Details of Dover Command / HMS Wasp

Discussions relating to the day-to-day running of Light Coastal Forces; shore establishments and mobile bases; command structure; strategy and tactics; training and logistics etc
Borrel
Able Seaman
Posts: 18
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:41 am

Details of Dover Command / HMS Wasp

Postby Borrel » Thu Jul 25, 2019 12:16 pm

Greetings

I am a full-time writer of historical nautical fiction with fourteen books currently in print. These mainly centre on an earlier period but I am now considering a series set around Coastal Forces' activity during the Second World War.

Let me assure you that I will not be seeking to dramatise or cheapen the exploits of men I have the utmost respect for; indeed my work has been praised for its for accuracy and understanding and I have every intention of representing the subject correctly.

I'm currently looking for details of HMS Wasp. Obviously there are pictures of the Lord Warden Hotel and the IWM has some (unidentified) images of parts of the base but it is difficult to work out the actual layout (and contemporary plans are, understandably, rare!). If anyone could help in any way, maybe a brief sketch plan of the base as it was in the early part of the war, or can direct me to a reliable source of reference I would be most grateful.

Borrel
Able Seaman
Posts: 18
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:41 am

Re: Details of Dover Command / HMS Wasp

Postby Borrel » Tue Jul 30, 2019 11:08 am

Just as an adjunct to this, I'm coming across several references to HMS Lynx, another shore base in Dover. Less seems to be available on this, the best description I have found so far being it was a shore base set in the cliffs at Dover. Opposite from the Lord Warden Hotel (HMS Wasp) there are a range of cliffs set back from the sea that another source quotes as being the site of a naval base (now filled by a petrol station). The IWM shows two photographs of "A transit camp in Dover"

Image
and
Image
I wonder if these show Lynx and if anyone can gshed any more light.

Sorry, the I don't seem to be handling the img controls very well - have inserted the IWM Urls but they don't seem to pick up.

[Admin Edit: To use IWM images use the ‘Use Image’ link and then either cut and paste the BBCode text, or use the ‘Download’ link to get the full sized image in the browser window, and then copy the url and past it in an image tag in the post, adding an ‘=‘ sign next to the img in the bracket i.e. img=, and then paste the url directly after the ‘=‘, and use the space between the brackets to write any description of want.]

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

Re: Details of Dover Command / HMS Wasp

Postby Admin » Tue Jul 30, 2019 1:24 pm

Just as an adjunct to this, I'm coming across several references to HMS Lynx, another shore base in Dover. Less seems to be available on this, the best description I have found so far being it was a shore base set in the cliffs at Dover.

Lynx was the general Royal Navy base at Dover. According to Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy (Warlow) it was the name selected for the commercial port and also included Dover College, so presumably comprised a range of facilities that embraced everything, bar Coastal Forces at Wasp. Lynx II was a Landing Craft base.

Borrel
Able Seaman
Posts: 18
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:41 am

Re: Details of Dover Command / HMS Wasp

Postby Borrel » Tue Jul 30, 2019 1:59 pm

Okay, so Wasp looked after Coastal Forces and Lynx all other RN matters - that makes sense. Thank you.


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