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For members and supporters of the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust

31/10/2026

In this video Alan Watson OBE, Captain of HMS Medusa and Chairman of the Medusa Trust talks about Medusa’s hull camouflage and some of her armaments.
Want to see Medusa for yourself? Become a ‘Friend of Coastal Forces’ and enjoy a range of exclusive benefits: access to events on Coastal Forces vessels, free entry to the Night Hunters Exhibition at the National Museum of the Royal Navy (Priddy’s Hard site, Gosport), access to the Clubhouse at Hornet Services Sailing Club in Gosport – the home of the Coastal Force Memorial and the headquarters for Coastal Forces during Operation Overlord. The Club has panoramic views across Portsmouth harbour and some of the best food and drink in the area at very reasonable prices. Enjoy a meal or a drink as part of your day at the Night Hunter’s Exhibition or join us for the Remembrance Day event at Hornet each year.
Membership (just £25 per year) also gives you exclusive access to the ‘Members’ area of the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust website and discounted access to special events including lectures, dinners and other social events.
To become a Friend of Coastal Forces visit the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust website - https://coastal-forces.org.uk/help-us/join-us/
The Coastal Forces Heritage Trust is a registered charity and our objectives are to restore, preserve and display Coastal Forces craft and related material for the benefit of the public, celebrate and preserve that remarkable history and support the Veterans who made it all happen.
The Medusa Trust is a registered charity dedicated to the preservation and operation of Medusa. They raise all funds themselves and any help you can give is much appreciated https://www.justgiving.com/charity/themedusatrust

24/10/2026

Marshall and Lightoller against the E-boats:
On the night of 24-25 October 1943, twenty-eight E-boats drawn from four flotillas attacked convoy FN.1160 off the Norfolk coast. British destroyers, MTBs and MGBs prevented the attackers from penetrating the convoy.
As part of the 50th Flotilla, operating out of HMS Midge at Great Yarmouth, MGB 603 and MGB 607 formed “Unit Y” that night, the former commanded by Lieutenant F. R. Lightoller RNVR, the son of Titanic’s senior surviving officer, Charles Lightoller (himself a Great War DSC and Bar for services in the RNR) and the latter commanded by Lieutenant R. M. “Mike” Marshall RNVR, an England rugby international before the war
Working together, Lightoller and Marshall engaged and disabled the lead E-boat, S.88, killing both Kapitänleutnant Werner Lützow, senior officer of the 4th E-Boat Flotilla and the boat’s Commanding Officer, and caused serious fire damage. Another E-boat S.63 suddenly emerged from the smoke, closing in on Marshall’s port bow. Anticipating its movement, Marshall turned sharply to port. As the two boats approached each other, the E-boat’s guns delivered a devastating burst of fire, but Marshall pressed home his attack and rammed the enemy amidships ‘at practically full speed’.
Five men aboard his M.G.B. were killed and six injured. The guns were put out of action, although the damage to the hull was not as serious as it might have been. Meanwhile, the rammed E-boat S.63 caught fire and sank - and at the same time the damaged S.88 erupted in a huge explosion, flinging debris into the air to a height of 200 feet.
After picking up 19 German survivors from S.88, Lightoller came to the aid of Marshall, whose M.G.B. 607 was struggling to make way. He attacked six more E-boats approaching from the west whilst protecting the disabled vessel. He attacked twice, laying smoke to confuse the enemy and manoeuvring to take advantage of the waning moonlight, before the E-boats retreated eastwards. Lightoller pursued them for ten minutes before returning to take Marshall’s boat in tow, and led it, stern first, towards home.
Similar actions took place along the length of convoy FN.1160 that night. During sixteen separate encounters, only one straggling British ship, the trawler William Stephen, was lost.
Nine members of the crews of MGB 607 and 603’s were decorated and six more mentioned in despatches. Marshall and Lightoller were awarded the DSC. Neither survived the war. Marshall was lost off Norway in May 1945, when his M.G.B. struck a mine, and Lightoller killed in action in Northern France in March 1945.
The actions of Marshall and Lightoller that night illustrate the courage, determination and tactical skill required of the small craft fighting the Battle of the Narrow Seas, as described in Peter Scott’s book of that name. Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Tovey wrote in his report: ‘Lieutenants Marshall and Lightoller showed admirable judgment and a magnificent fighting spirit in this, the most successful action of the night.’ and ‘The gallant action fought single-handed by M.G.B. 603 against six E-boats not only showed determination to lose no chance of engaging the enemy but may well have saved M.G.B. 607 from destruction.’
With thanks to the Coastal Forces Veterans Forum for some of the information and images in this post.
Please consider joining Friends of Coastal Forces. Help us preserve their remarkable legacy, support our Monument Appeal and our educational programmes. https://coastal-forces.org.uk/

