Author Topic: Royal Navy - WW2 - H.M.M.G.B. 657 (?)  (Read 5590 times)

Offline simonpratt2000

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Re: Royal Navy - WW2 - H.M.M.G.B. 657 (?)
« Reply #9 on: Monday 10 November 14 22:15 GMT (UK) »
My father in law, Robert James Tinsley, served on this ship until it was mined. He is 89 now and living in a nursing home in Weston super Mare.  I would be very interested in any details of crew members or photographs.
I have ordered two books by Leonard Reynolds which should give me a good start.
Simon

Offline Ian Maitland

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Re: Royal Navy - WW2 - H.M.M.G.B. 657 (?)
« Reply #10 on: Wednesday 09 January 19 19:44 GMT (UK) »
Dear Cathy,

I attach  some notes on the ship, but nothing on August 1943

Lt Cdr John Douglas Maitland RCNVR   
DSC & Bar, Croix de Guerre avec Palme, Mentioned in Despatches     
1916 - 1997
    Much of this is based on an article written by Heather Dickson (Maitland), his daughter.
   JDM commanded the 56th MGB/MTB Flotilla in the Adriatic from 1942 to 1944. It was based on various ports, at Bastia, Brindisi, Komiza and Ancona.
The 56th Flotilla had a distinctive Canadian character despite being part of the Royal Navy.   He is best known as one of the famous “Three Musketeers” (the others being Lt Cdr Cornelius “Corny” Burke and Lt Tom Ladner) who commanded Fairmile D motor gun boats in the Adriatic. 
The boats themselves were of wooden construction, 115 ft long, with a draught of 4.5 feet (three times the length but with less draught than the yacht your Chief skippers). They had two Packard engines, max speed 29 knots (33 mph) and range 500 miles (three return crossings of the English Channel), so needed frequent refueling. Your Chief has briefly served on a vessel of similar size (though much slower) and can assure you that they are very cramped with a crew of 30.   
His own command from 1943 was MGB 657, ordered on 18 Nov 1941, built by  Woodnutt & Co. Ltd. St Helens, Isle of Wight,  but only commissioned on 9 February 1943. She was damaged by a mine on 12 September 1944 and declared a total loss.