World War II vessel sails into Twickenham

1:48pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

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The vessel which carried Winston Churchill to review his invasion fleet ahead of the D-Day landings has sailed into Twickenham.

Whitton's Geoff Inman snapped the Motor Torpedo Boat 102 which has a distinguished wartime record.

The vessel was launched in 1937 and initially trialled on the Solent and her design later became the blueprint for a new generation of World War II vessels.

She was bought by the Admiralty and crewed by two officers and eight men, and during 1939 and 1940 she saw active service mainly in the English Channel.

During the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force and Allies from Dunkirk she crossed the Channel eight times.

According to the MTB 102 Trust, based in Norfolk, she is the only Royal Navy vessel that took part in the Dunkirk evacuation to still be sailing today.

In 1944 she carried the wartime Prime Minister and General Eisenhower on their review of the ships assembled on the south coast for the Normandy Landings.

For more information on the vessel click here.