Yarmouth Navigator

[Alacrity]

Isn't this the guy/boat that was looking for crew a year or so back, she had been at Burnham on Crouch where she had broken down? It then set off & suffered continuous failures inc. a fire & a partial sinking before ending up in the West Country? See Yarmouth Navigator sinks

If so, sadly se7en has been proved right as he warned about getting involved with it as he had experience of it. I'm sure he would rather have been proved wrong.

It appears the deceased was a retired master mariner & was a local man.

[Tremlett 15]

dont think so, I understan the other minesweeper is over in Ireland now, it was towed back, will check it out.

I read that report yesterday, very sad.

[Tremlett 15]

the one for Ireland was HMS Portisham M2781

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24066317@N08/?saved=1

[Tremlett 15]

Isn't this the guy/boat that was looking for crew a year or so back, she had been at Burnham on Crouch where she had broken down? It then set off & suffered continuous failures inc. a fire & a partial sinking before ending up in the West Country? See Yarmouth Navigator sinks

If so, sadly se7en has been proved right as he warned about getting involved with it as he had experience of it. I'm sure he would rather have been proved wrong.

It appears the deceased was a retired master mariner & was a local man.

No, HMS Portisham M2781 arrived over to Ireland in Oct 2010 & was/is berthed in Balbriggan Harbour near Dublin

attached pic was taken mid/late Oct 2010 in Balbriggan Harbour

[Tim]

From the photographs "Yarmouth Navigator" could not have carried normal minesweeping equipment which was in use at D.Day. I do not know why she has been called a winesweeper. Actually she looks more like normal M.F.V., She could have been used as a base for clearance divers." Dittisham" is a standatd "Ham" Class inshore Minesweeper. with a wheelhouse fitted well aft of the position of the original open bridge.

Yours,
Tim

[Tim]

Sorry. For Dittisham read Portisham.
Tim.

[Gollywobbler]

Hello Tim

From the photographs "Yarmouth Navigator" could not have carried normal minesweeping equipment which was in use at D.Day. I do not know why she has been called a winesweeper. Actually she looks more like normal M.F.V., She could have been used as a base for clearance divers." Dittisham" is a standatd "Ham" Class inshore Minesweeper. with a wheelhouse fitted well aft of the position of the original open bridge.

Yours,
Tim

I agree with you. I don't think that the Navigator was ever a minesweeper. She and her "litle sister," MFV 160 Yarmouth Seaman, were both built in 1944 to an MFV design for the Royal Army Service Corps. These two were specifically built as traing ships for the RASC and then later on, at least one man I know was trained on the Seaman in about 1958 when he did his National Service. The Army had several other MFVs which were used to ferry stores out to the ships around Portsmouth & Spithead. I know one of these boats, which was used for carrying drums of oil out to the ships according to the present owner.

My Other Half. Jim Thornton (sadly now dead) bought Yarmouth Seaman from the MoD when they sold her in 1977. Jim's mate John McGuire bought the Navigator when the MoD sold her in about 1991. Jim always told me that the Seaman was a manageable size for one man in terms of the maintenance but that the Navigator was too big for one man to look after her properly (or at all!) The Seaman is 64.5ft in length whereas the Navigator is almost 100 ft LOA. I went aboard the Navigator once and she was enormous - inside she was like a cathedral. I sailed on the Seaman lots of times because Jim didn't sell her until 1996. The Seaman is still around somewhere - she was in Watchet when I last heard of her a couple of years ago.

The people who have become interested in the Navigator say that they are hoping against hope that someone will come forward who has both the money and the interest in restoring her now that she has been refloated. I think that is probably an optimistic dream more than something that is actually likely to happen, sadly.
Cheers
Gill

[Lady Faith]

I bought the Yarmouth Seaman in 2002 from John Chapman, we were moored in Grimsby Harbour for about a year, whilst we had work done on her,we set sail the following March and ended up in Watchet Marina, for 2 years when I'll health ( hubby) forced us to sell, we had her 3 years. She was delivered by my husband and a crew to Brest , from there she went down towards La Rochelle for the new owner do do work on her.

[tégé]

Hello,

I know where She is : In southern britany, in Belle Ile.
She is in quiete bad condition, but the owner try to repare her...
May I ask you how much cost this boat in 2002 ?

Thank a lot

tégé

[John]

After annode and anti foul in Grimsby

I used to own Yarmouth seaman and had a few good years working on her and using her for taking my mates out. We had the best times when taking her out with a group of French divers wanting to dive the La Combatant, which we did twice. Apparently general De Gaul was taken back to France on her after the 2nd WW before being sunk off the Lincolnshire coast. Good times and I remember Yarmouth Seaman with great affection. I still have pictures of her and even a water colour painted by a very good friend.