Fairmile - Greyhound of the Seas 1: RML 497 - A New Life

The last of the 'Fairmile' launches - gunboats, torpedo boats, Special Forces launches, and much more - is to be restored by The National Museum of the Royal Navy.
A Maritime Films UK - Maritime Foundation Production for The National Museum of the Royal Navy.

[@lesliespiers8510]

My father, PO William (Bill) Spiers served on ML123 and took part in the raid on Dieppe and was part of the forward navigation flotilla that landed on Juno Beach on D Day. He was so proud to have served in one of the greyhounds of the sea. Equally I am proud that he was one of the bravest of the brave as the coastal forces museum describe those volunteers Dr Leslie Spiers

[@paulbriggs3072]

Were those plans lost forever?

[@maryholder3795]

Fascinating. Thank you..

[@handyadams3319]

I came across plans for these in the wreckage of a local boatyard, Hunters Boats of Orillia, Ontario when it burnt down. To be able to see movies of these Little Ships is amazing and I thank you.

[@nigelhills9287]

Glad to see this Fairmile will be preserved, the history of the boats and the crews deserve to be remembered.

[@DaveTAM]

It is important to have surviving veterans like this to allow young people to walk the decks and be inspired by history on view. Cicero opined that "The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living" There is nothing more substantial that an artifact that was there at the time and is now preserved as a greater living memorial to those who served.

[@interformula]

I worked on the old girl as a deck hand during her days as a ferry, back in 65 or 66. awsome time, I was a teenager surrounded by grockles as we called the tourists. Great boat but rolled like a drunken pig when the weather was grumpy. Mainly due to the removal of all the wartime equipment, I think she sat a bit higher in the water. Fantastic to see she will survive. So much of our technical achievements has been scrapped and forgotten. Brian Palmer

[@paullangford8179]

They didn't like a quartering sea, and rolled unless going at a good speed. The shape was really for a larger vessel, but it helped minimise the wracking stresses on the hull. Originally would do 20 knots with the big petrol engines.

[@mikes6970]

Yeah mate in NZ had a smaller FM ... 83ft think ? Rolled like a bus in beam on swells ... it had been depowered so as uncomfitable in rough sea ... great old girl though ..

[@interformula]

@@mikes6970 would be fantastic to get the power back to wartime level, chuck some turbos on the old Gardners, but they would have to big ones !!

[@mikes6970]

@@interformula down to one engine .. cant remember what it was .. but know had twin v8 gardners originly .. he had history of it and the story of them coming to nz from hawaii .. think was .. us navy donated a dozen to us i think ... used be (im 58) a 113ft up not far from me moored .. totally original .. untouched for .. and been there for as long as i can remember .. as a kid late 60s early 70s used to jyst look at it and dream ww2 like we all did then .. to finally have a mate (havent seen him of boat for 30yrs) you had one was kool .. did about 8 -10 knots ... not good in those boats ... but spent months on it back then ...

[@davidbeattie4294]

Thank you for the video. My father served on a Fairmile in the Royal Canadian Navy. Its good to know that someone is preserving this bit of heritage from that very difficult time.

[@novainvicta]

My Father served on ML283 I’ve numerous photos of him onboard. He also served on MTBs all from Malta & Italy around the Med and the Adriatic. Good to know this ship will be restored.

[@colinmallett4681]

My father was an RNVR anti-submarine warfare Leiutenant responsible for ASDIC on BMLs and HDMLs. This video rang many bells with his stories of this work.

[@fredfarnackle5455]

Great story, good to see that she will live forever - I know the National Museum of the RN will do a good job.

[@privateer177666]

Jolly Good Mate! These vessels served alongside the venerable 83 footers the U S Coast Guard had in place for the Normandy/D-Day invasions. Powered by Sterling straight 8 petrol engines and coxswained in the same open helm design. The 83’s didn’t have the torpedo capabilities but served the same mission of patrolling and rescue vessels.

[@roadie3124]

A lot of Fairmiles were being used at motor yachts and live-aboard hulks in the 1960s. The major problem was the double-diagonal planking. The fabric between the two layers of timber absorbed water and there was a lot of rot. It's good to see that one has survived.

[@mranonomous3059]

There is a surviving Fairmile in Perth, Western Australia. It was used as a ferry to Rottnest Island.

