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[raflaunches]

Hi everyone

Had a sail at my local lake at Wicksteed Park today, between the rain showers, with my RAF Armoured Target Boat.
 


Its a very strange vessel that only the RAF could have had the idea for.  The principle was simple... if you wanted to bomb a boat for real you needed a boat to practice against, but instead of towing a target behind the boat, the boat was the target!
The steering position and engine rooms were armoured with steel plating so the bombs could 'bounce' harmlessly off!
But I hear you say, what about the rest of the boat? It was just a wooden deck with a wooden hull underneath so the even the practice 9lb bombs would rip their way through!
We met an elderly gentleman who actually worked on them and he told us that they carried on board various shaped bits of wood to wedge/jam into the hull and deck where the bombs 'had missed' the armoured structure.
As you can imagine the idea was dropped after a few years of use and switched to towed targets instead.

Nick B

[Netleyned]

Volunteers queueing up for the cushy number then
 

Ned

[raflaunches]

I think the reason why the RAF have an aptitude test before you join up is so they can siphon off the nutters into jobs like that, not even I would volunteer for that!

What was even worse for this particular boat is that she capsized in 1935 at Calshot and it took 5 hours for a rescue boat to reach them and turn them over! If that doesn't make you rethink your job choice I don't know what would!

[raflaunches]

And a word to Chuffy who likes/wants her so much

She's not for sale  ... but if you are very lucky you might be able to play with her at the lake soon.

Nick B

[john44]

I think the reason why the RAF have an aptitude test before you join up is so they can siphon off the nutters into jobs like that, not even I would volunteer for that!

Why not that job would be a blast
Get it Blast         I,ll get me coat

john

[mark w]

Now that's different  . Great looking model.

Mark

[chuffy]

And a word to Chuffy who likes/wants her so much

She's not for sale  ... but if you are very lucky you might be able to play with her at the lake soon.

Nick B

Oh WOW can I really, would that offer be with charged up batteries, i'm sure she has a turn of speed unlike last Sunday. I could also take a few pics.

Paul

[Fifie]

My Uncle was in one
If I remember correctly two were based in Tayport on the river Tay during the war
He was a civilian seaman from a fishing background
He got blown up in one
He was affected in many ways afterwards

Incidentally I was born in Tayport in 1944
Fifie

[raflaunches]

Hi Fifie

Sorry to hear about your uncle, I could not imagine a worse experience than being bombed with practice bombs on a small wooden boat.
These boats were all over the country and even went world wide to places like south Africa and Iraq.  From the info I have they were used by the RAF empire pilot training schools but operated by the RAF marine craft section which was often crewed by civilian volunteers with fishing or merchant navy backgrounds.
Best regards

Nick B

[raflaunches]

Hi Chuffy

Got some new 12volt batteries to try out instead of the 6volt 4amp knackered batteries we were operating on Sunday.
Not sure whether to allow you to have a go now with a that new horsepower 
Have fun whilst I am away...

Nick B

[Jonty]

  The USAAF was even dafter than the RAF. They armoured a P63 Kingcobra, not the most airworthy of planes to start with, so that it could be used as a target. A light in the spinner registered hits!