Dad during the war took photographs of Fairmile MTB 004 and 019 for the Ministry. I suspect they were undergoing trials. Any info please especially when and where the trials may have been held.
These were Fairmile D Type MTB craft. 38 were handed over to the RAF in 1945 to be rearmed and designated Long Range Rescue Craft and were intended for service in the Far East from late 1945. The first 19 were completed as LRRC while the next 19 were conversions having seen some service as MTB with the RN. LRRC004 (ex MTB 5006) was ordered from Boat Construction Co at Falmouth on 26 March 1943 and completed for the RAF in Aug 1945. LRRC019 (ex MTB 5024) was ordered from Thomson & Balfour, Victoria Saw Mills, Bo'ness on 26 March 1943 and completed for the RAF on 12 July 1945. The RAF started receiving these new craft in March 1945 from various builders across the UK. The 19 new builds (LRRC001-019)were taken on between March and Sept 1945. Another 19 (LRRC021-039) were taken on by the RAF, with one exception, around May-June 1945 after service as MTBs mostly having been completed around mid-1943. The exception was LRRC021 which is noted as having passed to the RAF in Jan 1944, becoming LRRC021 in 1945. The armament was 2 single 20mm Oerlikon on Mk.VII mounts forward side by side plus a manually operated twin Oerlikon on a Mk.IX mount aft plus 2 twin 0.303" machine guns. The rectangular shaped objects aft of the superstructure were long range fuel tanks strapped to the upper deck. They carried a small boat right aft, presumably for rescue purposes. Information from Allied Coastal Forces of WW2 Vol1 Fairmile Designs and US Sub Chasers.
Ewen, thank you. I think these two vessels were for air sea rescue as dad photographed air sea rescue trials. Any idea where the trials may have taken place? He was at RAF Beaulieu in 1945. thanks again, it is personal when one's father did the pictures.
The question is trials of what exactly? Trials of newly completed ships would generally take place close to the builders yards. So the English Channel for LRRC004 and the Forth Estuary for LRRC019. But if it were to be trials of some specific piece of equipment it could be anywhere. Unfortunately the background to the photo offers no clue either. Given the crew is lined up on deck they must be entering or leaving a port somewhere. I've been back into my copy of RAF Flying Training and Air Support Units since 1912 which lists all the Air/Sea Rescue Marine Craft Units that were dotted around the UK and further afield. There were five (Long Range) Air Sea Rescue Units (later to be renamed LRRMCU units) formed monthly from 1 Dec 1944 at Calshot on the Solent that used a number of these craft but neither of the two you are interested in are listed. The first of these units found its way to Malta by July 1945 with LRRC021. That fits with a general movement towards the Far East in summer 1945. The MTB versions of these craft made the long voyage to India under their own steam. Calshot was a major base for RAF Marine Craft Units and close to Beaulieu. RAF Calshot - Wikipedia Also No 67 Air/Sea Rescue Marine Craft Unit was formed in April 1943 and disbanded on 5 April 1946. Throughout its life it was based at Port Ellen on the island of Islay off the west coast of Scotland. One of the vessels it had during its life was LRRC019, so sometime between July 1945 and April 1946. My speculation, and I must emphasise that it is pure speculation, would be that any trials would be connected to this new type of craft to the RAF being tested for their fitness and endurance for the long voyage to the Far East. Probably based out of Calshot at least until the end of the war. Then, when there is no further use for these vessels in the Far East, they were then distributed to various ASRMCU around the UK as better equipment than they already had until they in turn disbanded during 1946. I do know that around 20 Aug 1945 the RN issued orders that most movements of ships to the Far East should stop if they were west of Alexandria in Egypt. I hope this helps.
yes Ewen, dad was at RAF Bealieu but sometimes went to Calshot on photographic assigments of aircraft and air sea rescue. A neutral background would be chosen so as not to identify the location for security reasons. I have traced father's wartime steps from RAF Helensburgh, RAF Sherburn and to Beaulieu where he ended his wartime career. However, the latter years are something of a grey area.Pretty sure now the MTBs were at Calshot, almost certainly air sea rescue trials before the MTBs were assigned. Wish he had written something on back of photographs but this was against regulations. In fact he should not have kept copies, i.e. the Flying Jeep and the crash of the Focke Achgelis Drache helicopter.
