RML 497 at The National Museum of the Royal Navy
Second World War Rescue Motor Launch, RML 497, was lifted from the water in Southampton earlier this year and transported to Hartlepool to begin a new life on dry land. The wooden hull is largely original and is now too fragile to remain in the water. The vessel won't be on permanent display for a few years yet, whilst we raise funds and plan for its restoration, but we still want our visitors to be able to see it and learn about it, so we have begun two volunteer projects;-
Conservation cleaning
RML 497 cannot go back into the water again but we still need to look after her original 1940s hull. Many years’ worth of marine life was still attached when she arrived here, and one of the first jobs we needed to do for the boat's conservation process was to remove this while it was still damp. We recruited 7 volunteers to work each Tuesday on scraping back the mussels and barnacles and scrubbing off the mud and slime. They clearly don't mind getting their hands dirty in the course of helping an old veteran return to her former glory!
Tours
During the Summer of 2019 we have had a team of volunteers who took groups out to see the boat in its shed and explain a bit about its history and significance to help our visitors understand and get enthusiastic about our new arrival. Unfortunately due to the winter months these have now ceased. Keep an eye out on our social media during spring 2020 for further updates.
History
RML 497, a Fairmile B motor launch, was one of the first mass-produced vessels, likened to the modern-day flat pack. Although this type of craft was very much needed by the Royal Navy as the war progressed it was not possible for them to be built in the Admiralty's very busy shipyards. The designs were therefore spread around the small boatyards of the UK, which were well capable of undertaking the construction of these wooden hull craft, quickly and easily.
The 34-meter long rescue vessel served in the Second World War as air sea rescue, and carried a crew of 16, working from bases all around Britain including Devon, Suffolk and Scotland. After the War, she became a much-loved ferry service in the South West. She was acquired by the Portsmouth-based National Museum of the Royal Navy in 2015 following a grant of £90,600 from the National Lottery’s Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and £5,000 each from the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust and the National Museum. A further grant from the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) paid for her journey up to Hartlepool and for the purpose-built shelter the vessel is now housed in.
Illustration above by Roger Hutchins showing RML 497 in her heyday during the Second World War. The 16 crew are shown on board including the Skipper on the bridge, the Motor Mechanic and his assistant Stokers in the engine room, and the Sick Berth Attendant on the top deck.
