convoy and had gun action with the escorts. MGB 79 was sunk, and MGB-81 was hit by a shell in the engine room, putting her twin Oerlikon out of action and received three other hits.
In May 1943, following a refit she re-joined the flotilla at Dartmouth. In June 1943 a collision with MGB 115 resulted in underwater damage to MGB 81’s stern and consequently the craft was repaired at Poole. Her last recorded action as an MGB was on the 11/12 September 1943 off Cap la Hague when she was fired on by German shore batteries. MGB 81 was hit and suffered shell damage. Hence from 16th September to 1st October 1943, MGB 81 was again at the yard at Poole for action damage repairs and the fitting of new type rudders.
In August 1943 MBG 81 was redesignated to MTB 416. Following further action in October 1943 the 1st MTB Flotilla transferred to Ramsgate (HMS Fervent) before returning to Dartmouth. She was again in refit in Poole from the 5th January to the 2nd March 1944. Her first recorded action as an MTB was on the 21/22 April 1944 in Lyme Bay, when three groups of E-boats were plotted in the area. The MTBs engaged two at close range, once again she suffered action damage and was sent back to Poole for further repairs, following which in May 1944 she was back in service for the Normandy landings in which she was involved from the 6th to the 30th June.
A few days after D-Day, the flotilla transferred from Dartmouth to HMS Hornet at Gosport. Overnight on the 23/24 June 1944, she was involved in an attack on a German convoy leaving Cherbourg. Although she was only backing up the operation one of her crew was killed. In the following month on the 18/19 July whilst operating off Cap d’Antifer, she achieved hits on German Minesweepers, however her hull was damaged by shell fire, and she returned once again to Poole for repairs.
Following the withdrawal eastwards of German land forces, the 1st MTB Flotilla was moved from HMS Hornet to HMS Mantis at Lowestoft in August 1944. Shortly after arriving at Lowestoft, the five surviving boats of the 1st MTB flotilla were joined by a new 71½ft Mark VI boat. Further new boats arrived in September 1944 bringing the flotilla strength back up to ten boats. During the period 21 October to 29 November 1944, she was slipped, and repairs were carried out at Brightlingsea.
Briefly at ease in the Assault Area, June 1944. Left to right: Lt. Cam Gough (416), Lt. F. Head (414) and
Sub.Lt. G Baptie (1st Lt 416) on bridge of 416 of 1st. Flottila (Courtesy
F.S.Large)
She was once again back in action and on the 14th February 1945 at Ostend, she escaped damage when a fuel spillage in the harbour was accidentally ignited and five of the Canadian flagged MTB’s where destroyed and 26 Canadian sailors lost their lives in the fuel fire and explosions which engulfed them. On the 5th March 1945, MTB 416 and two other craft were laid up in Reserve at Poole. She was Paid Off on the 27th April 1945 and handed over to the Director of Small Craft Disposals at Poole on the 25th October 1945. Following initial sale little is known of her history until 1958, when she was arrested by the HM Customs at Shoreham having been caught during smuggling operations. She was subsequently sold by the Admiralty Marshall to a Gosport scrap dealer, who removed her engines and running gear. Following use as an accommodation barge for a sailing school in Gosport she was sold and became a houseboat. In January 1988 she was bought by a Mr Webster and restoration began in Bursledon. In September 1998 she was acquired by Philip Clabburn, for Powerboat Restorations, and taken to the Army base at Marchwood. She was lifted out of the water at Marchwood Military Port and placed in an area set aside by the Army authority where some stripping out prior to rebuilding could be done safely. Work started in May 1999 and included stripping out the boat’s interior, replacing some of the deck and removing the superstructure.
On the 23/24 September 1999 MGB 81 was lifted on to a universal trolley and moved the short distance from Marchwood Military Port to the BMPT site at the former Husbands Shipyard where restoration continued. Over the next two years the hull was sand blasted both internally and externally and all damaged and non-standard planking. A completely new superstructure was fabricated from copies of the original BPB plans and efforts were made to acquire new engines
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