18/10/2026

A battle off the Dutch coast – and the loss of MTB 347 and MTB 360
One of many hard-fought actions of Britain's Coastal Forces during the Second World War took place 82 years ago this month: an attack on a German convoy off the Dutch coast in the early hours of 1 October.
Five Motor Torpedo Boats of the 11th MTB Flotilla (then based in Felixstowe) set out to intercept an enemy convoy. The account in Peter Scott's book ‘The Battle for the Narrow Seas’ brings home the extraordinary pressures the men faced. Scott describes the engagement as ‘a battle full of the colour and essence of MTB warfare’. The men were fighting from small craft with little protection, often at close range and under conditions in which a single shell could have devastating consequences.
Among the boats taking part were MTB 347, MTB 349, MTB 350, MTB 351 and MTB 360 (Vosper 72’6’’ vessels). In poor visibility they manoeuvred to attack whilst remaining undetected and then closed in to fire their torpedoes. Quickly, the enemy responded, and the attack quickly developed into a confused and dangerous engagement, with crews pressing forward despite damage, casualties and determined opposition.
The actions of the commanding officers were central to the battle. Lieutenant A. D. Foster, commanding MTB 347, continued to press home his attack as enemy fire struck his boat, causing fires and serious damage. His valiant crew fought to keep the vessel operational amid the chaos, before they eventually had to abandon ship. All but one were but were eventually recovered.
Sub-Lieutenant H. G. Franklin DSC, commanding MTB 350, also demonstrated determination under fire. Carrying on alone having lost contact with MTB 347, his boat engaged the enemy closely and fired her torpedoes before coming under heavy attack. Franklin was wounded, yet the crew fought on and then went on to pick up survivors from MTB 360.
Lieutenant D.A. Hall, commanding MTB 360, was wounded when his boat was hit by heavy calibre fire after firing its torpedoes, but he and his crew fought on until the boat – on fire - was completely disabled and the call was made to abandon ship. Hall’s coxswain was badly injured and later died, while the First Lieutenant and four ratings were missing believed killed.
The leadership, teamwork and determination shown by these men, led by RNVR officers of the calibre of Foster, Franklin and Hall exemplifies the courage, sacrifice and comradeship of Coastal Forces in WW2. Pressing on with their attacks, despite damage and casualties, they had torpedoed two merchant ships, and partially disabled at least two trawlers and a tug. In doing so they lost two MTBs, with nine men killed or missing…
Read Peter Scott’s book ‘The Battle of the Narrow Seas’ for a gripping detailed account of this battle and many other coastal forces engagements.
With thanks to Mark Dickens (son of Captain Peter Dickens DSO MBE DSC RN) who provided the two group images of MTB officers. We do not have an image of Lt A.D. Foster. Can anyone help?
Please consider joining Friends of Coastal Forces. Help us preserve their remarkable legacy, support our Monument Appeal and our educational programmes. https://coastal-forces.org.uk/

11/10/2026

We are excited to have been gifted extensive film footage of Micky Wynn, who served in Coastal Forces during WW2. We will be working to digitise it so we can make some of it available on our YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCldNG0t3OhN5MQe-VErEQrg

For those who don’t know of Sub-Lieutenant “Micky” Wynn, later Lord Newborough, he played a vital role in Operation Chariot, the daring raid on St Nazaire. He was a remarkable individual.

Operation Chariot was an audacious plan in which the destroyer, Campbeltown, laden with 24 time-fused charges, was to ram the gates of the harbour, release the commandos on board to destroy vital installations on shore and later explode, destroying the dock caisson. To accompany Campbeltown were two destroyers, a motor gun boat, 16 motor launches and a motor torpedo boat MTB74, commanded by Micky Wynn, which carried two delayed-action torpedoes to be fired at Campbeltown in the event that she could not be scuttled.

