Sadly lying in Billy's Yard Limassol (yard belonging to a guy called Nicos Billos).

Wood very sun-bleached, all paint gone and only the hull remains. I have taken in excess of 50 photos of various photos of her- but I would love to find out more of her history if anyone knows it!

View of the deck from the stern. She is still strong enough to walk on (with care!) but daylight can be seen through the timbers where she has been drying out for so long. It was only through close inspection that I saw her ID number- paint has long since disappeared but tracings of the numbers are still visible on the port bow.

Engine room is empty apart from an electrical conduit. There is a small enclosure behind the engine room and one large room forwards with several smaller rooms leading off. In the bow (not right at the front) the fuse box is still there!

Wheelhouse shows remains of perspex windows with holes for the 'Everclear's.

Hull is double-diagonal planked mahogany (I have a slither of wood on my table at home! Hubby confirmed my thought about it being mahogany). I cannot see her keel or tell what wood her supporting timbers are. She looks to be around the 20m mark but I will measure her sometime next week and confirm this.

On the port side mid-ships there is a large hole- worryingly circular!

Through hull holes (ie what are supposed to be there) have been blocked with pieces of wood (reason unknown).

She is in a very sorry state- very dry from the relentless Cypriot sun!

If anyone would like any more photos of her, please PM me!

But they are too big to post here  my camera is 4mp and the photos end up huge if I don't chop them down!

Email them to you???

As requested- pictures of the interior! First one.. taken from inside the hole on the port side looking at the stairs leading upstairs and the cabin/ room on the starboard side. As you can see the stairs have been removed making it hard to access the wheelhouse. The floorboards have also been removed so you have to watch where you tread!

As you come through the port side, a door way on the starboard side leads through to the bow. The small door way straight ahead leads to the crew cabin (?) while behind the wall to the left there is a small room.

The engine room looking through the stern deck. I would guess that the wooden box on the right (port side) held some sort of generator hence the electrical conduit (maybe?). I'm not sre where access to the engine room is/was- maybe just straight down through deck? It looks like the walls either end are water-tight bulkheads.

I will post a few more over the weekend, but anyone who wants more, please PM me!

(edited because spelling was awful!!!!!!!!!)

Gave up trying to email them- they can now be seen online at http://picasaweb.google.com/katcress/2625 - http://picasaweb.google.com/katcress/2625

I am in the process of uploading and commenting on the images- I have uploaded them full size- you are more than welcome to download them for your own pleasure. If you want to use them on any website please let me know and just give me a credit (please??)

Hi

Really interesting pics on your google site!

I guess they are right when they say too much sun is bad

According to Phil Simons in the same yard there should also be an Elco and a Scimitar class boat!

Mark

marksaab wrote: According to Phil Simons in the same yard there should also be an Elco and a Scimitar class boat! Mark

Christian PM'd me to tell me this- any ideas on the shape of the boats I am looking for? I hope to return to Limassol next week but it may be the week after!

Hi Boatbird

It's a Higgins (rather than an Elco) and it looks just like this, courtesy of Ron Young. We were wondering if she has any markings visible to help find her original ID. The other boat is believed to be a Scimitar Class, there's a section about them on the forum and on the home page under Select A Boat.

Regards, Christian. 

Now theres a sad sight.

 Are those packards hanging out the back?

Jimmy,

If they are Packards I know where I would like to put them! I think you might guess.

I hear you! If you squint at the pic it looks like a rocker cover poking out of the side of the port motor, thats what got me wondering.

My mistake about Packards. Hard to tell with 50k pic limit. Paxman tt v12's eh? if the yard owner fancies donating them to Ambra/506, we would be most grateful.

 Have to admit its sad seeing a PT boat like that, even the Americans(of 70s cadillac design shame) couldnt make a Scott-Payne design look ugly. Not quite as pretty as a whaleback but a nice boat nonetheless. Shame theres so few left & doesnt look good for this one being seaworthy again. Damm i hate this pick your battles thing but guess we cant save them all

Hi folks, allow me to unravel the Form 564 - RAF Marine Craft Movement Record.

The Type - refers to the stores reference. 16F/92 was for a 68ft HSL and the 16F/144 refers to her after conversion to an RTTL Mk.1.

Station - this is where she was allotted to (often cancelled as circumstances changed) sometimes followed by a 'received date'.

Date - this is the allotted date and not the actual transfer date.

Voucher - this was the authority to move the craft and the format changed about three times during WW2.

Engines- gives the makers serial Nos. P=port S=starboard C=centre.

Hi folks,

yes engine changes on RAF craft were very common.  Bearing in mind the restricted engine room space, engines had to be removed for major repair and planned replacement, so another one was dropped into place. The later Sea Griffons were not much better than the Napiers with regards reliablilty - aero engines in marine craft are not the greatest.