''MTB 102'' is one of few surviving
motor torpedo boats that served with the
Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy
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 Minesweeper (ship), minesweepers to wea ...
in 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 built as a prototype, but was purchased and taken into service by the Admiralty.
She was the smallest vessel to ever serve as a flagship for the Royal Navy.
[CBC Newsworld; Queen Elizabeth II, Diamond Jubilee, River Pageant, televised coverage; airdate: 2012 June 3]
Construction
Designed by Commander
Peter Du Cane, the Managing Director of
Vosper Ltd, in 1936. She was completed and launched in 1937, she was bought by the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
and taken into service with the Royal Navy as ''MTB 102'', the 100 prefix denoting a prototype vessel.
She had an all-wood hull, described as "double diagonal Honduras
mahogany
Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
on Canadian
rock elm".
Besides the
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
tubes she was built with,
depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...
s,
machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...
s and the Swiss
Oerlikon 20 mm
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models empl ...
anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
cannon were all tested on her.
''MTB 102'' was the fastest wartime British naval vessel in service at 48 knots.
Wartime service
From 1939 to 1940 she was stationed in the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
. During
Operation Dynamo
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
(the
evacuation from Dunkirk, May–June 1940) she crossed the channel eight times and acted as flagship for
Rear Admiral Wake-Walker when his flagship, destroyer , was disabled.
In 1943, she was part of 615 Water Transport Company
RASC and was renamed ''Vimy''.
In 1944, she carried
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
and General
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
to review the fleet for
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...
, the invasion of Normandy.
Postwar service
''MTB 102'' was sold off after the war, and converted to a private motor cruiser on 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 ...
.
In April 1966 she was bought from Robinson's boatyard
Oulton Broad
Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk.
The suburb is located west of the centre of Lowestoft. It became a civil parish in 2017. It had an estimated population of 10,338 at the 2011 ...
by Mr Derek Brown from where she was berthed in a very unseaworthy condition and had been partially converted into a houseboat. Single-handedly Mr Brown completed extensive work and proceeded to launch ''MTB 102''.
In 1973 she was acquired by the 1st
Blofield
Blofield is a village and civil parish in the Broadland district of Norfolk, England. The parish includes Blofield and the hamlets of Blofield Heath and Blofield Corner and, according to the 2001 census, had a population of 3,221, increasing to ...
and
Brundall
Brundall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is located on the north bank of the River Yare opposite Surlingham Broad and about 7 miles (11 km) east of the city of Norwich.
History
Brundall's name is of Anglo ...
Sea Scouts, of
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
, in whose care she remained until 1995 when ownership passed to the MTB102 Trust. The vessel came with the purchase of the plot of land used as the group's water-base at Brundall Marina, on
Hobros Dyke.
In 1976 she was refurbished by a film company for use in the film ''
The Eagle Has Landed'', and in the Dutch film ''
Soldier of Orange
''Soldier of Orange'' ( nl, Soldaat van Oranje, ) is a 1977 Dutch romance-thriller film directed and co-written by Paul Verhoeven and produced by Rob Houwer, starring Rutger Hauer and Jeroen Krabbé. The film is set around the German occupation o ...
'' the following year.
In 1977 she appeared for Queen
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
's
Silver Jubilee pageant 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 ...
.
In 1983 and 1990 extensive structural repair work was carried out on the hull and decks totalling around £70,000.
Since 1979 she has made several appearances at
Navy Days and is now listed as 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 ...
.
The MTB 102 Trust was established in 1996 to fund the operation and maintenance of ''MTB 102''; it is a
registered charity
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definition of a ch ...
under English law.
Several changes of engines have occurred over her life. The original Italian
Isotta Fraschini
Isotta Fraschini () was an Italian luxury car manufacturer, also producing trucks, as well as engines for marine and aviation use. Founded in Milan, Italy, in 1900 by Cesare Isotta and the brothers Vincenzo, Antonio, and Oreste Fraschini, in 19 ...
engines became difficult to maintain during the early part of the war as Italy was allied to Germany, though they lasted until replaced after the war when ''MTB 102'' was converted to civilian use. In 1985
Perkins Ltd donated two turbocharged diesel engines, and in 1996 and 2002
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...
Marine provided new engines.
[
''102'' appeared as herself in the 2017 war film ''Dunkirk''.]
See also
* HMS Medusa (A353)
References
*
*
External links
MTB 102 Trust website
National Register of Historic Vessels
British Military Powerboat Trust page
{{National Historic Ships
1937 ships
Motor torpedo boats of the Royal Navy
Patrol vessels of the United Kingdom
Ships and vessels of the National Historic Fleet
World War II British torpedo boats