Last Known UK WWII Boat Moved to Museum

A WWII coastal patrol boat formerly used by the UK Royal Navy, which had been rendered immobile after undergoing repairs, has been successfully saved and has found a new home in the appropriately-named Explosion Museum, a former naval arsenal at Pritty’s Hard, Gosport.

Built at the start of World War Two, a Thornycroft 55-foot fast launch named the Coastal Motor Boat CMB331, joined up with the equally aged Motor Torpedo Boat MTB71, and traveled on a slow journey to their new place. The two boats, which were stored at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, set out on a 100-mile trailer journey from the base to Gosport, where they will be presented for a special exhibit.

The Coastal Motor Boat CMB331 and the Motor Torpedo Boat MTB71 were known as “Spitfires of the Seas” because they were frequently used in dangerous, high-speed situations, for instance, as small but fast attack motor boats which carried torpedoes.

The CMB331 is the last of a class built by John Thornycroft, a renowned British boatbuilder, during World War One. This 55-foot model is capable of being armed with two torpedoes and a wide range of additional weaponry while traveling more than 40 knots. In November of 1941, the CMB331 was commissioned and served until 1945, at which point she was decommissioned for disposal.