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[typhoon]

hi everyone
can anyone tell me what kind a job these coasters did when taken over by the admiralty. was they armed etc. any information would be appreciated

[DickyD]

Have you looked on Mountfleets Web site its all there.

http://www.mountfleetmodels.co.uk/admiralty_coaster_c642.htm

 

[farrow]

Hi yes the seagoing coasters where armed and painted grey in times of war, there was hundreds of them of all shapes and sizes. There was store carriers, oilers, water carriers and ammunition carriers. They were all collectively owned and operated for POST(n) or in other words the Naval store system. In peace time they were unarmed where painted black hulls and buff upperworks. Most were called C plus a number, although the RNAD and the water carriers had names. The officers had uniforms and it operated like a private navy. I have several photos of old coasters of various kinds but this site says it all comes to too much memory to download. If you have any particular type you want let me know and I will see what I can do. The history behind the these boats goes back to the old original dockyards and sailing vessels a very old and honourable history.

[farrow]

Here are a few pics.

[polobeer]

Hello rmasmaster,

Do you have any more of these excellent admiralty coaster photos that you could post? I have a model of "Clanity" so these pictures are particularly appealing.

Cheers
Simon 

[polobeer]

Sorry rmasmaster! Just realised that you were having problems down loading the photos due to size/memory restrictions.

Simon  >:(

[farrow]

Hi, well I did post some pics with a brief history of the vessel Bedenham, but I was timed out this time and well if i feel upto it again tomorrow I may have another go!!!!!

[farrow]

Hi, here are some more pics, mainly RNAD though. There is a nice pic and a annotation in Londons Lost Riverscape by Chris Ellmers and Alex Werner of the Woolwhich depot and a coaster. In which a fellow in 1932 describe them as black hulls and black upperworks with a buff funnel, their ensign was blue defaced with gold gun barrels.

[farrow]

I have two good pics of the Throsk and Bedenham in the war period showing thier armament, but unfortunately they are loaded as word MDI files which are too big to download on to this sit, I will try to find a way round this and if I do I will upload to this site. A very good friend of mine was on the Throsk during the war and when I asked him about the 12pdr aft they had if they ever used it in anger. He smiled then laughed, as he said it was a useless pea shooter and when they where up in Scotland during an air raid the Skipper when asked said do not fire that gun as it will probaly only attract unwanted attention from them.

[polobeer]

Thanks for posting the extra photos of the coasters rmasmaster; very nice!

Cheers
Simon 

[Bunkerbarge]

There are also a large number of old coaster pictures at rhiw.com.  I have downloaded a lot of them for reference with building my own Mount Fleet kit and they are superb for details of weathering and finishes.

[Pat-K]

When they were taken over by the Admiralty what Ensign would they have flown and could anyone advise where I can get a Replacement ensign staff or give me the dimensions of one for the Mountfield Kit

[Pat-K]

What ensign would have been flown by these ships please

[dodes]

Just like to add that depending on what department the vessels came under, they all bar the general store carriers had a colour band on their funnel such as green for the water boats which belong to victualing stores, brown for the oil section and red for the munitions department with narrow wight bands top and bottom. The munition department employed and ran their  vessels and crews separate from the others until they were subsumed into the Port Auxiliary Service in 1965. Also I believe you will find that they also occasionally went East of Suez, as I know of one crossing the red sea for the Suez canal and the first he knew was when British fighters buzzed him to stop his progress. Also as mentioned in war they were all painted grey and armed after a fashion, but as one old hand said that for what good the gun was they would not use it else it attracted unwanted attention. There is a good publication specially made of a Port of London launch which went down the Thames photographing both sides of the shoreline into the lower reaches and there is a brilliant pics of Woolwich Arsenal Dockyard with the very large  P.S.T.O.n coasters on the bouys and on the wharfe. 

[dodes]

Hi thought you may like to see the last two coasters built for MoDn, they where operated by RMAS to carry Ammo of all types including warheads for the Trident subs and general stores. The central one is Arrochar the last to be built (ex HMAS St George), outboard of her is Kinterbury and the other side is Ladybird ( design to carry munition stores and general store in harbour and U.K. coastal). This pic was taken in 1993 when Arrochar loaded 1000lb aerial bombs and 30mm spent uranium warheads on C buoy Plymouth Sound in about Sept 1993 for operation Granby, to offload into RFA Fort Grange in Split.

[dodes]

Hope the pic has come through this time.