[@markrowland1366]

Fairmile boats were built in New Zealand too. One fitted with New Zealand developed radar was motoring hundreds of miles north of New Zealand when overtaken by an unarmed US transport plane which identified a large Japanese submarine five miles back. The New Zealand Fairmile back tracked, spotting the sub on radar and at four miles sent two shells from its deck gun, the second sinking it. Good shooting. Great Kiwi radar. The mobile Kiwi radar lost to the Japanese at Singapore, was declared by general Douglas MacArthur, the best radar in the Pacific and an important and regretable loss. Returning from England where many were involved in research into radar and with tons of the newest devices and components, the kiwis did startling work developing the equal of any countries radar and lead in easy deployment, field operation, maintained, documentation and training.

[@alanpeacock1674]

Further to this, the RNZ Navy sailed many of it's Fairmile fleet from New Zealand to the Solomon Islands, where they gave valuable service.

[@Kav.]

I remember being on one of the last commercial trips on this boat back in 2015 I believe. Down the D-day training beach.

[@ianbeadle9818]

To the commentator of this wonderful piece of history..... Your question of "Why bother" is EXACTLY the problem with Britain today! We are still a maritime nation yet more and more people seem to think that remembering our maritime history isn't cost worthy!

[@fangipan]

I was the commentator, but I didn't write the script.

[@mallerstead]

My father (Lt. Cdr Gordon W. Stead, DSC & Bar, RCNVR, Commodore, Cdn Coast Guard, LLD Hons Causa) was the Captain of the 3rd. ML flotilla in Malta during the seige. Sr officer afloat between Gib and Alex. His was HMML 126. The story is told in his book "A Leaf Upon The Sea", by Gordon W Stead, UBC Press. He loved those little ships. Roll on, The Navy!

[@keithlloyd4254]

My father was a member of the Special Service Brigade & took part in Operation Chariot, the attack on the dry dock at St. Nazaire. I believe 17 of these craft, including 2 MGBs & an MTB, were used on the operation. The original plan called for 2 destroyers but the R.N. in its infinite wisdom refused to release more than one. That decision cost many lives since the MLs were shot to pieces in the dockyard at St. Nazaire, they were just about the worst possible choice of craft for that mission. However, despite the awful casualties the commandos & the navy crews were successful & the dry dock (the only dock outside of Germany that could take the their capital ships including Tirpitz, Bismark was sunk by then) was put out of action for the duration of the war. I doubt if its designer ever anticipated that role for his launches.

[@terrelmchenry9524]

WOODEN BOAT,HALL/SCOTT'S AND A PRETTY GAL. AWESOME.

[@iceman7975]

This is what is required in today's Navy, greater versatility of vessels. Our modern assets are expensive to build and maintain so greater versatility ensures our monies worth.

[@johnmccabe1974]

The Fairmile was the main Commando carrier for the raid on St Nazaire (dry dock in France for German battleships). A lot of them burned but they delivered there payload and extracted most when time to go.

[@paullangford8179]

I recall going fishing on trips in the Hauraki Gulf from Auckland in New Zealand. La Rita was the name then, and that was a Fairmile B that served in the Pacific.

[@mikes6970]

Langford .. are you from auck nrth shore ? Yeah used to be a few arou d auckland .. mate had one called the pakatoa ..

[@mikes6970]

There are different sizes if i remember .. ?

[@lauriegaston1421]

My Father was on a Fairmile in WW2 so I find this very interesting

[@thomaswyatt4937]

I seem to recall seeing one of these here in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada sometime after the war. I think it was docked here for a short time on it's way to the Lakehead - Port Arthur and Fort William in Lake Superior.

[@terencej2311]

When I was young there was one moored on the Wade river,on the Whangaparaoa peninsular New Zealand.

[@martinhart6806]

I was fortunate enough to drive fairmiles converted to tourist boats in Airlie beach Queensland during the 1980s.Great sea boats and a joy to handle alongside

[@mikes6970]

Narrow though .. didnt like beam on swells ... mate had a smaller F/M .. think there different sizes ? His was only 70 -80 ft i think? Some are about 113ft ? Correct me if im wrong ...

[@jeffreythompson9549]

@@mikes6970 112 ft X 18 ft beam

[@mikes6970]

@@jeffreythompson9549 think some were 83 ft .. might be called ... FM b ... just saw another comment about size ... this one came to NZ ( i live ) from Hawaii from us navy during the war .. think nz got a dozen .... remember now mate had a histiry book of the nz FMs ... what each one was used for (war time use ) we have 113 ft ones here .. alot were ferries or take people fishing boats (charter) theres a totally orginal one moored not far from me .. been there as long as i remember ( im 58 ) ....

[@mikes6970]

@Bruce Boyden thank you my friend ... somewhere to start ....

[@becca6791]

I'd like to see full programme on this

[@timbarnes2259]

Yes, this was a very popular vessel that took passengers on wonderful sea voyages during the summer months in Devon..

