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- NAME:
- Glala
- CERTIFICATE No.
- 1998
- Website Address:
- www.ceze.net/glala/
| Previous names: |
|
|---|---|
| Status: | National Historic Fleet |
| Date recorded: | 23/01/2006 |
GLALA was built as a motor yacht. Lloyds Register first lists vessel no. 144471 in 1921 named PAMPA III and owned by T W Simpson. The vessel changed names many times before becoming GLALA in 1936. So although T W Simpson owned her in 1921 and possibly earlier he was not necessarily the first owner
She appears to have spent most of the 1920s on the Scottish Lochs. In 1935 she was bought by Lord Brockett of Mallaig and named CUPID, but in 1936, she was bought by the aviation pioneer, Sir Alan Cobham, for the bargain sum of £900. He located her in Greenock and promptly re-named her GLALA– a combination of his christian name and that of his wife, Gladys. After spending a further £140 on a re-fit, Sir Alan set off to fulfill his dreams of crossing France by river and canal. Engine trouble prevented this and GLALA was sold shortly afterwards as Sir Alan complained that she ‘rolled too much’.
In the late 1930s, AEC, a mechanical engineering company, took her on and used her to publicise their range of engines. Apparently, GLALA had both an eight and a six cylinder oil-burning engine at that time.
From 1939-1945, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty as a harbour defence vessel in Sheerness and Liverpool. On 31st May 1940, in company with yachts AMULREE and CALETA, GLALA sailed to Dunkirk Roads under command of Sub-Lieutenant J.A. Dow, RNVR. She took part in the Dunkirk evacuation, towing whalers off the beach to the waiting destroyers, GOLDEN EAGLE, HMS VENOMOUS and HMS VIVACIOUS. She was dive-bombed by Stukas during this operation, lost an engine and was forced to limp home to Ramsgate, arriving there on 2nd June at 1845. From there, she proceeded to Sheerness with her port engine still out of action.
GLALA became a hospital tender in Belfast in 1941 and was subsequently taken over by the Naval Fire Service in Liverpool before going back into private ownership. For some of the 1950s she was on the Thames and she was in the Mediterranean during the 1960s, but by 1970 she was in use as a houseboat in Hampshire.
1989 saw a complete restoration of GLALA, with new twin Gardner diesel engines, a re-built coach-roof, wheelhouse and new decks. This work was undertaken with the intention of using her as a charter vessel in the Mediterranean, however, in the 1990s she was lying inactive in Hampshire and Brighton.
She was sold in 2002, re-named MAHALIA and altered her to a seaworthy state with the renovation of the hot/cold water system, as well as overhauling the batteries, shower, toilet and installing Eberspacher central heating. She was taken on the 'Return to Dunkirk' in May 2005.
In 2007 she found a new owner who returned her to her previous name GLALA and decided to fully restore her, so that she could make another trip to Dunkirk in 2010, on the occasion of her 90th birthday.
She appears to have spent most of the 1920s on the Scottish Lochs. In 1935 she was bought by Lord Brockett of Mallaig and named CUPID, but in 1936, she was bought by the aviation pioneer, Sir Alan Cobham, for the bargain sum of £900. He located her in Greenock and promptly re-named her GLALA– a combination of his christian name and that of his wife, Gladys. After spending a further £140 on a re-fit, Sir Alan set off to fulfill his dreams of crossing France by river and canal. Engine trouble prevented this and GLALA was sold shortly afterwards as Sir Alan complained that she ‘rolled too much’.
In the late 1930s, AEC, a mechanical engineering company, took her on and used her to publicise their range of engines. Apparently, GLALA had both an eight and a six cylinder oil-burning engine at that time.
From 1939-1945, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty as a harbour defence vessel in Sheerness and Liverpool. On 31st May 1940, in company with yachts AMULREE and CALETA, GLALA sailed to Dunkirk Roads under command of Sub-Lieutenant J.A. Dow, RNVR. She took part in the Dunkirk evacuation, towing whalers off the beach to the waiting destroyers, GOLDEN EAGLE, HMS VENOMOUS and HMS VIVACIOUS. She was dive-bombed by Stukas during this operation, lost an engine and was forced to limp home to Ramsgate, arriving there on 2nd June at 1845. From there, she proceeded to Sheerness with her port engine still out of action.
GLALA became a hospital tender in Belfast in 1941 and was subsequently taken over by the Naval Fire Service in Liverpool before going back into private ownership. For some of the 1950s she was on the Thames and she was in the Mediterranean during the 1960s, but by 1970 she was in use as a houseboat in Hampshire.
1989 saw a complete restoration of GLALA, with new twin Gardner diesel engines, a re-built coach-roof, wheelhouse and new decks. This work was undertaken with the intention of using her as a charter vessel in the Mediterranean, however, in the 1990s she was lying inactive in Hampshire and Brighton.
She was sold in 2002, re-named MAHALIA and altered her to a seaworthy state with the renovation of the hot/cold water system, as well as overhauling the batteries, shower, toilet and installing Eberspacher central heating. She was taken on the 'Return to Dunkirk' in May 2005.
In 2007 she found a new owner who returned her to her previous name GLALA and decided to fully restore her, so that she could make another trip to Dunkirk in 2010, on the occasion of her 90th birthday.
December 2008.
Glala is out of the water at the moment and will be for a couple of
years. We found a lot of rot and so she is undergoing a major
restoration.
I've been doing a lot of research into Glala's history and there is an
up to date version of it on her website. There is also some
information about the restoration work we are doing.
(Information from present owner)
Glala is out of the water at the moment and will be for a couple of
years. We found a lot of rot and so she is undergoing a major
restoration.
I've been doing a lot of research into Glala's history and there is an
up to date version of it on her website. There is also some
information about the restoration work we are doing.
(Information from present owner)
- Function:
- Leisure Craft
- Sub Functional Area:
- Yacht
- Type:
- Motor Yacht
- Builder:
- A R Luke & Sons, Hamble
- Build date:
- 1915
- Length overall:
- 78.00 feet (23.79 metres)
- Tonnage
- 29.77 (Registered Tonnage)
- Depth:
- 4.92 feet (1.50 metres)
- Beam
- Beam: 12.46 feet (3.80 metres)
- Propulsion:
- Engine
- Engine:
- 6
- Engine builder:
- Gardner Model 6LXB
- Current use:
- Private: operating
- Present location:
- Ipswich
- Available for hire:
- No
- Available for excursions:
- No
