Coastal Forces was a division of the Royal Navy established during World War II under the command of Rear Admiral Coastal Forces. [1]
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History
The Royal Navy had previously operated flotillas of small torpedo- and depth-charge-armed craft (Coastal Motor Boats) during the First World War[2] The first Headquarters was set up at HMS Vernon in 1940. The Chief Staff Officer to the Admiral was Augustus Agar VC who had commanded Coastal Motor Boats during the First World War and British operations in the Baltic in support of the White Russian forces. Post war MTBs and MGBs were all renamed as fast patrol boats. The Brave class fast patrol boats were the last to be built for the Coastal Forces and the Coastal Forces were disbanded as a separate unit and their last base (HMS Hornet) decommissioned in 1956.
Units and craft
It included the following types of coastal defence craft: [3]
| Type [4] | Designation | Built | Lost | Designed purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motor Launches | ML, HDML ASR | Harbour defense and submarine chasing or for armed high speed Air Sea Rescue. | ||
| Motor Gun Boats | MGB | |||
| Steam Gun Boats | SGB | 7 | 1 | Hunting down German E-boats |
| Motor Torpedo Boats | MTB |
At the outbreak of war there were three flotillas of Motor Torpedo “short boats" between 60 ft and 72 feet long. These could typically maintain 40 knots and were armed with two torpedo tubes. They were built mainly by the British Power Boat Company, Vospers and Thornycroft. In 1940 a modified craft, the Motor Gun Boat, was introduced. These were armed with weapons such as the 0.5 in Browning machine gun, 2 pounder "pom pom", a single or twin 20 mm Oerlikon and ultimately the autoloader fitted 6-pounder gun.[5] It was also apparent that larger craft were needed as the operational capability of the short boats was too restricted by sea conditions. Fairmile designed a series of larger coastal craft, up to 120 feet long. The Fairmile A Type and B Type were Motor Launches and the C Type was a Motor Gun Boat.[6] In 1943 the Fairmile D Type appeared. It was a motor torpedo boat – nicknamed the Dog Boat – and was designed as a counter to the German E-boat. It could be fitted as either a gun or a torpedo boat, so the designation MGB disappeared and all the craft were labelled MTBs. It was a good sea boat and could maintain 30 knots at full load. The later D types carried four 18-inch torpedo tubes.[7] The Vosper Type I MTB appeared in 1943. This was a 73 foot craft with four 18-inch torpedo tubes and was capable of 40 knots maximum.
Operations
British "Coastal craft operated mainly in the English Channel and North Sea waters, especially in the build up to the Normandy invasion of 1944. They were also used in the Mediterranean and Norwegian campaigns." They raided St Nazaire and Dieppe. They were used to attack German convoys and their E-Boat escorts, "carry out clandestine raids and landings and pick up secret agents in Norway and Brittany." "The coastal craft were manned by various Allied nationalities including Dutch, Norwegian, Canadian, Australian and New Zealanders."[8] By 1944 Coastal Forces numbered 3,000 officers and 22,000 ratings. Altogether there were 2,000 British Coastal Forces craft. Affectionately known as the Navy's "Little Ships", they fought over 780 actions and sank 800 enemy vessels, including 48 E-boats and 32 midget submarines. They fired 1169 torpedoes, shot down 32 enemy aircraft and carried out many mine laying operations. 170 of the "Little Ships" were sunk or destroyed.[9]
Bases
The Coastal Forces bases were around the British coast and at major locations overseas. [10][11][12]
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Commonwealth coastal forces
Although British Commonwealth coastal forces operated independently from Britain, they used similar vessels:
| Coastal forces of | Type | Built | Lost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Fairmile B motor launch Fairmile D motor torpedo boat BPB Motor Torpedo Boat |
80 [13] 10 [14] 11 [15] |
||
| Australia | Harbour Defence Motor Launch Fairmile B motor launch |
31 [16] 35 [17] |
||
| New Zealand | Harbour Defence Motor Launch Fairmile B motor launch |
16 [18] 12 [19] |
Surviving craft
| Vessel | Description | Built | Builder | In the care of | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HDML 1387 Medusa | Harbour Defence Launch which took part in the Normandy landings. [20] | Medusa Trust [21] | still at sea in original condition | ||
| MTB102 | prototype for WW2 MTBs [22] | 1937 | Vosper | MTB102 Trust [23] | still seaworthy |
| MTB 331 | 55ft stepped hull motor torpedo boat - sole survivor [24] | 1941 | Thornycroft | British Military Powerboat Trust [25] | Intention to get her seaworthy |
| MGB 81 | 71.5ft Motor Gun Boat | 1942 | British Power Boat Company | British Military Powerboat Trust [26] | fully operational |
| HSL 102 | 64ft High Speed Launch, formerly RAF [27] | 1936 | British Power Boat Company [28] | [29] | fully operational |
| MTB 71 | 60ft Motor Torpedo Boat | 1940 | Vosper | static exhibit |
Some surviving motor launches in British waters were taken on as pleasure boats and a number of them are on the National Register of Historic Vessels.
