Its a long shot but.....................
Printed From: BMPT Forum
Category: General Discussion
Forum Name: Where Are Those Boats Now
Forum Description: Tell everybody where those old boats are
URL: http://www.bmpt.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=600
Printed Date: 26 March 2026 at 11:26pm
Topic: Its a long shot but.....................
Posted By: Des
Subject: Its a long shot but.....................
Date Posted: 25 January 2009 at 9:24am
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..............................does anyone know what happened to Boveny? Small story. I cut this out of a post war copy of London Illustrated news or Tatler (remember those lovely mags?) as I was in the Sea Scouts here in Oz & was mad about WW2 ex-Naval launches & sea boats. I must have been about 11 years of age. The Sea Scout Troop I belonged to had a surplus RAN clinker built cutter. Anyway I placed it in a scrapbook together with a photo of a Lowestoft Trawler & a few others. Every now & then, when I had the book out I would wonder whatever happened to these two fine looking vessels so when I was directed to this forum it seemed a great place to start. Sorry about the condition but it is about 60 years old. I can't get the Image icon to open. It did once, but that was it so I will post my photo another time as it's now on my ISP server. Am I doing it correctly? Photo was taken at Gillingham in Kent. |
Replies:
Posted By: Des
Date Posted: 25 January 2009 at 9:34am
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Posted By: johnk
Date Posted: 25 January 2009 at 9:30pm
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Hi Des,
Welcome to the forum, what a fantastic picture, I was brought up in Gillingham and know the area well, what a site, mentions Dunkirk which is an area of interest to me, so many craft, sure there must be a Fairmile D in there somwhere, also know some guys who worked as carpenters post war and converted some of these craft, cutting down the engine beds to level and floor over. Been over to oz years ago with the familly, one trip went over and visited a sea cadet unit, one instructor ex pat and said his unit was on board an ex MTB/MGB which many used for. Welcome again,
JohnK
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Posted By: Des
Date Posted: 25 January 2009 at 10:25pm
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Thank you, John. Were you instrumental in bringing off some of the BEF then? My F in L was there with REME(??) |
Posted By: medusa
Date Posted: 14 May 2009 at 11:48pm
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The HDML in the foreground is fitted for survey work and is in the black and white survey colours. She is an early HDML as she has the short bridge so that puts her pre ML1100.
the only HDML I can find that was a survey vessel and was disposed of around the time of this photo was ML1001 that became SML1 and was disposed of in 1949. She survived until only a few years back as "Floatstreet" and was scuttled by her owner in the Carribean in 2002.
There are a couple more HDMLs in the background.
Alan ------------- Alan |
Posted By: Des
Date Posted: 15 May 2009 at 12:50am
Blimey! A blast from the past. Thank you Alan. Could you explain " fitted for survey work" please? I have never pondered the difference in colour scheme but it's now obvious, & is similar to our Dept. of Supply Land Rovers used in the early 1950s when the Woomera Rocket Test Range & Nuclear Bomb Sites were set up in Central Australia by Len Beadell, a great Surveyor. These were painted all over in Black & White checker board though. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Len_Beadell - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Len_Beadell It's a pity she/they hasn't a number visible, although it may well have been removed by then anyway. A sad end for her, but who knows what condition she was in at the end of her life? At least it was in warmer climes & not rotting slowly away on the mud in some obscure backwater. Thank you for replying. I feel a lot better for at least knowing her probable fate. |
Posted By: johnk
Date Posted: 15 May 2009 at 12:05pm
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Hi Des,
Sorry, just seen your last post and your question to me re Dunkirk, not sure how I missed it, but no, I am very much post Dunkirk itself! I am involved with the Paddle Steamer Medway Queen, link on the links page on this site, hence my interest. Many thanks,
Johnk
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Posted By: Des
Date Posted: 15 May 2009 at 12:24pm
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No matter, but you have now. I am familiar with Medway Queen from some years ago when funds were being sought to save her & she was allegedly coming apart through lack of maintenance & funds. I trust all is well with her & she still lives on. Maybe some of your Pollies could find some spare cash instead of paying off their mortgages, moat cleans, chairs, pool maintenance etc etc etc.  I didn't mean to imply you were an olde duffer, it was the Dunkirk connection that obviously threw me.  Des |
Posted By: Des
Date Posted: 15 May 2009 at 12:36pm
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I meant to add this item but there seems to be no Edit facility. Maybe you will remember this shocking disaster? It made the news here at that time & I was researching it recently for someone. Then again, maybe you are too young. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951_Gillingham_bus_disaster - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951_Gillingham_bus_disaster |
Posted By: johnk
Date Posted: 15 May 2009 at 1:50pm
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Hi Des,
No problem, I am from the late sixties!per our web-site we were lucky enough to get a lottery grant and are being re-built in Bristol, still need funds to do the engines and fit out, but getting there! so you have heard of our current "problems" big stuff here.....yes I have heard of the bus disaster, in fact I drive up and down Dock road every day for work, there is a plaque on the wall commerating the event, and the last of the fleet of buses involved is being restored locally, of course not the particular vehicle.
Johnk
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Posted By: medusa
Date Posted: 15 May 2009 at 8:12pm
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Picking up on the question from my earlier post... "fitted for survey". The clues are the colour scheme, black hull and white uppers also the "gallows" arrangement midships. I am not certain what this was for but it hinged down to the horizontal and was for streaming something. Medusa had two lumps of angle steel below decks at this point which were the securing points for the same thing. I also have some pics of the other survey HDMLs about the same time with the same fitting. I am certain the HDML in the picture is ML1001.
Brian Holmes, medusa's historian has identified the RML next to the HDML....
The vessel next to her is ML 928 which was transferred to the army whilst building and received the name shown. She was an ambulance launch and was paid off for disposal in November 1945 which will help to date the picture. ------------- Alan |
Posted By: Des
Date Posted: 15 May 2009 at 10:28pm
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Well, I'll be..................................................................... It's now all become much clearer thanks to your help on this. Wasn't sure what an RML was, so used friend Google & came up with this.............. http://www.geocities.com/b24gunr2000/RMLpicture.html - http://www.geocities.com/b24gunr2000/RMLpicture.html although it seems Boveney was not used for those duties. Who could have ever predicted that apx. 65 years on, after cutting that photo out (I wonder if the Lending Library ever did hit my parents with a penalty for defacing a Magazine?  ) that I would be at last discovering information about them from the other side of the globe almost immediately, by pressing a few keys on a thing that folds up to look like a large book , on a screen & with no cables & posted by satellite? Buck Rogers stuff to be sure. I know, I know.. Buck who? My old Dad would have loved it. Thank you both again, & it goes without saying that I would appreciate any further information on either vessel if & when it is discovered. Regards Des |