[@derekryan4299]

miss that boat at Dartmouth been on it a few times great day out

[@kendowney8553]

My dad lived on the MTB 492 at Benfleet creek Essex after the war

[@dronkvaett]

I remember the MTB at Benfleet. We camped on Canvey as kids up to 1952 when the floods put an end to holidays on Canvey. Each year we would go and look at the MTB, as my Uncle had served on one, one year it was gone ~ we later found it where it had been moved to Smallgains creek, tied up to a strange MTB looking hulk made of concrete.

[@24934637]

As used by 'Metcalf' in the Golden Keel by Desmond Baguley.

[@moremoneyfordreadnoughts1100]

Commenter: "...In the battle for freedom and independence from a Europe under the heel of tyranny, a message as important today as then." Self-explanatory though unintended.

[@gearjammer3688]

When a lady asks 'are you making holes in my boat?' The correct answer is NO! And then hide the drill.

[@hymanocohann2698]

Little boats do a big job! But Admirals must have battleships, the little guys win the war the Biggins get the press.

[@michaelwilkinson2928]

Not a single Fairmile D left now.

[@hagartool]

I remember this boat and how she used to look with her original aft cabin.

[@hagartool]

@MichaelKingsfordGray, I didn't say I have forgotten my name, Hagar happens to be a nickname I have carried from a teen.

[@abrahamdozer6273]

Thr RCN use Fairmile "Dog" boats as anti submarine escorts in the Lower St. Lawrence River. It was an extremely difficult place to conduct antisubmarine warfare as the river is severely layered with impenetrable acoustic boundaries of warm/cold water so ASDIC equipped Corvettes, etc. tended to be a waste of resources, there. The Fairmiles did a good job as sheepdogs along the Canadian East Coast near shore. 88 Fairmile Bs were built in Canada with eight of them ending up in the US Navy (Canada was a net exporter of warships to the USN... strange but true). p.s. Some of them even lived on the Great Lakes where they were used to train ratings in a safe place.

[@martinhawkes2823]

The engine room is a high security area, we want it to stay like that, as if someone's going to put a gardener engine on their shoulder an walk away with it unnoticed, more like it was in a state of crap & didn't want to show us, but any how i hope she returns to her former glory, rather sad really as i had to cut one up in southern Spain nearly 30yrs ago and take the engines out, 2 gardener 8L3's, but there was another in Gibraltar all original until a few yrs ago owned by Hector cuppuro the owner of what once was Sheppard's marina.!

[@Colinpark]

One left out of about 5 on the West Coast of Canada.

[@1950lostnuke]

www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2788835

[@colinhoughton9553]

is this the boat that was used as a ferry from Brixham to Torquay?

[@dartskipper3170]

Yes, she ran that service for many years as Western Lady III.

[@swallowtail131]

@@dartskipper3170 Was the Ferry skipper Don Jacobs?

[@dartskipper3170]

@@swallowtail131 Yes, Don Jacobs was skipper of this boat when she was Western Lady III. After she was sold and then came back to Torquay for the Greenway Ferry Company, Bill Ford (who first sailed with me in 1974,) and his son John were the skippers.

[@kcstafford2784]

cant belive you didnt show us the motors???no like&subscribe for you..

[@michaelkinsey4649]

"Down in the Westcountry" Just say "in Devon" , is it so difficult? It's patronising to infer that you're 'up' somewhere superior whilst 'down' there is, rather surprisingly, this interesting thing. And you don't even realise you're doing it.

[@peterclark4685]

Love these tough nuggets. Takes pure guts to make these effective. In the open-sea conditions that U-boats could attack with some chance of success these boats could have seriously disrupted any tactical moves the enemy needed to take. Unfortunately 'weather'. However building a Mother ship which could store these during storms (when U-boats were equally as useless) was beyond the imagination of the Royal Navy. Do the cost analysis and you will realise that the RN's pig-headed isolation and lack of ideas probably extended the war by years. I would go further and argue that anybody over 35-40 has absolutely no value to any fighting force in any capacity apart from voiceless rear echelon matters. Their brains have overly ossified.

[@peterclark4685]

ps: The Yanks have these 'Friends of' organisations which are a means of gathering funds, specialists, spruikers, etc. who will see that projects like these remain viable. Clever eh?

[@norrinradd3549]

Peter Clark. We have some too, but mainly for planes, but the person that you’re replying to, was talking about the navy’s problems during the war..... but there’s some, for some of the boats/ships, because they do have, the friends of that ship moored in the Thames, who do tours and raise money, which I am unable to name at the moment.....

[@justforfux]

Isn't that girl the one who acted in several Hollywood movies ?

[@lisab3396]

👌👌👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@davidsmith375]

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