The Chariot task force sailed from Falmouth with MTB74 towed by Campbeltown (to save fuel). They crossed 400 miles of open sea and were three miles up the estuary of the Loire before the Germans opened fire. Under intense fire Campbeltown cut through the torpedo net and rammed the dock gates at 1.34.

Wynn, who had been cast off from Campbeltown, now fired his two torpedoes at his secondary target, the gate at the old entrance. Having picked up survivors from Campbeltown and an MTB, Wynn was proceeding down the river at full speed (40 knots). Three- quarters of the way down he saw two men on a Carley float directly ahead of him. He had to make a snap decision, either to stop - which could be done quickly - or to drive on, which would have meant that the men would be washed off their float and probably drowned. He was to record later, "it was an awful decision . . . I decided to stop the vessel and we pulled up right alongside them. My crew had got hold of them, but unfortunately at that very moment the German shore batteries found their mark and two shells went straight through us."

Wynn was blown from the bridge down to the bilges. Only the presence of mind of his chief motor mechanic, Chief Petty Officer Lovegrove, who decided to search that area before jumping overboard, saved him. He held the severely injured Wynn as they made their way to the other survivors on a Carley float. In the intense cold the men began to slip away: when the Germans found them 12 hours later there were only three left out of 36.

That morning, after hours of chaos, a number of German officers and technicians were inspecting Campbeltown just as her five tonnes of explosives blew up rendering the dock completely useless. Two days later, just when the Germans thought it was all over, Wynn's two well-placed torpedoes exploded and blew the gates of the old entrance to pieces. Now a POW and blinded in one eye, Wynn had the satisfaction of hearing the explosion. Five Victoria Crosses were awarded for this daring raid. Wynn was awarded the DSC, Lovegrove the CGM.

Wynn had lost an eye during the raid but was well looked after by the German medical staff who gave him a glass replacement. He was then moved to Marlag Nord near Bremen. From here he escaped several times and was sent to Colditz in January 1944. He was repatriated on medical grounds in January 1945.

After the war, hearing that Lovegrove was held in a German naval camp he insisted on to joining the relieving force so that he could liberate the man who had saved his life at St Nazaire.

To find out more, please consider joining Friends of Coastal Forces. Help us preserve their remarkable legacy, support our Monument Appeal and our educational programmes. https://coastal-forces.org.uk/

08/10/2026

Very excited to see this phase of the monument project under way!

04/10/2026

Congratulations Dave!

04/10/2026

Remarkable!

26/09/2026

A look in the wireless room of WW2 Harbour Defence Motor Launch, HMS Medusa (ML1387). In Part 1 – Alan Watson OBE, Captain of HMS Medusa, talks us through the original WW2 kit in the wireless room - the Marconi TW12 morse receiver and transmitter, and the early radar (designated 286 or 291). In Part 2, he covers the navigation system GEE, which was put onboard for D-Day, and the IFF (Identify Friend of Foe) equipment.

Medusa was designed to hunt submarines and protect harbours, she now preserves the remarkable story of Britain’s Coastal Forces.

The Medusa Trust is a registered charity entirely funded by public donation with the sole objective of keeping Medusa as a seagoing vessel. She is now the last Royal Navy WW2 original and seagoing vessel in the UK. Please help us if you can by donating here - with higher fuel prices, a sharp rise in berthing costs, and a complete refurbishment of the windlass (more on that to come in a future post) 2026 has been a year of significant costs. Your support matters more than ever:

https://donate.justgiving.com/.../themedu.../donation-amount
To find out more about the work of the Medusa Trust, visit www.hmsmedusa.org.uk.
To become a Friend of Coastal Forces visit www.coastal-forces.org.uk.’
Check our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/-HT
Thanks to Alan Watson OBE, Captain of Medusa and Chair of the Medusa Trust
DDay

26/09/2026

A look in the wireless room of WW2 Harbour Defence Motor Launch, HMS Medusa (ML1387). In Part 1 – Alan Watson OBE, Captain of HMS Medusa, talks us through the original WW2 kit in the wireless room - the Marconi TW12 morse receiver and transmitter, and the early radar (designated 286 or 291). In Part 2, he covers the navigation system GEE, which was put onboard for D-Day, and the IFF (Identify Friend of Foe) equipment.

