MTB HMS Beehive

Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB)
rocky
Seaman
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2014 5:02 pm

MTB HMS Beehive

Postby rocky » Thu Aug 28, 2014 5:24 pm

Good afternoon to everyone, I was hoping some could help me? I am looking for some information on Stoker first class William James Stokes who served on MTB 93. I am hoping to track down any former crew members or relatives of crew members. I know that he did not return from a mission on the 18th August 1944. I am his grand son and both my father and I would like to know more about him, as he died before my father was born. Thank you for your time

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

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby Brian Holmes » Thu Aug 28, 2014 7:41 pm

Lets start with this

MTB_93 Berthon Boat Co, Lymington 10/9/42

For minelaying in the Nore Command area (Gazette Date - 1/8/44)
DSM PO Michael Murray C/JX140060

Known Crew
TLt A S Hughes RNVR TLt 9/11/40 13th MTB Flotilla MTB 206 14/4/42 Commanding Officer MTB 93 34th MTB Flotilla Based at Lowestoft and Lerwick MTB 672 22/3/43 58th MTB Flotilla Based at Lowestoft Commanding Officer MTB 685 9/43 ML 910 1944
TLt Ninian Glen Kennedy RNVR 10th MTB Flotilla First Lieutenant MTB 67 9/40 TLt 1/6/42 Commanding Officer MTB 93 01/09/42 22nd MTB Flotilla 1/12/42 59th MTB Flotilla Based at Great Yarmouth, Dover, Newhaven Commanding Officer MTB 706 1943. Commanding Officer Commanding Officer MTB 760 29/4/44 For service in the Mediterranean and off the east coast of England 3 - 12/43 MID Commanding Officer MTB 750 1944 For minesweeping and rescue work in Le Havre during 1945 MID
TSLt R W Sanders RANVR joined RANVR, Port Adelaide 21/10/40 HMS Hornet 17/4/42 First Lieutenant MTB 206 17/4/42 First Lieutenant MTB 93 06/42 Commanding Officer MTB 252 15/11/43 HMS Mylodon (Combined Operations base, Lowestoft) 5/44 HMAS Torrens 14/12/45 Born 2/4/17 in Adelaide
TSLt I T Campbell RNVR First Lieutenant MTB 93 01/09/42 22nd MTB Flotilla 1/12/42 TASLt 7/5/43 TSLt 7/11/43
PO Michael Murray C/JX140060 22nd MTB Flotilla MTB 93 Operation Neptune - Invasion of Normandy For minelaying in the Nore Command area DSM
Sto1 William James Stokes C/KX 141146 MTB 93 Died when the boat sank Friday, 18 August 1944 age 20 Son of William George and Amy Elizabeth Stokes, of Notting Hill, London
Sto1 Edward Watson C/KX 172062 MTB 93 Died when the boat sank Friday, 18 August 1944 age 20 Son of Edward Mason Watson and Annie Lees Watson, of Woodside, Aberdeen

Wartime Activities
27-8/2/43 MTB 83, MTB 93 and MTB 222 are despatched to intercept a convoy off Egmond. The convoy is not sighted but MTB 83, MTB 93 and MTB 222 are fired on by patrol vessels.
15-6/3/43 MTB 88, MTB 93 and MTB 230 depart Lowestoft at 1630 and make 22 kts to intercept a north bound convoy off the Dutch coast. They are overflown three times by enemy aircraft.
2245 MTB 88, MTB 93 and MTB 230 are close to the intercept point. Radar contact is obtained. MTB 88, MTB 93 and MTB 230 close at a slower speed to avoid making a visible bow wave. There are three merchant ships and at least three escorts (One of which is possibly a destroyer). MTB 88, MTB 93 and MTB 230 move around the stern of the convoy to the inshore side. MTB 88 is directed to attack the leading merchant ship, MTB 93 the middle one and MTB 230 the trailing one. MTB 88 and MTB 93 turn to attack and the convoy escort opens fire. MTB 88 and MTB 93 fire torpedoes. MTB 230 is dazzled by starshell and tracer and waits. MTB 230 makes an individual attack and fires torpedoes from 1000 yards.
0530 MTB 88, MTB 93 and MTB 230 have disengaged and join up.
0850 MTB 88, MTB 93 and MTB 230 enter Lowestoft.
Merchant ships Agnete (1458 tons) and Danish Steamer Mariatoft (2302 tons) are sunk.
16-17/7/43 MTB 83, MTB 93, MTB 238 (Senior Officer) and MTB 245 are on patrol off Ymuiden when they sight a convoy of three small merchant ships escorted by two armed trawlers. Seven torpedoes are fired. At the time, one sinking is claimed but that is not borne out by post war investigations.
22nd MTB Flotilla
MTB 25, MTB 83, MTB 88, MTB 93, MTB 238, MTB 245 and MTB 347 Based on the Nore
Operation Neptune - Invasion of Normandy
8-9/7/44 MTB 88, MTB 93, MTB 238 and MTB 245 encounter a force of armed trawlers off Scheveningen. MTB 88 and MTB 238 make a torpedo attack hitting and sinking one trawler. MTB 93 and MTB 245 make a torpedo attack achieving two hits. MTB 245 is hit by a shell on the waterline close to the bow and begins to settle. MTB 245 gets underway astern and is later towed stern first by MTB 93 at 5kts. An ML later takes over the tow and a tug is despatched from Felixstowe.
18/8/44 Sunk following collision with MTB729 off Harwich

rocky
Seaman
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2014 5:02 pm

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby rocky » Fri Aug 29, 2014 3:48 pm

