Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy

Coastal Forces was a division of the Royal Navy initially established during World War I, and then again in World War II under the command of Rear-Admiral, Coastal Forces.[1] It remained active until the last minesweepers to wear the "HM Coastal Forces" cap tally were taken out of reserve in 1968. In 2020, 1st Patrol Boat Squadron was restructured as Coastal Forces Squadron encompassing the Archer-class patrol vessels and the Batch 1 River-class offshore patrol vessels and are responsible for UK EEZ Protection and Patrol.[2]

Coastal Forces
Active1914-1918, 1939-1968, 2020-
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeNaval force
Commanders
Ceremonial chiefRear Admiral Coastal Forces
Motor torpedo boats in the Mediterranean, February 1945

History
The steam gun boat Grey Goose
MTB 5 c. 1939-1945
Crewmen with a Molins Molins autoloading 57-mm gun on a Fairmile D motor torpedo boat during World War II
The Royal Navy Captain-class frigate HMS Rutherford underway during World War II. She served as a coastal forces control frigate in 1944 and 1945.

Predecessor

The Royal Navy had previously operated flotillas of small torpedo- and depth-charge-armed craft (coastal motor boats) during World War I (1914-1918). They operated as often in action against the enemy coast as in defence of British coastal areas.

Establishment

The first post WWI motor torpedo boats built for the Royal Navy were built by the British Powerboat Company at Hythe, Southampton. MTBs 01-19 were built between 1935–38, following the hard chine planning hull designed with T E Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia"), for high speed rescue of downed aircraft crew.

During World War II (1939-1945), the first Coastal Forces headquarters was set up at HMS Vernon in 1940 under Rear Admiral Piers Kekewich, Flag Officer Coastal Forces. The chief staff officer to the admiral was Augustus Agar, VC, who had commanded coastal motor boats during World War I and in British operations in the Baltic Sea in 1918 and 1919 in support of White Russian forces during the Russian Civil War.

World War II operations

Royal Navy Coastal Forces craft operated mainly in the English Channel and North Sea waters. They were also based in Malta, The 1st & 3rd MTB Flotillas, Numbers 01-06 & 14-19, and HMS Tamar, Hongkong, the 2nd MTB Flotilla, numbers 07-12, 26 & 27. On 19 December 1941 MTB 07 led the attack on Japanese landing craft in Kowloon Harbour, Hong Kong, taking fire from land, sea and air. The operation was arguably the most daring daylight MTB raid of all time losing over 40% of the flotilla. MTB 07 was hit 97 times losing two crew dead and all three engines. It was hailed as the "Balaclava of the sea".[3]

They were also used in the Mediterranean[4] and off the Norwegian coastline.[5] They were used at the St. Nazaire Raid and the Dieppe Raid. They were used to attack German convoys and their S-boat (known to the Allies as "E-Boat") escorts, carry out clandestine raids and landings, and pick up secret agents in Norway and Brittany. Alongside British officers and men, the coastal craft were manned by various Allied nationalities including Dutch, Norwegian, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealanders.[6][7]

A number of Captain-class frigates were configured to operate as "coastal forces control frigates" (CFCF).[8] Operating with Coastal Forces officers embarked and responsible for controlling and providing radar support to groups of Coastal Forces' motor torpedo boats intercepting German motor torpedo boats in the North Sea,[9] these frigates were involved in the destruction of at least 26 E-Boats.[10]

By 1944 Coastal Forces numbered 3,000 officers and 22,000 ratings. Altogether there were 2,000 British Coastal Forces craft. Affectionately known as the Royal Navy's "little ships", they fought over 900 actions and sank around 400 enemy vessels, including 48 E-boats and 32 midget submarines. They fired 1,169 torpedoes, shot down 32 enemy aircraft and carried out many mine laying operations. 170 of the "little ships" were sunk or otherwise destroyed.[11]

Post-World War II

After World War II, the Royal Navy re-designated all its motor torpedo boats (MTBs) and motor gun boats (MGBs) as "fast patrol boats." The Brave-class fast patrol boats were the last craft to be built for the Coastal Forces, and the Coastal Forces were disbanded as a separate unit and their last base, (HMS Hornet), decommissioned in 1956.