See also
- Royal Naval Patrol Service
- Trawlers of the Royal Navy
- Coastal Forces of World War II
- Coastal Forces of the Royal Canadian Navy
- Coastal Forces of the Royal Australian Navy
- Coastal Forces of the Royal New Zealand Navy
References
- Notes
- ^ Royal Navy Coastal Forces
- ^ These were used as much in actions against the enemy coast as in defence of the British coast
- ^ The Coastal Forces Heritage Trust: Our Objectives
- ^ Note that minesweepers, trawlers and landing craft are not included.
- ^ Allied Coastal Forces of World War II - Volume II: Vosper designs and US Elcos - by John Lambert and Al Ross, 1993 ISBN 0-85177-602-7
- ^ Allied Coastal Forces of World War II - Volume I: Fairmile designs and US Submarine Chasers - by John Lambert and Al Ross, 1990 ISBN 978-0851775197
- ^ The Fairmile D Motor Torpedo Boat (Anatomy of the Ship's series) by John Lambert, 1985 ISBN 0-85177-321-4
- ^ Coastal Forces of World War Two (Royal Naval Museum)
- ^ The Coastal Forces Heritage Trust: Coastal Forces Achievements
- ^ Coastal Forces Shore establishments
- ^ Combined Operations Training Establishments
- ^ List of Royal Navy shore establishments
- ^ Canadian Fairmile Bs
- ^ Canadian Fairmile Ds
- ^ BPB Motor Torpedo Boat
- ^ Australian HDMLs
- ^ Australian Fairmile Bs
- ^ New Zealand HDMLs
- ^ New ZealandFairmile Bs
- ^ HDML 1387 Medusa
- ^ Medusa Medusa Trust
- ^ MTB102
- ^ MTB102 Trust
- ^ MTB-331 - 55ft coastal motor torpedo boat
- ^ British Military Powerboat Trust MTB 331
- ^ British Military Powerboat Trust MGB 81
- ^ National Historic Ships MGB 81
- ^ British Power Boat Company
- ^ HSL 102 for sale
- Reading List
- Cooper, Bryan. (1972) Battle of the Torpedo Boats. ISBN 978-0330232432
- Konstam, Angus (2003) British Motor Torpedo Boat 1939–45. Osprey ISBN 1-84176-500-7
- Lambert, John and Ross, Al (1990) Allied Coastal Forces of World War Two, Volume I: Fairmile designs and US Submarine Chasers. ISBN 978-0851775197
- Lavery, Brian (2006) Churchill's Navy: The Ships, Men and Organisation, 1939-1945, ISBN 978-1844860357
- Kemp, Paul J (1997) British Coastal Forces of WW2, ISO Publications, London, ISBN 0946784523
- Konstam, Angus and Bryan, Tony. British Motor Torpedo Boat 1939-45. ISBN 978-1841765006
- Pickles, Harold (1995) Untold Stories of Small Boats at War: Coastal Forces Veterans Remember ISBN 978-1858211763
- Pope, Dudley (2006) Flag 4: The Battle of Coastal Forces in the Mediterranean 1939-1945. ISBN 978-1861760678
- Reynolds, L.C. and Cooper, H.F. (1999) Mediterranean MTBs at War: Short MTB Flotilla Operations, 1939-45. ISBN 978-0750922746
- Reynolds, L. C. (2000) Home Waters MTBs at War: Channel and North Sea MTB and MGB Flotilla Operations, 1939-1945. ISBN 978-0750925181
- Reynolds, L. C. and Lord Lewin (2000) Dog Boats at War: A History of the Operations of the Royal Navy D Class Fairmile Motor Torpedo Boats and Motor Gunboats 1939-1945, Sutton Publications Inc, ISBN 978-0750924542
- Reynolds, L. C. (2002) Motor Gunboat 658: The Small Boat War in the Mediterranean. ISBN 978-0304361830
- Royal Naval Museum - Reading list
- Coastal Forces Heritage Trust - Books About Coastal Forces
External links
- Coastal, inshore and special naval warfare
- The Coastal Forces Heritage Trust
- British Military Powerboat Trust: Boat Histories
- Coastal Forces, Clandestine Naval Ops and Landing Craft
- Coastal Forces
- UK National Register of Historic Vessels
- Royal Navy Coastal Forces training base, mainly for MLs
- Royal Navy Coastal Warfare Vessels Lost at Sea
- Motor Launches and MTBs of the Coastal Forces
- Personal recollections
