HMS NEMO (bit of a long shot)

[sheena58]

That's very interesting. My picture would not clarify much in terms of the vessel as it's taken inside a building. The Museum at Brightlingsea is only open in the summer but they are very obliging so worth getting in touch. I did contact them before I posted on here. I will probably end up giving the photo to them at some point.

[Brian Mac]

Dear Sheena58,

Perhaps the photo was taken inside HMS Nemo, as it seems from the advice of others that HMS Nemo was a RN land base rather than a boat.

Thanks for getting in touch and for sparking off this string in the first place.

Best,

Brian Mac

[sheena58]

Yes, that would make sense. As long as it was at 6 Regent Street! I'm fairly familiar with Brightlingsea, my grandmother grew up there and I still have family there. Next time I'm down I'll pop round to Regent St to see what Number 6 looks like.
It's always good to get more conversations going on here. There's always something new to learn, even if it doesn't relate to the starting point of the topic! 

[Brian Mac]

Sheena,
Let us know the outcome,
Brian Mac

[Bilge]

Scroll down until you reach HMS NEMO.

http://www.unithistories.com/units_british/RN_Nore.html

Then at HMS Nemo, at Brightlingsea, they set up an air/sea rescue service, under Commander Campbell. I knew him in peacetime, because he owned a steam yacht. Anyway, they gave me what was a high speed American motor yacht. They put five crew aboard, and they'd send us off to sea, three days at a time on patrol, just waiting for people to fall in the sea! Doing a lifeboatman's job really, under the Admiralty. That went on until we were so advanced in Europe, it wasn't necessary any more. We picked up a lot of chaps, it's surprising the number of chaps we did pick up during those years, I picked up 163 chaps who were alive and all right - not too badly injured. But we picked up a lot of poor devils we were too late for. Unfortunately, putting it bluntly, more dead ones than alive ones.

[Brian Mac]

Dear Bilge,

Thanks for the link and information.

It looks as though HMS Nemo was a land based RN unit at Brightlingsea 1940-45.

Nemo II, also based at Brightlingsea is the boat we are looking at: took part in Dunkirk; listed as a 'Liberty Boat' under RN Nore command; later a pleasure cruiser photographed in 1948 and 1958, latter at Clacton; probably took part in River Blackwater Barge races in the 1970's, turned up River Artro estuary, NW Wales about year 2000, since grounded and wrecked, removed and disposed of just last week!

We are very interested in how/why an old craft managed to get from Essex to NW Wales.......

Brian Mac

[archiebase]

The remains of Nemo II, which for many years have been on the sands at Llandanwyg, Gwynedd have recently vanished.
I took several pictures of the vessel on January 14 2011, and a few days later returned to the spot and they had gone, the only things visible were tyre tracks in the sand from a JCB type of vehicle.
I suspect the remains have been smashed and buried onsite.
The matter was well reported in the Meirionnydd edition of the "Cambrian News" on Thursday 10 February.
The secretary of the Llandanwyg and Pensarn Yacht Club was quoted as saying the boat had been taken away "as it posed a danger to the public".
This is outrageous, to think that a vessel with such a noble history should suffer such a fate, why was nothing done to preserve her, there is a Maritime Museum not far distant in Porthmadog, I feel sure that there are many preservation societies that would have been glad to have become involved in a project to preserve and save her for display.

[Brian Mac]

Dear Archiebase,

We saw the Cambrian News article.

There are a few locals interested in the history of Nemo II.

Have you seen the 1948 & 1958 photographs when she was a pleasure boat at Clacton?

Amazingly, took a photo of the boat from the same angle as the Clacton 1958
image only the day before it disappeared.

Several of us who live locally would very much like to find out more about
the transfer from Essex to Llandanwg.

Also more about the date of construction and registration with the Port of
London as well as clear documentary evidence of its participation in
Dunkirk.

Funny how an old wreck should attract the interest of so many.

BrianMac

[archiebase]

Dear Brian Mac,

Not a lot to add at the moment regarding history of Nemo II, all I know is what Google reveals.

I now live locally, been here about 4 years, used to come to area on hols from West Midlands, and remember seeing the boat then.

Went to Llandanwg on January 11 and took several photos.

Was amazed when I returned a few days later to find boat had gone, just broken bits of timber and a few pieces of metal remained, along with large tyre marks in the sand from either tractor or JCB type of machine.

So glad I have got the pictures now, only found out the history of Nemo from article in Cambrian News, if I had known earlier I would have tried to have raised public awareness to try and preserve her, find it tragic that something with such a history should ultimately be destroyed.

March 5 2011, I have heard locally that the engine was removed, and the remains burnt.............
Despicable, an act of vandalismn and contempt on the part of yacht club.

February 14 2012,
found a few pictures taken in November 2006 which may be of interest....

February 28, 2011
came across another picture of Nemo !! at Llandanwg, taken 26 December 2008.