Your Boat Photos

Rescue and Target Towing Launch 2748

Taken about 1964 at MCU Alness, Cromarty Firth, Scotland. Among the many jobs I did whilst in the RAF was radar fitter, carrying out periodic maintenance on the Decca radar fitted to these launches. No motorways in those days, so we had to drive up from RAF North Luffenham in RAF Morris Minor shooting brakes, stuffed with test equipment, in two hops, with an overnight stop at RAF Turnhouse, Edinburgh.
I travelled to every MCU in the UK while on that job, and always asked for a full speed run out to at least 30 miles to "check the radar" - very exhilarating at 33 knots, hanging on for dear life!
RTTL 2748 spent some time at RAF Gan, Maldives, Indian Ocean around 1960, and I believe this craft may be found today in the Maritime Museum at Bristol.
A crash survivor relates (on the Flypast Forum) "Thankfully 2748 was in the water on the night of March 1st 1960 at RAF Gan, Maldives when a Hastings I was travelling in ditched in the sea in a raging storm 1.5 miles short of the runway. The crew of this craft saved 14 lives that night, including mine. I was pulled aboard from a dinghy by a boat hook inserted into the back of my Mae West, half holding on to a scrambling net. My colleague was less fortunate, he was hauled aboard by his hair!"