Show/hide the Admiralty Craft History

1954 - Gay Charger & Gay Charioteer that escorted HMY Britannia at the end of her Commonwealth Tour.

The Morgan Giles Yard had a long association with the Royal Navy from just before World War 2 until the late 1950's.
The first Admiralty job came to the yard shortly before WW2. This was a repair job to AMYRYLLIS, an old yacht that belonged to the Royal Naval Club at Dartmouth. Previously she had sailed around the world in the hands of Lt Mulhauser.

There had been a gas explosion on board; the deck had lifted nearly its whole length, luckily no one was seriously hurt. AMYRYLLIS was towed to Teignmouth where a completely new deck was laid.

During the Second World War over 100 vessels were built and many more repaired or modified to Admiralty specifications, there is more information on this period in the Morgan Giles history in the section 'World War 2'.

After the war and early in the 1950s more Admiralty contracts came to the yard.

The first was for two Vosper designed, 71 foot 'Gay' class Fast Patrol Boats, GAY CHARGER and GAY CHARIOTEER. Following these an order was received for two 106 foot inshore minesweepers, HMS TRESHAM and HMS POLSHAM . They were non-magnetic and had all non-ferrous metal fastenings. Tresham was sheathed in GRP sheeting from the keel to above the load line. Following these were two 70 foot 'Dark' class fast patrol boats, DARK INTRUDER and DARK INVADER.

At this time the yard was also carrying out refits of other coastal Forces craft for the Admiralty, two 120 foot Fairmile 'D' class MTB/MGBs and a 71 foot MTB.

In 1958 the yard was contracted to design and build five seamanship training craft for the Royal Naval College Dartmouth. They were 13 ton Sloops, 43 foot LOA, teak planked on English oak timbers with teak laid decks.

The first boat PEGASUS, was handed over in April 1959; WYVERN, GRYPHIS, MARTLET and LEOPARD followed at monthly intervals, MARTLET was later exhibited at the International Boat Show.

Two boats were built for the Royal Naval Engineering College at Manadon, GALAHAD by Morgan Giles  and a further boat, GAWAINE by Taylors of Shorham to the same Morgan GIles design. A boat was also built in 1962 by the Royal Australian Navy called FRANKLIN, also to the same design. Mr Morgan-Giles was told by the Admiralty that the five boats built for Dartmouth were the only complete squadron of ships which had ever been delivered to the Admiralty exactly on time (see Section: Seamanship Training Craft).

Acknowledgemen for the first photograph: The Morgan Giles Shipyard. GK Collyer. Monograph 6.Teign Heritage Centre

 Britannia with Morgan Giles Gay Class