The last sailors to wear the "HM Coastal Forces" cap tally were the ship's companies of the inshore minesweepers Dittisham and Flintham on being taken out of reserve in 1968, before individual cap tallies for the minesweepers had been manufactured and issued.

Craft types used

Coastal Forces included the following types of coastal defence craft:[12]

Type[13] Designation Built Lost Designed purpose
Motor launches ML, HDML, RML Harbour defence and submarine chasing or rescue motor launches.
Motor gunboats MGB
Steam gunboats SGB 7 1 Hunting down German E-boats
Motor torpedo boats MTB

At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 there were three flotillas of motor torpedo "short boats" between 60 ft (18 m) and 72 feet (22 m) long. These could typically maintain 40 knots and were armed with two torpedo tubes. They were built mainly by the British Power Boat Company, Vospers, and Thornycroft.

In 1940 a modified craft, the motor gunboat, was introduced. These were armed with weapons such as the 0.5 in Vickers machine gun, 2 pounder "pom pom", a single or twin 20 mm Oerlikon and ultimately the autoloader fitted 6-pounder gun.[14]

It was also apparent that larger craft were needed as the operational capability of the short boats was too restricted by sea conditions. Fairmile designed a series of larger coastal craft, up to 120 feet (37 m) long. The Fairmile A Type and B Type were motor launches and the C Type was a motor gunboat.[15]

In 1943 the Fairmile D Type appeared. It was a motor torpedo boat – nicknamed the "Dog Boat" – and was designed as a counter to the German S-boat (known to the Allies as the "E-boat"). It could be fitted as either a gun or a torpedo boat, so the designation "MGB" disappeared and all the craft were labelled MTBs. It was a good sea boat and could maintain 30 knots (56 km/h) at full load. The later D types carried four 18-inch (460 mm) torpedo tubes.[16]

The Vosper Type I MTB appeared in 1943. This was a 73-foot (22 m) craft with four 18-inch (460 mm) torpedo tubes and was capable of a maximum speed of 40 knots (74 km/h).

Bases

Coastal Forces bases were located around the British coast and at major locations overseas.[17][18][19][20]

Commonwealth coastal forces

Although British Commonwealth coastal forces operated independently from British ones, they used similar vessels:

Coastal forces of Type Built Lost Notes
Canada Fairmile B motor launch
Fairmile D motor torpedo boat
BPB motor torpedo boat		 80[23]
10[24]
11[25]
Australia Harbour defence motor launch
Fairmile B motor launch		 31[26]
35[27]
New Zealand Harbour defence motor launch
Fairmile B motor launch		 16[28]
12[29]

Surviving craft
Vessel Description Built Builder In the care of Condition
HDML 1387 Medusa Harbour defence launch which took part in the Normandy landings.[30] 1943 R.A.Newman & sons Medusa Trust[31] restored to original condition
MTB102 Prototype for World War II MTBs[32] 1937 Vosper MTB102 Trust[33] still seaworthy
MTB 331 55 ft (17 m) Stepped-hull motor torpedo boat - sole survivor[34] 1941 Thornycroft British Military Powerboat Trust[35] Intention to get her seaworthy
MGB 81 71.5 ft (21.8 m) Motor gunboat 1942 British Power Boat Company Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust[36] Fully operational, based at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
MTB 71 60 ft (18 m) Motor torpedo boat 1940 Vosper Static exhibit

Some surviving motor launches in British waters were taken on as pleasure boats and a number of them are on the National Register of Historic Vessels.

