 2009...

Does anyone know anything further?  Would be great to find out some recent updates! If she's still afloat!

:default_biggrin:

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annv

annv

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She was scraped some years ago she was indeed moored at Reedham near New Cut mouth for a long time sinking and being pumped out by fire brigade, she was a w ii gun boat originally i believe.   her owner bought the Waveney River Centre which he then sold and retired to Stokesby.. John

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Vaughan

Vaughan

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27 minutes ago, Hrimfaxi said:

Thanks for posting those photos! That's exactly how I remember it.  Those later photos, with the shark mouth around the bow, I wonder how that came to be.

Golden Galleon was a Fairmile "B" H.D.M.L. (Harbour defence motor launch), which were built during the War in a lot of private yards, including Herbert Woods and Percivals, on the Broads. There were several different versions. Some were used as minelayers and some had a false funnel, which made them look like destroyers, when seen at night.

The sharks teeth were painted on much later when she was in private hands, but were appropriated from a flotilla of Fairmile "D" MTBs, which I believe was based in Felixtowe. They were not worn by MLs during the war, as far as I know.

MLs were used extensively in the Pacific, during the Arakan Campaign to remove the Japanese from Burma in 1945. They were also used in the famous raid on St Nazaire.

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Lulu

Lulu

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This has got me remembering a ship Im sure was moored on the right going into yarmouth before turning right onto Breydon. It was red and Im sure had Cat as part of the name. It was there  im guessing in the 70's 80's? I just remember as a kid always wanting to see it as we passed. Anyone remember it or am I just imagining it! 

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stumpy

stumpy

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10 hours ago, Vaughan said:

 

The sharks teeth were painted on much later when she was in private hands, but were appropriated from a flotilla of Fairmile "D" MTBs, which I believe was based in Felixtowe. They were not worn by MLs during the war, as far as I know.

 

HMS Beehive, later the Little Ships hotel (aka the Custom House annexe), sadly long demolished for dock extensions. There was a lot of wartime memorabilia in the bar - I can confirm no shark mouths, all Admiralty grey except one that was in 'razzle dazzle'. The cellar walls were covered with graffiti, cartoons and caricatures, at the time I never thought to take photographs as we all thought it was a listed building and would never disappear. Unfortunately there was an accidental fire - form your own conclusion!

Eta: As mentioned in "We didn't mean to go to sea" when they cleared Customs inward.

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Vaughan

Vaughan

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722299170_Sharksteeth.thumb.jpeg.cc346a6cd360083eafbff2eddfc4fbc2.jpeg

It seems it was the 55th flotilla of D class MGBs and this was their unique emblem.

Interesting to find that they were based at HMS Midge, from Oct 41 to May 43. Midge was the coastal forces base at Gt Yarmouth. So I guess someone must have remembered those sharks teeth, and painted them on to the Golden Galleon, years later.

I think the photo was probably taken in Portsmouth, where they were transferred later. The photo is scanned from "Dog Boats at War", by Leonard C. Reynolds.

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