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[Colin Bishop]

I was fortunate enough today to be able to attend the official opening of No: 3 Slip, "The Big Store" at Chatham Historical Dockyard which is a joint initiative between the Dockyard and the Royal Engineers to use this historic timber framed building (which was the biggest of its kind in Europe when constructed in 1838) to display large items of historical importance. It has a mix of nautical and Royal Engineer items including boats, a miniature submarine, various RE vehicles and equipment and even an entire Blackwood class frigate boiler and engine plant. A fascinating collection and well worth a visit by anyone with the slightest interest in these things.

One of the star exhibits is Coastal Motor Boat 103 which was built in 1920 and is one of only five built. I thought some of you might like to see a few pictures of this historic boat.

Colin

[cdsc123]

Thanks Colin, those are very useful photos.

Just to clarify, CMB 103 was one of only 5 large 70ft versions built, there were masses of shorter ones built.

Interestingly one of her sisters from the same batch (CMB 104) survived as a houseboat until last year at Shoreham, here is what CF historian Philip Simons said about her;

The Motor Torpedo Boats of WW1 were known as Coastal Motor Boats and were built in 40 and 55 foot lengths. The boat was aimed at the target and the torpedo was dropped over the stern, the boat turning away before the torpedo accelerated to its target. A 70ft version was ordered, but with the war ending only 5 were built between 1920 and 1922. Of those completed CMB 104 MT was classed as a Mining Tender and spent from 1922 until 1927 in reserve. From 1927 until 1940 she was on target service at Portsmouth. On 20/10/42 she was re-activated and commissioned and from Dec 1942 until Apr 1944 was with the 1st CF flotilla at Portsmouth apart from three 2-month repair periods at Southampton between Dec 1942 and Nov 1943. She was paid-off on 11/04/44 and on 26/05/44 placed on the disposal list.

Builder; Camper & Nicholson.
LOA 70ft
Beam 14ft
Draught 3 1/2ft
Displacement 24 tons
Engines 2 x Thornycroft Y24 petrol-36 knots.
(Despite what the plaque says, petrol engines were the only types used in this type of craft).

I took this photo of CMB 104 (called Yerba Buena) in 1978, you can see the accomodation was built on the torpedo launching ramp;

[tobyker]

Recommended reading - "Footprints in the Sea", the autobiography of Agar VC who torpedoed a Russian cruiser post WW1 with a CMB.

[MCAT]

well thats me of to butter up the missus. a trip to Chatham just what she wanted.

I have seen this boat when last down there you could just see it through the fencing at the back of the lifeboat shed
if I'm correct.

she also looks very much like the one in last months mag as a free plan,  ???

thanks for the posting to let us know on this

[Colin Bishop]

There is a huge amount to see at Chatham, and then there's the Retail Outlet Complex just across the way for a bit of retail therapy plus there's an on site specialist Model Boat shop - what more could you ask of a day out?

[White Ensign]

Colin, I am glad that they had refurbished the 103 as I visited her 2 years ago in Chatham, digged under a massive amount of other scrap. Had been there with my 1:24 scale model of it, to check out if I had done it correctly. And it was damned near to the real McCoy... (phewwww).
She was then "cristianised" by the waters of Sir Churchills Carp-pond at Chartwell-House, with my shipmates from the SWA.
Now after all, there had been so many requests about it that we laid up a small series of that type.
She`s still in the workshop and after all it is always a pleasure to sail her. The waveline comes identically with the origin. But.... we would not have been modelers if we don`t think about the next project. Wooden frames and filler- seems like the stuff our dreams use to be?

Happy modeling,
Jörg