- Contributed by听
- Leslie J. Sprigg
- Location of story:听
- UK, Ostend, Arromanches, Bayeux
- Background to story:听
- Royal Navy
- Article ID:听
- A3563480
- Contributed on:听
- 23 January 2005
This picture was taken by me from the top of the water tower at Great Yarmouth. it shows the 63rd Motor Torpedo Boat flotilla dressed to celebrate VE Day. MTB 753 is the boat tied up alongside the jetty, with some of my shipmates on the fo'c'sle.
A brand new boat and crew. Built by Boat Construction Company Falmouth in June 1944. We were boarded out until she was ready. The latest 鈥淒鈥 class MTB were considered pound for pound the most heavily armed vessels in the Royal Navy. 115鈥 long with 21鈥 beam and crew of about 33 she carried 2 x 6 pounders, 2 twin .5 and 2 twin .303 MGs , twin oerlikon, 4 x 18鈥 torpedoes, depth charges, rocket flares and smoke apparatus.
We did some sea trials along the coast but the shore batteries used us for target practice. Completed trials along the west coast. Did a dummy torpedo attack on a Holyhead to Belfast ferry 鈥 severe reprimand! Became based at Great Yarmouth, spent some time at Ostend on various patrols, also rescued many of the crew of SS SANSIP which had hit a mine and sunk. |The Sea was coated with thick oil and so were the poor souls we took aboard. Once below they just clung to anything, terrified, just wouldn鈥檛 let go. They became very ill and many did not survive, we did our best. We struck part of the submerged SANSIP which worried us, but it proved not serious. The owners in Liverpool sent 拢25 towards mess funds! Later we were sent to Arromanches and patrolled the beaches, protecting the supply lines against U Boat or E Boat still in the area. Following the liberation of Bayeux a group of us were taken by lorry to a point just outside the city where we were joined by a similar number each from the army and air force. Thus grouped we marched into Bayeux to 鈥渟how the flag鈥, quite a memorable occasion.
On our return to Great Yarmouth we did a little mine sweeping and sundry work. We dressed 鈥渙verall鈥 with the rest of the flotilla to celebrate VE Day in May 1945 and then took the boat to Porchester Creek to be 鈥減aid off鈥.
It's funny that, I started out laying mines along the French coast and finished sweeping mines along the English coast.
Next story: HMS Greenwich
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