Dear Sir
Thank you for all your information, it is really helpful. I do not mean to ask too much, would you be to advise me where to continue my search for information on the crew and the man. Many thanks for your time. I would very much like to go the site of HMS Beehive but i am having trouble locating it. Wishing you all the best William Stokes

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

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby Admin » Sat Aug 30, 2014 1:56 am

Hello rocky

HMS Beehive was situated at Felixstowe. If you go to our Coastal Forces Bases page, the image at the bottom of the left hand column shows the basin at Felixstowe used by the boats. If you then select the Home Waters map at the top of that page, select the Port button in the Quick Zoom section at right, then select Felixstowe (Beehive) from the list, you will be able to see where it used to be. Very few buildings used by Coastal Forces during the war remain, the primary exception being the the Lord Warden Hotel within the precincts of the port at Dover, which was HMS Wasp. While most of the ports remain largely unchanged, Felixstowe has undergone a massive transformation, thanks to the ever expanding container port it hosts today. In the top right of the map you will see a Satellite button which provides a view of the port.

What I can tell you, is that Google refreshes its satellite data every few years, and when I originally did the research for this map, the container port was in existence, but part of the old port remained as well, including the basin, which is now completely filled in. The map pin located the Little Ships Hotel, which was still visible at that time within the satellite view. The Little Ships was the former Pier Hotel, which was the site for HMS Beehive. The hotel, all the surrounding dock buildings and the basin, which stood to the north of the pin, along with the old RAF seaplane hangars which were also part of Beehive, have all been swept away by the expansion of the container port, which now extends out to sea beyond the original seafront, leaving the former dock basin well inland and covered over.

Regards
Admin

jonco
Chief Petty Officer
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 6:47 pm

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby jonco » Fri Sep 12, 2014 9:46 am

.........both my father and I would like to know more about him, as he died before my father was born.
You may find his service record has some useful information. If you follow this link http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_rec ... _navy.html it shows you procedure/requirements. It does take a few weeks and a fee may be required.

Good Luck

Jack brown
Seaman
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:58 pm

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby Jack brown » Thu Aug 27, 2015 6:27 pm

Hello Rocky
My father Jack Brown served and knew very well your grandfather and would love to talk to you.
Please respond and I can give more info.
Regards

Cathy

David Carter
Sub Lieutenant
Posts: 93
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:06 pm

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby David Carter » Sat Aug 29, 2015 12:37 pm

Cathy

Is your father the Jack Brown, who lives in Arnos Grove?

David Carter

Jack brown
Seaman
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:58 pm

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby Jack brown » Sat Aug 29, 2015 1:26 pm

Hello David

Yes he is I take it you know him

Cathy

David Carter
Sub Lieutenant
Posts: 93
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:06 pm

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby David Carter » Sat Aug 29, 2015 4:04 pm

Hi Cathy

I've just had a lovely long chat with your dad. It was a coincidence you posted on this site on Thursday, because that day I was in Arnos Grove visiting friends and called on him. Unfortunately he was out, but I will visit him next month (trains and tube strikes permitting). He told me that as a result of your post, he has heard from the family of his shipmate.

Kind regards

David C

David Carter
Sub Lieutenant
Posts: 93
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:06 pm

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby David Carter » Sat Aug 29, 2015 4:09 pm

Hi Cathy

It is the Stokes family who are visiting him tomorrow.

Kind Regards

David

Jack brown
Seaman
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:58 pm

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby Jack brown » Sat Aug 29, 2015 6:22 pm

Hi David

Yes my dad told me he had spoken to you today and yes the Stokes family are visiting tomorrow he is really excited and cannot wait- it should be a very interesting day tomorrow and no doubt he will tell you all about it.

Hope to meet soon

Kind regards

Cathy

Fouquet
Seaman
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 6:37 pm

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby Fouquet » Wed May 17, 2017 6:45 pm

Good afternoon,
I hope you may help me.
My mother, sadly recently deceased, was in a relation with Lt Valentine Ohlenschlager sometime between 1943 and 1946. During part of that period he was the commanding officer of HMS Beehive. At that time he gave her a U-boat flag which he got as first aboard a captured U-boat.
I am trying to find which was that U-Boat. U-XXX
Sadly Lt V. Ohlenschlager met an untimely but heroic death after the war so I am at a loss as to whom I may get the information from.
Many thanks if somebody can give me indications or contacts.
Mark

raystones
Seaman
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2017 1:29 pm

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby raystones » Sat Sep 02, 2017 1:37 pm

Very interested to read this topic. I believe my dad, Frederick Ernest Stones, was based at HMS Beehive during WW2 but I can't find any record of him in navy archives. I have a photo of him & crew on a small boat. He was a stoker and did the cooking. He died in the early 60s and I never got as much info as I should have. Oddly the company I worked for bought the RAF land at Felixstowe and we relocated there in the early 70s. The Little Ships was still there then and I enjoyed many pints after playing squash. Who knows, I may have stood at the very same bar!
Fred Stones 1940s.jpg

raystones
Seaman
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2017 1:29 pm

Re: MTB HMS Beehive

Postby raystones » Sat Sep 02, 2017 1:40 pm

Sorry. Forgot to say if anyone has any info I'd be really grateful. Thanks.


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