I am privately trying to acquire a 1940's Naval Launch and restore her to original condition. Would anyone know of a database with photos which might reveal her ancestry? She is not a FMB she looks more like an admirals basrge or harbour craft to me.

 

Any help appreciated.

 

Well, sorry if sounds stating the obvious, but could you down load a picture of your craft? this is indeed a very good place to start, but if no picture, then dimensions, numbers, description next best, many knowledgable people here who can help I am sure.

 

Johnk

Many thanks for your response.

 

The craft isn't actually mine (yet). Since I don't own her I have only photgraphs which are also not mine. I just wondered if I could check photographs anywhere to produce a discussable type or genre from the stereotype. I just want to paint her as she would have been unless she turns out to have a history.

 

Thanks meanwhile.

 

M.

I've done a very poor drawing as a bitmap image of her layout which I can e-mail to anyone willing or interested!

 

For any others with a similar problem to mine, I include the results of research resources so far,

 

Royal Naval Museum: Information Service,
Royal Naval Museum,
HM Naval Base (PP66)
Portsmouth PO1 3NH
Telephone: 023 9272 3795
Email: mailto:library@royalnavalmuseum.org - library@royalnavalmuseum.org
Web: http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org - http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org

The National Maritime Museum
The Caird Library,
National Maritime Museum,
Park Row, Greenwich,
London, SE10 9NF.
Telephone: 020 8858 4422
E-mail: mailto:library@nmm.ac.uk - library@nmm.ac.uk
Web: http://www.nmm.ac.uk - http://www.nmm.ac.uk

The photo archive may have photos of similar vessels though I would expect these to be black and white in the main. Contact details for the Photo Archive here at the Museum are:

Photograph Archive - Contact Details and Information
Imperial War Museum London (Headquarters)
Lambeth Road
London SE1 6HZ
United Kingdom
Telephone: 020 7416 5333 / 5338 / 5309
Fax: 020 7416 5355
E-mail: mailto:photos@iwm.org.uk - photos@iwm.org.uk

Books such as the following which are held in the Museum's reference library may provide useful background reading and illustrations:

ADMIRALTY. NAVAL STAFF. TRAINING AND STAFF DUTIES DIVISION
Light coastal craft: operating in the North Sea and the English Channel / by the Admiralty, Training
and Staff Duties Division. - London : Admiralty, 1943. - 39p.: ill. ; 25 cm. ( B.R. 834).
Pbk.
Annotated.
IWM Classification: 88.2(41).6/5 Accession No.: 64838

SCOTT, PETER
The battle of the narrow seas: a history of the light coastal forces in the Channel and North Sea,
1939-1945 / by Lieutenant-Commander Peter Scott. - London : Country Life, 1945. - xii,
228p., 60p. of plates: ill. (some col.), facsims., col. frontis., maps, ports. ; 25 cm. - index.
Includes newscutting "The son who had to succeed : Peter Scott" by Richard Sear.
Maps on end papers.
IWM Classification: 13(41).43/5 Accession No.: 84 / 1708

JEFFERSON, DAVID
Coastal forces at war: Royal Navy 'little ships' in World War 2 / David Jefferson; foreword by
Commander Christopher W.S. Dreyer, DSO, DSC and Bar RN (retd.). - Sparkford, Somerset :
Patrick Stephens, 1996. - 208p.: ill., facsims., ports. ; 25 cm. - bibl. p.201 - index.
ISBN 1-85260-499-9
IWM Classification: 13(41).43/5 Accession No.: 97 / 1136

ROWE, ALAN
Air-sea rescue in World War Two: a first-hand account of the Royal Navy North Sea Rescue
motor launches / Alan Rowe; with the collaboration of Andy Andrews. - Stroud : Alan Sutton,
1995. - 120p.: ill., frontis., plan, ports. ; 26 cm.
ISBN 0-7509-0911-0
IWM Classification: 23(=41)/5 [ Rowe, Alan] Accession No.: 96 / 718

