HM Coastal Motor Boat 4 is the torpedo boat used when Lieutenant

Augustus Agar Commodore Augustus Willington Shelton Agar, (4 January 1890 – 30 December 1968) was a Royal Navy officer in both the First and the Second World Wars. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of th ...

earned a Victoria Cross for carrying out a raid on Soviet warships in

Kronstadt Kronstadt (russian: Кроншта́дт, Kronshtadt ), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from german: link=no, Krone for "crown" and ''Stadt'' for "city") is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of ...

and sinking the cruiser ''Oleg''. It was one of a large series of small, fast, shallow draught Coastal Motor Boats used during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. She was designed by John I. Thornycroft & Company of

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, ordered in January 1916, built by them and delivered that summer. CMB 4 was long and in the beam. She displaced 5 tons drawing of water. Power was a Thornycroft V-12 petrol engine driving a single propeller and achieved a top speed of . The boat was armed with one 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo and two single .303 in (7.62 km) Lewis machine guns for the attack on ''Oleg''. It was operated by a crew of three. IWM Duxford 2017 CMB4

In May 1916, Lieutenant W. N. T. Beckett took command of the newly built HM Coastal Motor Boat 4. In December 1916 he proceeded to

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (, from: ''Brugge aan zee'' meaning "Bruges at Sea", french: Zeebruges) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeeb ...

on 7 April 1917; as a result one was sunk and one very seriously damaged. For these actions Beckett was

mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

and was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

(DSC). The boat, under the command of Lieutenant

, was made famous by his part in the British operations in the Baltic Sea against the Bolsheviks in 1919, where she operated with her sister ships in activities such as the raid on Kronstadt. After the action the boat was returned to the United Kingdom, where it was on display first at the

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and then at the Vosper works on Platt’s Eyot (island) on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

near Kingston for many years with a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

painted on the side until the Vosper works there closed. It was then restored and displayed (with details of the action but with the painted VC removed) at the Imperial War Museum’s out-station

Imperial War Museum Duxford Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artill ...

near

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. In July 2019 the boat was moved to Boathouse 4 in the

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is an area of HM Naval Base Portsmouth which is open to the public; it contains several historic buildings and ships. It is managed by the National Museum of the Royal Navy as an umbrella organization representing f ...

, where she is being displayed above a full-size, working replica being constructed by volunteers. The replica boat will be ready for sea trials in the spring of 2022. CMB 4 remains in the ownership of the Imperial War Museum, and is currently on loan to Boathouse 4 until 2024. Agar’s VC is held by the War Museum in London. The boat was inscribed on the National Register of Historic Vessels in May 1996, becoming part of the

National Historic Fleet The National Historic Fleet is a list of historic ships and vessels located in the United Kingdom, under the National Historic Ships register. National Historic Ships UK is an advisory body which advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media a ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coastal Motor torpedo boats of the Royal Navy Ships preserved in museums MB4 Collection of the Imperial War Museum 1916 ships Museum ships in the United Kingdom pl:CMB

See also

Notes

References