MTB 616 (Formerly MGB 616)

Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB)
Richard Wood
Seaman
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 11:05 pm

MTB 616 (Formerly MGB 616)

Postby Richard Wood » Wed Aug 12, 2015 3:11 pm

I am researching on behalf of Exeter Sea Cadets who used MTB616 as a base when it was moored on the canal at Exeter. Sadly, it was later scrapped and burnt. Some details of this are on the Exeter Memories website / forum.
I know it was a Fairmile Type D made by Osborne's of Littlehampton. Any information on MTB 616 would be appreciated.
Exeter Sea Cadets celebrate their 75th anniversary this year so I'd like to arrange a visit to a similar MTB in the South West if one exists. If you know of one or have any other information to assist the research, it would be much appreciated including photos or other snippets of information.
Many thanks in advance.
Richard
Facilitator for Exeter Sea Cadets 75th anniversary.

Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 501
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 7:40 pm

Re: MTB 616 (Formerly MGB 616)

Postby Admin » Wed Aug 12, 2015 6:53 pm

Hello Richard

Thank you for your enquiry. Sadly there are no preserved Fairmile 'D' Dog Boats still in existence, and all of the houseboat conversions that were known about in the past seemed to have succumbed one by one to the ravages of time. I'll check through the standard works on Coastal Forces for any interesting references to 616. London Branch are pleased to have Steve Borne of the City of London Sea Cadets onboard who had been looking into the possibility of one of the cadets collating any photos that may exist of cadet groups and their boats going back to the late 1940s and 1950s, so if you have any archival images of 616 as used by the Exeter cadets we'd be pleased to receive copies.

Regards
Admin

Brian Holmes
Commander
Posts: 245
Joined: Wed May 06, 2009 3:26 pm
Location: Portsmouth

Re: MTB 616 (Formerly MGB 616)

Postby Brian Holmes » Thu Aug 13, 2015 8:00 pm

MGB_616 William Osbourne Ltd, Littlehampton 19/8/42

For an action with a Flak Ship and E Boats in the Channel 29/7/43
MID POMtrMch Reginald Walter Cowley P/MX117881

New Year Honours List 1945
DSM CMtrMch Eric Wain P/MX98165

Known Crew (MGB 616)
Lt H P Byrne RN 18th MGB Flotilla Based at Portsmouth and then Newhaven Commanding Officer MGB 616 and Senior Officer 18th MGB Flotilla 15/2/42.
TSLt K J W Hughes RNVR TASLt HMS St Christopher for MLs 12/41 18th MGB Flotilla Based at Portsmouth and then Newhaven MGB 616 8/7/42 MTB 616 10/1/43 TLt 7/8/43 HMS Mantis (Lowestoft) 1944 Commanding Officer MTB 499 14/2/45
TSLt H H Dickinson RNVR TSLt 21/5/42 18th MGB Flotilla Based at Portsmouth and then Newhaven MGB 616 3/8/42 HMS St Christopher TLt 21/5/43 COMD
POMtrMch Reginald Walter Cowley P/MX117881 18th MGB Flotilla Based at Portsmouth and then Newhaven MGB 616 For an action with a Flak Ship and E Boats in the Channel 29/7/43 MID

Known Crew (MTB 616)
TLt George Nelson Johnstone RNVR TSLt 17/7/41 HMS Beaver II (Immingham) (for 11th ML Flotilla) TLt 17/7/42 18th MGB Flotilla Based at Portsmouth and then Newhaven Commanding Officer MTB 616 6/4/43 Born 5/3/16 and died (9?).1978 in Hove district, East Sussex
TLt Tudor Egmont Atkinson RNZNVR TSLt 30/10/41 11th Flotilla based on the Humber ML 193 4/1/42 Operation Jubilee - Raid on Dieppe MTB 508? 15/6/43 MTB 611 15/6/43 51st MTB Flotilla Based at Dover For Operation Neptune - passage of troops and supplies during the assault on Normandy DSC TLt 30/4/44 Commanding Officer MTB 616 30/1/45
TLt Ronald Antoine Coillet RANVR TSLt 19/11/41 18th MGB Flotilla Based at Portsmouth and then Newhaven MTB 616 28/6/43 First Lieutenant MTB 513 28/6/43? Lt 19/2/44 Born in Brunswick, Victoria 9/5/17
TSLt K J W Hughes RNVR TASLt HMS St Christopher for MLs 12/41 18th MGB Flotilla Based at Portsmouth and then Newhaven MGB 616 8/7/42 MTB 616 10/1/43 TLt 7/8/43 HMS Mantis (Lowestoft) 1944 Commanding Officer MTB 499 14/2/45
TSLt K C Lethieullier RNVR First Lieutenant MTB 508 3/5/43 TSLt 18/6/43 MTB 616 1944 MTB 611 30/1/45
TSLt M F Saxby RNVR TSLt 29/10/44 HMS Fervent (Ramsgate) 51st MTB Flotilla MTB 616 30/1/45
TSLt S H Young RNVR TASLt 26/7/44 TSLt 26/1/45 MTB 616 30/1/45
CMtrMch Eric Wain P/MX98165 51st MTB Flotilla Based at Dover MTB 616 New Year Honours List 1945 DSM

War Activities
18th MGB Flotilla
MGB 602, MGB 608, MGB 611, MGB 613, MGB 614, MGB 615, MGB 616, MGB 680
Based at Portsmouth and then Newhaven
27-8/7/43 MGB 611 and MGB 616 are in an action with two Flak Ships and three E Boats off Dieppe. One Flak Ship and an E Boat are considerably damaged.
9/43 Redesignated MTB
10/43 51st MTB Flotilla
MTB 602, MTB 608, MTB 611, MTB 613, MTB 614, MTB 615, MTB 616, MTB 680, MTB 689
Based at Portsmouth
Based at Newhaven
Based at Dover
Based at Ramsgate
Operation Neptune - Invasion of Normandy
51st MTB Flotilla
Based at Dover
MTB 608, MTB 611, MTB 613, MTB 614, MTB 615, MTB 616 and MTB 680

Post War Fate
1947 Sea Cadet Corps (Exeter)
1955 For Disposal

Richard Wood
Seaman
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 11:05 pm

Re: MTB 616 (Formerly MGB 616)

Postby Richard Wood » Sat Aug 15, 2015 10:02 pm

Dear Brian,

Very many thanks for the information. We will be using it for the magazine I am producing and on our exhibition at our open day on 3rd October. Should you have any members who perhaps live in the Exeter area, I'd be pleased to hear from them.

I'm going through the archives now so I''d be pleased to forward any pictures to Steve Borne - could you ask him to make contact with me? I know of some pictures of 616 but still tracking down some featuring cadets.

If more information comes to light I'll be in touch and I'd welcome any more details that you uncover.

Thanks again
Richard

Pioneer
Moderator
Posts: 347
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 12:48 pm

Re: MTB 616 (Formerly MGB 616)

Postby Pioneer » Mon Aug 17, 2015 11:39 am

Hello Richard
I have let Steve Borne know of your request - he will be in touch shortly via e-mail.
Regards
Pioneer


Return to “Motor Torpedo Boats”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 16 guests