Medusa was designed to hunt submarines and protect harbours, she now preserves the remarkable story of Britain’s Coastal Forces.

The Medusa Trust is a registered charity entirely funded by public donation with the sole objective of keeping Medusa as a seagoing vessel. She is now the last Royal Navy WW2 original and seagoing vessel in the UK. Please help us if you can by donating here - with higher fuel prices, a sharp rise in berthing costs, and a complete refurbishment of the windlass (more on that to come in a future post) 2026 has been a year of significant costs. Your support matters more than ever:

https://donate.justgiving.com/.../themedu.../donation-amount
To find out more about the work of the Medusa Trust, visit www.hmsmedusa.org.uk.
To become a Friend of Coastal Forces visit www.coastal-forces.org.uk.’
Check out our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/-HT
Thanks to Alan Watson OBE, Captain of Medusa and Chair of the Medusa Trust

20/09/2026

Into the Unknown: The Sittang River Disaster and the Survival That Followed
On VE Day plus one in May 1945, four Coastal Forces Motor Launches of the 14th ML Flotilla were given what sounded like a straightforward mission: steam 150 miles from Rangoon (in modern day Myanmar), enter the Sittang River, locate a bridge being used by retreating Japanese forces, and destroy it.
The mission turned into a remarkable and perilous fight for survival…and began with a serious handicap.
The crews had virtually no reliable navigational information. The charts showed little more than a vague coastline and a stark warning: "Dangerous to Navigation." There were no depth soundings, no channel markings and not even a clear indication of where the bridge itself was located. The crews were essentially told to head upriver until they found it.
Under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Leslie, the four MLs entered the vast estuary of the Sittang and immediately encountered treacherous conditions. Sandbanks, powerful tides and constantly shifting channels made progress extremely difficult. The boats, ML 905, ML 591, ML 247 and ML 205 (all Fairmile Bs) repeatedly ran aground while trying to find a safe route forward.
As darkness fell, the crews expected the incoming tide to refloat them. Instead, they experienced something they had not been warned about and which was not shown on their charts: the infamous Sittang tidal bore.
A crew member of ML 591, Frank Merrett, recounted what happened to his boat as without warning, a roaring wall of water swept upriver. The first wave briefly lifted the stranded boat clear. A second wave hurled her onto a bank. Then an even larger wave struck, rolling the vessel over and smashing her to pieces. Men were flung into the darkness as the river surged around them at terrifying speed.
What followed was an extraordinary fight for survival. Two boats were destroyed and clinging to a rapidly deflating rubber dinghy, officers, ratings, an Army demolition team and a Burmese interpreter drifted through the night in oil- and petrol-contaminated water. Using only a small compass, the stars and sheer determination, they managed to stay together and eventually reached a low bank of salt grass at around 2am.
Cold, exhausted, barefoot and deep in territory still threatened by Japanese forces, they had survived the river. Over the following days they trekked across mudflats and paddy fields, relied on the generosity of Burmese villagers, salvaged supplies from their wrecked launch and slowly made their way back towards British lines.
Incredibly, despite the loss of two boats and the damage to the two others, all crew survived.
For the full story of this extraordinary Coastal Forces adventure, click the link below and read the complete first-hand account: https://burmastarmemorial.org/archive/stories/1405921-incident-on-the-sittang-may-1945-frank-merrett
If you have any further information about Coastal Forces in Burma please get in touch - we would love to hear it.
To find out more about coastal forces in the Far East check out this video clip on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY4J-XOy_l4

Please consider joining Friends of Coastal Forces. Help us preserve this remarkable legacy, and support our Monument Appeal and our educational programmes. https://coastal-forces.org.uk/

IMAGES: We don’t have images of the Sittang River – but provide several of Coastal Forces in Burma. With thanks to the Imperial War Museum (IWM) for some of these.

Address

The RN Museum, HM Naval Base
Portsmouth
PO13NU

Website

http://www.coastal-forces.org.uk/, https://coastal-forces.org.uk/monument-fundraising/, https://www.operation-chariot.or

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