MTB-71 - 60 FT VOSPER MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT

Following her repair on the Thames, MTB 71 joined the 1st MTB Flotilla in November 1941, when re-commissioned, with a Royal Norwegian Navy crew, between 10 November 1941 and 4 February 1942. The Flotilla was under the Nore Command and based at HMS Beehive at Felixstowe. During this period she had brief brush with German E-boats off Kwinte Bank. MTB 71 was handed back to the Royal Navy in early February 1942. She was in action again on 8/9 February 1942 with several other MTBs from a few other flotillas in the Dover Strait, out searching for German destroyers, however the intercept was missed and all returned to port. On the 12 February MTB 71 was involved in the search for the German raiders Scharnhorst, Gneisneau and Prinz Eugen as they passed through the Dover Straits. MTB 71 is noted as being damaged that day by shellfire and then under repair for about six months. She was taken in hand on 24 February at Brightlingsea for damage repairs which were completed on 14 August 1942. The 1st MTB Flotilla was paid off in September 1942 and MTB 71 was nominally transferred to the 4th MTB Flotilla based at Felixstowe. However MTB 71 subsequently was at Portland for some time, awaiting spares, before returning to Felixstowe in November 1942. She was involved in one operation off the Hook of Holland when she was fired on by armed trawlers and suffered damage to her electrical wiring between the bridge and the engine room. MTB 71 was taken in hand for repairs at Brightlingsea on 18 February 1943 and returned to service on 18 March 1943.

On 14 June 1943, MTB 71 was paid off by the RN and transferred to the War Department. She joined as a unit of 615 Water Transport Company, RASC whose HQ was at Portsmouth. There was a section at East Cowes where, along with MTB 72, her sister craft, MTB 71 was laid up under care and maintenance until early 1944. Together with MTB 72, she was brought over to the Gunwharf at Portsmouth, but due to shortages, and the fact that she was not in as good a condition as MTB 72, she was "cannibalised", in order to provide spares for her RASC sister craft. MTB 71 probably remained out of service until she was returned to the RN at HMS Hornet, Gosport, on 8 September 1944. The hulk was subsequently sold by the Director of Small Craft Disposals at Itchenor to Mr Lake of Chichester on 14 August 1945. She was acquired by Mr Cyril Pudney in 1947, renamed Wild Chorus, and moored at Birdham, on the Chichester Canal. Used as a house boat, some restoration was carried out, but Mr Pudney died in 1992 and MTB 71 was then acquired by Hampshire County Council, in conjunction with Mr Watson's "MTB 71 Group" Charitable Trust.

On the canal at Birdham.

Partially restored, MTB 71 was moved by road from Birdham to No. I Basin, HM Naval Base, Portsmouth, on 30 June 1995. Although it was proposed to move her to Priddy's Hard, Gosport, in late 1995, for an extensive refit, MTB 71 remained in the naval base through to May 1996. She was later taken out of the water and put on a road trailer and stored in the Heritage Area of the base, just inside Victory Gate. With the demise of the MTB 71 Group, Hampshire County Council has placed MTB 71 in the care and maintenance of the BMPT. Subsequently MTB 71, along with MTB 331, was moved to the BMPT site and has since been substantially repaired and restored to a display condition. She is currently the subject of an ongoing restoration project as a static display exhibit.

AT PORTSMOUTH 1995

MTB 71 ON DISPLAY AT BMPT 2001

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