What kind of vessel??

[aidansrest]

Hi

Can anybody tell me what type of vessel H.M.T F 17 was?

A William Ray (now deceased) served on board during WW2. he was aboard the vessel on the 9th June 1941.

Thanks

Sue

[MaxD]

Very probably His Majesty's Trawler F 17
http://www.harwichanddovercourt.co.uk/warships/trawlers/

Max

[seaweed]

Hello Max,
I may be wrong about this but as far as I am aware no WW2 Royal Navy trawler bore a pennant prefixed with the Letter F.
 FV, T, Z and occasionally a number. IE 4-123
That said I cannot find a vessel with a pennant number FV17.
I am more inclined to include His Majesty's Transport F17. In other words a Troopship.
Troopships were often given code numbers but these seem to change, for security reasons, every voyage. Could the OP tell us a little of the previous history and background of William Ray. Was he at anytime a Merchant Seaman?
Clive Percival may tell us a little more and this piece from TNA may shed some light, or confusion!
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11113095

Is it, H.M.T F 17 or H.M.T. F17.
Sue. Can you post as an attachment, the document (in it's entirety, the whole page) where you obtained this information?

[MaxD]

Happy to acknowledge your superior expertise in this field Seaweed.


Sue - we do need a bit more info - what is the significance of the date?

MaxD

[aidansrest]

Hi

Thanks all - sorry for the delay. I don't have the document with me at the moment, but will reply later today with more precise information.

Thanks again

Sue

[aidansrest]

Hi

Sorry, unfortunately we don't know whether William Ray was in the Royal or Merchant Service.

The document is a 'spoof' official document given to William by crew members the first time he crossed the equator on the 9th June 1941.

The vessel is named exactly as;
H.M.T. F 17

Thanks

Sue

[MaxD]

Friend Seaweed will know better than I but his thought that it was a troopship would be a better bet I suppose than a trawler.  Did he have a middle name?  Where born??  Date of birth??  There are a number of Merchant Seamen called William Ray or William XXX Ray in the National Archives records,

MaxD

[aidansrest]

Hi

He had no middle name and was born in Sunderland on the 17th November 1919.

Cheers

Sue

[seaweed]

No Merchant Seaman named W Ray with that DOB has records in the TNA series BT372 (Seamans pouch's). This is not unusual as many have been lost or destroyed.
You need check out the Series BT382 (Forms CRS 10) see http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C15680
These records are stored alphabetically in blocks of 60 names. Ideally you would need to visit Kew yourself. You can request a download but TNA would deem this research and charge you accordingly.
If he was a Merchant Seaman and has a form CRS10 it should be here if anywhere.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10989705
As an aside HMS ULYSSES did bare the pennent number F17 but only from 1955. She was built in 1942. So clearly not the ship.