HMS Gay Archer © Len Williams :: Geograph Bra and Ireland

Contents:

• POSTWAR GAY-CLASS BOATS&THSP;–&THSP;THE END FOR PETROLM
• GAY ARCHER
• HMS GAY ARCHER (P1041)
• HMS GAY ARCHER (P1041)
• HMS GAY ARCHER - P1041 MTB.HMS GAY ARCHER - P1041 MTB.
• HMS GAY ARCHER (P1041)
• P1041 - HMS GAY ARCHER
• HMS GAY ARCHER, ROYAL NAVY

POSTWAR GAY-CLASS BOATS&THSP;–&THSP;THE END FOR PETROLM

GAY ARCHER was the first of twelve vsels, known as the Gay class, which were nstcted for the Royal Navy 1952 to bolster the dwdlg UK astal fenc. The Gay class hulls were taken om a World War Two specifitn, but were then upgrad to rporate 1950s of double diagonal mahogany, they were the last boats to see service wh petrol eng.

GAY ARCHER

A tachment was also sent to Malta to protect the Suez was tend that GAY ARCHER should rt BRITANNIA durg the ronatn celebratns, but unfortunately May 1953, she was damaged by fire Aarh Harbour. She is a fe example of the technology available to the UK sea fenc at the time she was recently, one other survivg member of the Gay Class was h and sunk by a Guardia Civil tugboat Spa. She was scrapped and no materials were saved, addg even greater signifince to the current rtoratn of GAY ARCHER.

Postwar Gay-Class Boats – The End for Petrolm | Coastal Forc Veterans.

HMS GAY ARCHER (P1041)

A munitn, wrten by the Commandg Officer of P1041 HMS Gay Archer 2nd FPB Squadron Cdr Tom Kson, scribed this cint as occurrg on the 17th May 1953.

HMS GAY ARCHER (P1041)

…[HMS] Gay Archer was about a month late beg livered by the builrs, Vosper.

HMS Gay Archer sportg a tgle over the slight damage to her hull. The next problem was the abily of the Gay-class, when fully load and fuelled, to get up ‘on the step’ until some of the fuel had been ed and the all-up weight rced. Transom flaps as fted to HMS Gay Carabeer.

HMS GAY ARCHER - P1041 MTB.HMS GAY ARCHER - P1041 MTB.

Gay Archer, alongsi her, ught fire and after some difficulty untanglg ourselv om the berthg l and, by then, the fire hos laid across our ck om shore beg played on 1023, [we] drifted away across the bas, que badly damaged and srched by 1023’s fire. We left Aarh on 29 May, meetg up wh Gay Fencer at Kiel, who kept pany on the way home se, our somewhat weakened state, we sank. Fencer towed Gay Archer to Sheerns on 10 June to be -stored, wherpon the crew all went ‘home’ to Hor.....

Not long afterwards (6 July), Gay Centurn was accepted om the makers and I took mand of her until I left Coastal Forc at the end of the year, by which time Gay Archer, as far as I n remember, had still not yet returned to the fold... The Gay-class of FPB were sted to be the last petrolm powered craft of the Royal Navy: HMS Gay Fencer, one of the last vsels of the type missn, beme a Torpedo Revery Vsel, later beg an Admiral’s Barge.

HMS GAY ARCHER (P1041)

Unintified Gay-class boat ptured by Spanish ctoms.

P1041 - HMS GAY ARCHER

An unintified nverted Gay-class at the premis of Msrs Wsex Power Uns.

HMS Gay Archer however is now the sole survivor of this postwar class of twelve craft. Commanr Tom Kson first Commandg Officer, wh Pl Childs current owner, on the Gay Archer.

Read our transparency report to learn 2016 • CouplWatchet Harbour is full of surpris and I will mentn but is RN P1041 "Gay Archer" lnched 1941 and saw service wh special forc (the Special Boat Squadron) send surprise was to see High Speed Lnch RAF 437. Read our transparency report to learn 2014 • FayUnfortunately the Gay Archer is no longer Watchet. Read our transparency report to learn FTewkbury, UK68 ntributnsSep 2014 • SoloI happened to be Watchet for fay reasons but was ad keen to see Gay Archer as I had read about magaz.

HMS GAY ARCHER, ROYAL NAVY

Gay Archer, rtored Watchet harbour, England. NameHMS Gay Archer. Class and typeGay-class fast patrol boat.