MTB 22 and MTB 24

[FindingEric]

I am interested in the activities of these two boats in May/Jun 1940. I understand they were both 4th Flotilla and based in Felixstowe.

MTB 22 was in Portsmouth on 1st May and operated from Dover and Harwich until 8th May, when she was accompanied by MTB24 and MTB25 from Dover to Harwich. On 12th May the three boats were ordered to proceed to Ijmuiden on a recon mission.

Returning on 14th May to Felixstowe the boats were attacked by an HE115, which was shot down by one of the boats.

I have several questions:

1) Is there a database of MTB movements? There is supposed to be one linked to this site but when I click on the link the page is 'not found'.
2) What was the gun armament of MTB 22 and MTB 24?
3) There is an ROP for MTB 22 dated 15th May 1940. Where can I find this?
4) Were crew lists kept for these boats on such short trips?

These queries all relate to a young A/S who served on an MTB just prior to and during the BEF evacuation of Dunkirk.

Many thanks.

Philip Williams

[John110547]

Hi Philip

I hope the following will answer some of your questions:

• MTB 022 & 024 were part of a six-motor torpedo boat order placed on 15 August 1938, split between Vosper, Portsmouth & Thornycroft, Hampton. The boat's length was 71ft 9ins, the beam was 18ft 4ins, the draught was 2ft (fwd)/ 4ft 8ins (aft), its displacement was 37 tons & it was powered by three Isotta-Franchini 1150/1200hp petrol engines, achieving a speed of 41 knots. It was armed with four 0.5"/62 (12.7mm) Vickers Mk III Machine Guns, two 21" Mk XV torpedoes, & designed to carry either eight Mk VII Depth Charges or four mines.

• MTB 022 was built by Vosper, Portsmouth & commissioned on 9 June 1939 & assigned to the 1st MTB Flotilla with a crew of two officers & twelve other ranks. MTB 022 transferred from 1st MTB Flotilla to 4th MTB Flotilla in January 1940.

• MTB 024 was built by Thornycroft, Hampton & commissioned on 19 December 1939 & assigned to the 4th MTB Flotilla based at Portsmouth with a crew of two officers & eight other ranks.

• MTBs 022, 024, 025 (4th MTB Flotilla) on 5 May 1940 arrived at Dover from Portsmouth.

• MTBs 022, 024, 025 (4th MTB Flotilla) on 12 May 1940 departed Felixstowe for IJmuiden to prevent the passage of enemy troops to the west by sea & to carry out a reconnaissance. Arrived at Ijmuiden at 21.30hs.

• MTBs 022, 024, 025 (4th MTB Flotilla) on 13 May 1940 were tasked to carry out a reconnaissance of the North Sea Canal towards Amsterdam for a group of destroyers waiting off Ijmuiden to evacuate personnel from Amsterdam. After reaching Amsterdam, the boats were attacked by enemy aircraft as they moored near the town of Enkhuizen, covering the boats with camouflage netting & waiting for orders.

• MTBs 022, 024, 025 (4th MTB Flotilla) on 14 May 1940 at 12.15hrs approached a lock & found that the Dutch army was still in control, although Germans were overrunning Amsterdam. Along the canal, fuel tanks were ablaze & at 20.00hrs, on receiving intelligence that the enemy was now attacking the canal, the boats retraced their steps to Ijmuiden & were attacked by two German seaplanes.

• MTBs 022, 024, 025 (4th MTB Flotilla) on 15 May 1940 were en route for Felixstowe when a group of the enemy attacked them & Able Stanley Aldridge (Gunner on MTB 024) shot down a Heinkel 115 torpedo bomber seaplane, the first enemy aircraft to be shot down by a Coastal Forces boat in WW2. During this attack, the gunners on MTBs 022 & 025 also hit & damaged a Dornier Do 18 flying boat.

• MTB 022 on 25 May 1940 departed Harwich to rendezvous with MTB 025 off Dover, from where both MTBs proceeded to Dunkirk to bring back twenty to thirty members of the Belgian government. Both boats returned to Dover before MTB 025 proceeded back to Harwich the same day.

• MTBs 022 & 024 (4th MTB Flotilla) from 27 May to 4 June 1940 with boats from the 1st MASB Flotilla, 2nd MASB Flotilla, 1st MTB Flotilla, 3rd MTB Flotilla, 10th MTB Flotilla & 1st ML Flotilla, participated in Operation Dynamo (the evacuation of over 300,000 allied troops from the beaches of Belgium). On day one, the MASBs were deployed as tugs in Dunkirk Harbour, the 4th MTB Flotilla & 1st ML Flotilla were deployed ferrying troops from the beaches to large ships & the rest of the MTBs were deployed approximately two miles off the Dunkirk coast to screen the ships & boats evacuating the troops. However, during this period, these boats undertook various roles, including picking up troops from the beaches, guiding ships to beaches, acting as tugs, guarding convoy routes X, Y & Z (Dover/Ramsgate – Dunkirk), Messenger duties, etc.

• MTBs 022, 024, 025, 029 (4th MTB Flotilla) on 5 June 1940 moved base from HMS Hornet, Gosport, to HMS Badger, Harwich.

• MTBs 022, 024, 025 (4th MTB Flotilla) on 10 June 1940 at Harwich.

Best regards

John

[FindingEric]

Many thanks for this, John. My research to date pointed to either MTB 22 or MTB 24 being the craft that my subject able seaman crewed on. He told his mother that he assisted in the shooting down of a bomber with a Lewis gun on an MTB and was also present during the Dunkirk evacuation. He was quite specific that it was a Lewis gun on his MTB. I read somewhere that some of the MTB's were trialed with different guns in late 1939/1940. I think MTB 102 was also in the mix somewhere. I think it was ChatGpt that found this...I will have to re-check...it was a few months ago now.

There are two interesting points that you mention. I read on Stephen Fisher's 'Seaspitfire' website and elsewhere that A/S Stanley Aldridge aboard MTB24 was the person who shot the HE115 down whilst returning to Felixstowe from Ijmuiden on 15th May. He was Mentioned In Dispatches for this action. So it surprised me to discover that the report of his MID in the London Gazette Supplement dated 5th July 1940 states clearly that he was on MTB22 and not MTB24. I have tried to contact Stephen through messenger but he his not responding.

Your comment that MTB22 and MTB25 hit a Dornier DO18 during the same attack throws new light on the situation for me. I think that information could only have come from a naval Report of Proceedings for that mission. I am aware of the existence of MTB22's ROP somewhere in the National Archive but I have yet to pinpoint it, as the original file reference number has changed over time. MTB24 and MTB25's are probably in there somewhere too.