Motor Launch ML-286 is a First World War submarine chaser built by Elco, that saw action with Royal Navy. It is also listed as one of the Little Ships that were used in the 1940, Dunkirk evacuation. It is currently in a very poor condition and lies on the banks of the River Thames at Isleworth Ait. ML-286 is the last surviving Royal Naval '

Motor Launch A Motor Launch (ML) is a small military vessel in Royal Navy service. It was designed for harbour defence and submarine chasing or for armed high-speed air-sea rescue. Some vessels for water police service are also known as motor launches. ...

' of the more than 550 that served in the First World War.

World War I service

The first motor launches entered service in 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 ...

. These were 580 vessels built by the US Elco company for the Admiralty, receiving the designations ML-1 to ML-580. They served between 1916 and the end of the war with the

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 ...

defending the British coast from German submarines. Her first commander was the War artist, Lieutenant Geoffrey Allfree (1889–1918)

Dunkirk and post-war conversion to a house boat

After the War ML286 was sold off by the Ministry and was given the name ''Cordon Rouge'' and then later, in 1930 she became ''Eothen'' which was her name at Dunkirk. She returned to Ramsgate and towed to Teddington. She was requisitioned for service as an auxiliary patrol vessel in the Thames but found to be unsuitable, and later was returned to her owners in August 1940.

Current condition

Currently, ''Eothen'' (ML-286) lies in a very poor condition on the banks of the River Thames. It is being monitored and recorded by volunteer members of the

Thames Discovery Programme The Thames Discovery Programme is a community archaeology project, focusing on the archaeology of the River Thames on the Tideway. The Thames Discovery Programme (TDP) was launched in October 2008 and until September 2011, the project was suppor ...

(TDP) based at Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA).

References

External links

"The Movies" – The Ships and Men of the Royal Navy Motor Launch Patrol, 1914–1919
* ttps://forgottenwrecks.maritimearchaeologytrust.org/uploads/images/Articles/Motor%20Launches%20by%20Andrew%20Daw%20V1.pdf Forgotten Wrecks of the First War {{DEFAULTSORT:ML-286 1916 ships Little Ships of Dunkirk Isleworth Transport on the River Thames Ships built in Bayonne, New Jersey Shipwrecks of the River Thames Thames Estuary Patrol vessels of the United Kingdom

World War I service

Dunkirk and post-war conversion to a house boat

Current condition

See also

References

Further reading

External links