MTB-331 - 55 FT COASTAL MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT

JONREY at Teignmouth	At Priddy's Hard 1981

Mr Morley appears to have involved the late Commander Peter Thornycroft, who was then connected with TT Boat Designs Ltd, Bembridge, TOW, in his plans for MTB 331's restoration as he arranged for the JONREY to be transported by road to Moody's yard and then towed over to Cowes where all equipment that had been added to her to make her more suitable as a motor cruiser was removed. In September 1981 MTB 331 was standing on chocks at Shepards Wharf East Cowes, her old superstructure had been removed and Harmo Thornycroft, Commander Thornycroft's son, had stripped many coats of paint off, down to the original hull planking.

Later she was towed from Cowes to the former Royal Naval Armament Depot (RNAD) at Priddy's Hard to their Museums' store, adjoining Chilcomb House, Chilcomb Lane, Winchester, where the HCC Museum Services' collection of historic Thornycroft vehicles and memorabilia was housed. In mid April 1992 MTB 331 was moved from Chilcomb House to Maritime Workshops Ltd, Ferrol Road, Gosport, for conservation work (rumoured to have cost £75,000), which commenced in June 1992.

Following this period of restoration, MTB 331 was on display at the "Dockyard 500" exhibition, held in Portsmouth Naval Base during June 1995. Later she returned to Priddy's Hard, where she was stored in one of the buildings, until transported by road to BMPT Marchwood in March 2000. In the summer of 2000 twelve budding accountants from Ernst & Young gave up their day to carry out a tidy up of the MTB. Their first job was to remove the years of encrusted pigeon droppings from her decks and then take off all the loose paint above the water line. Once completed the hull was face filled and repainted. Worked continued to restore her to display condition and the MTB was put on show at the IFOS at Portsmouth in 2001. Hampshire County Council, who support the BMPT, have taken up the offer to have the MTB stored and maintained at Marchwood. It is hoped to eventually get the craft back afloat in the future.	At Dockyard 500 At BMPT 2001
CMBT104MT - 70ft (Mining tender) built in 1922. A boat which has been an important part of history has sadly been broken up at Shoreham, October 2006.

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