REYNOLDS, L.C.
Mediterranean MTBs at war: short MTB flotilla operations, 1939-1945 / L.C. Reynolds and
H.F. Cooper; foreword by Rear Admiral Sir M. Morgan-Giles. - Stroud, Gloucestershire :
Sutton Publishing, 1999. - xiv, 202p.: ill., frontis., maps, ports. ; 27 cm. - bibl. p.196-198 - index.
ISBN 0-7509-2274-5
Signed by the authors.
Published in association with the Imperial War Museum.
IWM Classification: 13(41).43/5 Accession No.: 99 / 2029

REYNOLDS, LEONARD A.
Home waters MTBs and MGBs at war, 1939-1945 / Leonard C. Reynolds; foreword by
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Julian Oswald. - Stroud, Gloucestershire : Sutton Publishing, 2000. - xi,
204p.: ill., frontis., maps, ports. ; 27 cm. - bibl. p.199-200 - index.
ISBN 0-7509-2518-3
Presentation copy signed by the author.
Published in association with the Imperial War Museum.
IWM Classification: 13(41).43/5 Accession No.: 00 / 1946

ARMSTRONG, WARREN (PSEUD.)
H.M. small ships / by Warren Armstrong; [William E. Bennett]; written with the authority and
assistance of the Admiralty. - London : Muller, 1958. - ix, 199p., 8p. of plates: ill. ; 21 cm.
Presentation copy signed by the author.
IWM Classification: 13(41).43/5 Accession No.: 40490

GRANVILLE, WILFRED
Inshore heroes: the story of H.M. motor launches in two World Wars / by Wilfred Granville and
Robin A. Kelly. - London : W.H.Allen, 1961. - 320p., 12p. of plates: ill., frontis., maps ; 23 cm.
- bibl. p.310 - index.
IWM Classification: 13(41).43/5 Accession No.: 43842

REYNOLDS, L.C.
The 56th MTB/MGB Flotilla: Coastal Forces, Mediterranean 1943 to 1945 / [L.C. Reynolds]. -
N.p. : [L.C. Reynolds, 1986]. - 8p.: ill., port. ; 22 cm.
Pbk.
Signed by the author.
IWM Classification: 13(41).225 [ 56 MTB/MGB Flotilla]/5 Accession No.: K 90 / 684

HOLLAND, PHILIP
Our light coastal forces / by Philip Holland; drawings by Robert E. Groves. - London : Rolls
House, [194-?]. - 37p.: ill., figs., maps ; 12x15 cm.
Pbk..
IWM Classification: 13(41).43/5 Accession No.: K 44942

BRAY, MICHAEL
One young man's war, (1939-1946) / Michael Bray. - Worcester : Square One, 1993. - 154p.:
ill., facsim., frontis., map, ports. ; 22 cm.
ISBN 1-872017-60-6 (pbk.)
IWM Classification: 23(=41)/5 [ Bray, Francis Arthur Michaelccession No.: 93 / 1361

REYNOLDS, L.C.
Dog boats at war: a history of the operations of the Royal Navy D Class Fairmile motor torpedo
boats and motor gunboats, 1939-1945 / L.C. Reynolds; foreword by Admiral of the Fleet Lord
Lewin. - Stroud : Sutton, 1998. - x, 289p.: ill., figs., frontis., maps, ports. ; 28 cm. - bibl. p.279-
282 - index.
ISBN 0-7509-1817-9
IWM Classification: 13(41).43/5 Accession No.: 98 / 1358

The Reading Room of the Department of Printed Books is open to the public by prior appointment from Monday to Saturday, 10.00am to 5.00pm, and no readers' tickets or other forms of identification are required. Simply let us know via Ask New Question Appointment to visit the Reading Room or by telephone on (020) 7416-5344 when you have a particular date in mind, at least two working days in advance.

If you are unable to visit the Museum in person some of these titles may be available through inter-library loan at your local Public Library.

 

My thanks are due to Katherine Phillips of the Imperial War Museum.

The world ships site is absolute gold...many thanks for the hours of study in prospect

 

and WELCOME ABOARD

 

Mutineer.