2015

NM8530 : Dunkirk "little ship" Chico in Oban Bay

taken 9 years ago, near to Oban, Argyll And Bute, Scotland

Dunkirk "little ship" Chico in Oban Bay
Dunkirk "little ship" Chico in Oban Bay
A welcome summer visitor to Oban - RHP, a member of the Ships Nostalgia site (LinkExternal link (Archive LinkExternal link ) ), supplied the following information on this vessel:

Boat Name: Chico
Boat Type: Motor Yacht
Boat Length: 73ft
Boat Beam: 16ft
Boat Draft: 6ft 9ins
Boat Displacement: 74.90 Grt
Boat Engine: 2 x Gardner 6LXB Diesel
Boat Construction: Carvel, pitch pine on oak
Boat Builder: J.N. Miller & Son Ltd, Fife
Boat Year: 1932

Sir Malcolm Campbell, the holder between 1924 and 1948, of several of the world's land and water speed records, owned three fine yachts in succession and named each of them in turn 'Blue Bird' after his famous record-breaking car.

One of these yachts was later re-named Chico. She was a Watson design, built in Scotland in 1932 of pitch pine on oak, with a copper-sheathed bottom and she had luxurious accommodation for ten guests and two crew. Her first owner, Frank Robinson Beavan of Newcastle upon Tyne named her 'Frebelle III'. She was then owned by Sir Malcolm from June 1933 until sold to The Countess of Onslow in July 1935.

On 28th December 1939 she was requisitioned from her for service with the Rear-Admiral, Minelaying Squadron. She was fitted out with echo sounding gear at Camper and Nicholson at Gosport and in January 1940 was then re-named Chico. Her career in the Navy was a particularly illustrious one and is well recorded in her log, preserved from those days.

On leaving the fitting out yard she worked up as necessary at Brightlingsea before proceeding to her base in Dover. Here, as the Chico, she was commissioned on 6th March 1940. In May 1940 it became obvious that the British Expeditionary Force would have to be evacuated from France. At 2130 on 25th May a force of seven trawlers, three yachts (the Grey Mist, Conidaw and Chico), and two drifters sailed for Calais Roads ready to evacuate troops the moment an order to do so was received. Five of the trawlers towed motor boats. Commander W.V.H. Harris, RN (Commander, MS Dover), in the Grey Mist, was in command and the destroyers H.M.S. Windsor and H.M.S. Verity left Dover at 2300 to cover the withdrawal of this force. On arrival off Calais, two of the motor boats were ordered into Calais harbour. At about 0300 on the 26th, a signal was received that Calais was to be held at all costs; furthermore, it was ordered that this signal was to be sent by hand to the Brigadier commanding our forces on shore. The Conidaw went in to deliver the signal. All ships were then ordered back to the Downs.

On 30th May the Chico (under Sub -Lieut. J. Mason, RNVR) left Dover for Dunkirk where she embarked 217 troops and returned to Dover. On the 31st she ferried nearly 1,000 troops from the Dunkirk shore to ships, disembarking a further estimated 100 troops herself on her return to Dover. On 2nd June, she was transferred to life-saving duties on Route X - a new middle route prepared between Dover and Dunkirk, from the North Goodwin to the Ruytingen Pass and thence into Dunkirk Road.

On 20th March 1941 the small ships of the Dover Command assisted in the destruction by the minesweeping force off Dungeness of an enemy bomber, almost certainly a Junkers 88. At about 1400 hours the minesweeping trawler Fyldea, the senior ship, reported an attack by enemy aircraft. The machine dived to attack and was greeted with machine-gun fire from the drifters Young Mon, and Forecast and from the Chico, all serving with the mine sweepers. Possibly the most credit was due to the Young Mon, whose gunlayer, with a single Lewis gun, coolly withheld his fire, but, once he started continued until the plane coming up from astern was within fifty feet. The Chico, two or three hundred yards astern of the Young Mon, and also the Forecast on the beam joined in. The Chico claimed to have shot the tail off when the aircraft was between her and the Young Mon, while the latter put a pan straight into the nose. Whoever was responsible, the Young Mon had her masts carried away and received large pieces of aeroplane on her after deck, the fuselage having, fortunately, disintegrated just before reaching the ship, leaving one engine to fall into the water on each side, with nothing very solid ending up on board. There were no casualties in any of H.M. Ships but none of the crew of the aircraft survived.

On 4th April, while engaged on survey work in the Downs, the Chico again received a little attention from an enemy aircraft. The latter was being hunted by British fighters and let go some bombs which fell not far from the yacht but without causing any damage. Although not seen to crash, the enemy was considered by the fighters to be a 'probable'.

The Chico was compulsorily acquired by the Navy on 7th May 1941. On 15th May aircraft again figured in her life. She had left Dover at about 0800 to work at C2 Buoy, servicing it and fitting a rescue ladder. At about 1510, in the vicinity of C1 Buoy during her return passage, she was close to MTB 50, who was on the opposite course, on passage from Dover to Portsmouth, when each was attacked by a separate aircraft. Two Dorniers appeared out of the cloud and carried out shallow dive attacks. Each aircraft opened fire with machine guns and cannon and dropped five bombs. Several near misses were observed. The MTB in particular had narrow escapes from two bombs within a few feet of her. Though her hull apparently suffered no damage, the MTB was badly shaken up. In the engine room, all her cast-iron engine bearers were badly fractured and all engines were damaged internally. Because of the engine room damage, the power-operated machine gun turret ceased to function and her armament could no longer be used. The Chico suffered no damage, only the disappointment of having the best of her many guns, a 20mm cannon, jammed as a result of excessive zeal in over-charging the magazines.

Fortunately there were no casualties in either boat, but it was a pity that neither was able to take advantage of an easy target, although the Chico claimed some hits with tracer from the more ordinary part of her armament. Both aircraft made off, apparently undamaged. MTB 50 was taken in tow by the Chico and brought safely back to Dover, which was reached at about 2030 without further incident, thanks no doubt to a close escort provided by three fighters.

The Chico continued her activities without incident, but on 4th June 1942 she sustained minor damage when she collided with some MTB pens, breaking her sternpost and her covering board and all her planks from the deck to one foot above the water line. On 29th July, with a demolition cutter, she commenced work on the wreck of the trawler Tranquil which sank as a result of a collision in the Downs and was a hazard to navigation. On 5th January 1943 the Chico paid off and de-stored for an engine overhaul and was taken in hand at the London Graving Dock, Poplar. In February she was re-allocated for service with the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, but in April 1943 she transferred to the Medway Mine Watching Patrol based at Chatham. There she remained until 16th February 1945 when she was laid up at Mears yard, Twickenham under the Director of Sea Transport's care and maintenance arrangements. She was disposed of in August 1946.

After the war she had a number of civilian owners, some of whom used her as a charter yacht.
After a major restoration commenced in the Autumn of 1997 by the previous Association Archivist CHICO changed hands again in 2010 and is now based in Scotland.

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Grid Square
NM8530, 1129 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
The Carlisle Kid   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Monday, 17 August, 2015   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 19 August, 2015
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NM 854 302 [100m precision]
WGS84: 56:24.9345N 5:28.7885W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NM 854 306
View Direction
SOUTH (about 180 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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