HM Motor Gun Boat 2007 was a

motor gunboat The motor gun boat (MGB) was a small, high-speed British military vessel of the Second World War, which was armed with a mix of guns, in contrast to the physically similar motor torpedo boat (MTB), whose main offensive weapon were torpedoes. ...

operated by

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Coastal Forces Coastal Forces was a division of the Royal Navy initially established during World War I, and then again in World War II under the command of Rear-Admiral, Coastal Forces. It remained active until the last minesweepers to wear the "HM Coastal Fo ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She was initially built as one of eight gunboats ordered by the

Turkish Navy The Turkish Naval Forces ( tr, ), or Turkish Navy ( tr, ) is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was establi ...

, but which went on to see service in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

as fast blockade runners. She was initially classed as the merchant vessel ''Gay Corsair'', crewed by men of the merchant navy and sailing under the red ensign. She became HM Motor Gunboat ''507'' after being acquired by the Royal Navy, and finally HM Motor Gun Boat ''2007''. She was wrecked under this name in 1945.

Construction

''Gay Corsair'' was built by

Camper and Nicholson Camper may refer to: * A person who engages in recreational camping * A trailer (vehicle) used for camping: ** Popup camper ** Travel trailer * Truck camper * Recreational vehicle * Campervan * Camping (gaming), a tactic in video gaming. People * ...

as part of an order of eight motor gunboats placed by the Turkish Navy. She was launched on 24 August 1943 but the outbreak of the Second World War led to the craft being taken over by the Royal Navy and completed to take part in

Operation Bridford ''Gay Viking'' was a blockade runner of the British Merchant Navy. Originally under construction as a Motor Gun Boat, ''Gay Viking'' was one of eight vessels that were ordered by the Turkish Navy, but were requisitioned by the Royal Navy to s ...

. Bridford was an attempt to bring quantities of

ball bearing A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...

s out of neutral

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, past the German blockade. The ball bearings, and other specialist equipment manufactured in Sweden, were needed by British engineering plants, but while some supplies were being flown in these were not sufficient to meet the demand. The initial five boats taken from Camper and Nicholson were modified to accommodate greater quantities of cargo, and were prepared as blockade runners. Political exigencies meant that the boats were classed as merchant vessels operated by crews drawn from Hull trawlermen and officers from

Ellerman Lines Ellerman Lines was a United Kingdom, UK cargo and passenger shipping company that operated from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. It was founded in the late 19th century, and continued to expand by acquiring smaller sh ...

Operations

The five boats, including ''Gay Corsair'', were deployed in September 1943, with their voyages timed to pass areas of greatest danger during the hours of darkness. On arriving at the Swedish port of

Lysekil Lysekil () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Lysekil Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had about 7,600 inhabitants in 2018. Situated on the south tip of Stångenäs peninsula at the mouth of Gullmarn fjord, it ...

they would load their cargoes, before sailing back to the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...

. Each leg of the journey took two days. The first attempt had to be postponed after problems developed with the boats' engines, and when it took place only ''Gay Viking'' made a successful round-trip. Further attempts were made, many of them successfully, despite some losses to the flotilla. ''Gay Corsair'' eventually made three trips, despite damaging her centre engine crankshaft on 6 March 1944. The operation was considered a success, but the trips were brought to an end with the return of the shorter nights in 1944. The voyages to Sweden were resumed in September 1944 under the name of Operation Moonshine, and involved carrying supplies and munitions to elements of the Danish resistance. Poor weather caused the cancellation of many of these attempts however.

Royal Navy service and loss

''Gay Corsair'' was taken into Royal Navy service in 1944, being armed and commissioned first as HM Motor Gun Boat ''509'', and then as HM Motor Gun Boat ''2007'' in 1945. She ran aground and was wrecked off

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

on 24 May 1945.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Motor Gun Boat 2007 Gunboats of the Royal Navy World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Ships built in England 1943 ships Maritime incidents in May 1945