See also
Coastal Forces memorial at the former HMS Hornet, Gosport

References

Notes
  1. Royal Navy Coastal Forces
  2. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/669180/response/1596389/attach/html/2/FOI%202020%2006471Final%20response.pdf.html
  3. The fair log from MTB 07 along with official reports by the surviving commanders
  4. Reynolds, L.C. and Cooper, H.F. (1999) Mediterranean MTBs at War: Short MTB Flotilla Operations, 1939-45
  5. see for example Operation Brandy or MTB 345
  6. "Coastal Forces Heritage Trust: History". Coastal Forces Heritage Trust. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  7. Coastal Forces of World War Two (Royal Naval Museum)
  8. Donald. The Captain Class Frigates in the Second World War. p. 31.
  9. Naval History: HMS Rutherford (K 558)
  10. Donald. The Captain Class Frigates in the Second World War. pp. 124, 139.
  11. The Coastal Forces Heritage Trust: Coastal Forces Achievements
  12. The Coastal Forces Heritage Trust: Our Objectives
  13. Note that minesweepers, trawlers and landing craft are not included.
  14. Allied Coastal Forces of World War II - Volume II: Vosper designs and US Elcos - by John Lambert and Al Ross, 1993 ISBN 0-85177-602-7
  15. Allied Coastal Forces of World War II - Volume I: Fairmile designs and US Submarine Chasers - by John Lambert and Al Ross, 1990 ISBN 978-0-85177-519-7
  16. The Fairmile D Motor Torpedo Boat (Anatomy of the Ship's series) by John Lambert, 1985 ISBN 0-85177-321-4
  17. Coastal Forces Shore establishments
  18. Combined Operations Training Establishments
  19. List of Royal Navy shore establishments
  20. Western Approaches Command Bases
  22. "Things to Do – Dartmouth Museum". Dartmouth Museum. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2011. The Royal Dart Hotel between the ferries played a vital role in the Second World War. It was called HMS Cicala then.
  23. Canadian Fairmile Bs Archived 2007-09-13 at the Wayback Machine
  24. Canadian Fairmile Ds Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine
  25. BPB motor torpedo boat Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine
  26. Australian HDMLs Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
  27. Australian Fairmile Bs Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
  28. New Zealand HDMLs Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine
  29. New ZealandFairmile Bs Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine
  30. HDML 1387 Medusa Archived 2007-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
  31. Medusa Medusa Trust
  32. MTB102 Archived 2007-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
  33. MTB102 Trust
  34. MTB-331 - 55 ft (17 m) coastal motor torpedo boat Archived 15 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  35. British Military Powerboat Trust MTB 331

Bibliography
  • Cooper, Bryan. (1972) Battle of the Torpedo Boats. ISBN 978-0-330-23243-2
  • Holman, Gordon (1944) The Little Ships. London: Hodder & Stroughton OCLC 2300084
  • Konstam, Angus (2003) British Motor Torpedo Boat 1939–45. Osprey ISBN 1-84176-500-7
  • Lambert, John and Ross, Al (1990) Allied Coastal Forces of World War II, Volume I: Fairmile designs and US Submarine Chasers. ISBN 978-0-85177-519-7
  • Lavery, Brian (2006) Churchill's Navy: The Ships, Men and Organisation, 1939-1945, ISBN 978-1-84486-035-7
  • Kemp, Paul J (1997) British Coastal Forces of WWII, ISO Publications, London, ISBN 0-946784-52-3
  • Konstam, Angus illustrated by Tony Bryan. British Motor Torpedo Boat 1939-45. Osprey Publishing ISBN 978-1-84176-500-6
  • Pickles, Harold (1995) Untold Stories of Small Boats at War: Coastal Forces Veterans Remember ISBN 978-1-85821-176-3
  • Pope, Dudley (2006) Flag 4: The Battle of Coastal Forces in the Mediterranean 1939-1945. ISBN 978-1-86176-067-8
  • Reynolds, L.C. and Cooper, H.F. (1999) Mediterranean MTBs at War: Short MTB Flotilla Operations, 1939-45. ISBN 978-0-7509-2274-6
  • Reynolds, L. C. (2000) Home Waters MTBs at War: Channel and North Sea MTB and MGB Flotilla Operations, 1939-1945. ISBN 978-0-7509-2518-1
  • Reynolds, L. C. and Lord Lewin (2000) Dog Boats at War: A History of the Operations of the Royal Navy D Class Fairmile Motor Torpedo Boats and Motor Gunboats 1939-1945, Sutton Publications Inc, ISBN 978-0-7509-2454-2
  • Reynolds, L. C. (2002) Motor Gunboat 658: The Small Boat War in the Mediterranean. ISBN 978-0-304-36183-0
  • Scott, Peter and Hichens, Antony (2009) The Battle of the Narrow Seas: A History of the Light Coastal Forces in the Channel and North Sea, 1939-1945 (reprint) Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781591140412.

Further reading
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