Hi Steve,
Many thanks for the reply and welcome - sorry for any delays (as you can imagine we are making use of the good weather on the boat for topside repairs!)
Your comments are really helpful - there is quite a lot of information on various forums for our boat ML 357 regarding wartime engagements (confirmed by surviving crew relatives, some of which visited the boat with the previous owner) along with various wartime images on Pinterest that tally with existing ship detailing.
The real confusion I think lies with the account of a surviving relative who has posted images of “MGB 357” on the following website:
http://www.39-45war.com/mgb357.html
It’s a great read of various wartime actions, but at the bottom of the item is picture of an ML, clearly marked “357” on her hull, but much more heavily armoured than corresponding images of our boats more or less the same period - also, she doesn’t appear a Vosper or MTB type, but I’m no expert....the author of the item has also posted an image of our boat in St Osyth (some years ago) and seems sure they are one of the same!
Sure is a bit confusing, as we would like to compile an accurate history for a potential website, etc.
Best
Mark & Jacqueline Walker