Rare WW1 Torpedo Boat On Display This July

July 7, 2019

For those with an interest in one of the more esoteric parts of naval history, the 2019 Thames Traditional Boat Festival which runs from 19-21 July at Fawley Meadows, Henley-on-Thames, will have on display CMB9, a unique surviving torpedo boat from the First World War.

Coastal Motor-Boat 9 – CMB9 – was built as a motor torpedo boat for the Royal Navy in 1916 and saw action the following year off Zeebrugge. With CMB1, the boat was serving on the Dover patrol when they came under attack by four German torpedo boats while rescuing shot down pilots. CMB9 escaped unscathed but CMB1 took a direct hit and was blown up.

In September 1917 CMB9 was part of a top-secret experiment to become Distant Control Boats (DCBs). This was to test whether unmanned fast patrol boats with torpedoes could be controlled from the air and directed towards enemy targets.

CMB9 was re-designated as DCB1 and test runs carried out to discover whether they could be controlled from an aircraft flying at 16,000 feet and five miles away in order to attack enemy vessels. Though the experiments seem to have come to naught, DCB1 does represent in essence a unique experimental weapon that represented the very cutting edge of technology in its day.

Visitors to the show will also be able to see surviving boats from the Dunkirk evacuation and the Bremont Air Display team will be showing off their Sopwith Camel, Avro and Fokker triplanes, and replica WW1 veteran aircraft in aerial formation.

There are discounts for booking tickets on-line and entrance can be purchased at the gate for each individual day or a three-day ticket.

The Curtiss XF14C; Dying Gasps of an Aircraft Giant

The Curtiss XF14C; Dying Gasps of an Aircraft Giant

In my previous article on the P-51 “Sea Horse” I talked about how the US Navy, though swearing off liquid-cooled inline engines in 1921, did keep a close eye on development on those types of powerplant. In the late 1930’s, there looked to be a few prospects that...

North American ETF-51D; The “Sea Horse”

North American ETF-51D; The “Sea Horse”

When it comes to carrier fighter aircraft of World War Two, there is one very notable attribute that they generally share; Air cooled radial engines. This type of powerplant was preferred because it was considered far more reliable, especially for naval combat. After...

A Formidable Big Fokker; The T.IX

A Formidable Big Fokker; The T.IX

Anthony Fokker is a name that will forever live in military history. One of the first and most successful of the aviation pioneers, the Dutch designer’s fighters of the First World War are still remembered as both some of the most formidable and innovative machines of...