MASB 27 (1941 Coastal Defence Gunboat)
Location: Portsmouth
Price: see below
https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/2637/masb-27
Currently berthed at the Memorial Jetty in HM Naval Base Portsmouth, MASB 27 is owned by the registered charity, D-Day Revisited, which is no longer in a position to take this historic restored gunboat into a meaningful future. Although the charity will consider an outright purchase through offers in excess of £550,000, there is a concern to ensure a meaningful future for this unique vessel. D-Day Revisited recognises that an outright sale may not be the ideal route to preserve an appropriate future, so is willing to explore options for shared ownership or similar constructive arrangement. The priority is for this unique gunboat to be saved for the Nation in the long term. In this way ongoing care is assured, with opportunities to take part in commemorative operations at the jetty and at sea during which the gunboat can be publicly displayed, telling the story as a survivor of the “Battle of the Narrow Seas”.
As the generation of D-Day and other WW2 veterans take their leave, many of those who were associated with the restoration have dubbed MASB 27 the “Surviving Veteran” as a fitting tribute to wartime Coastal Forces and those who protected the British Isles when under threat of invasion. The finished vessel provides opportunity for young cadets to learn seamanship on a veteran craft. Members of the public, especially the younger generations, are provided with the feel, smell, and noise of a real live seagoing gunboat of the 1940s.
HISTORY:
Ordered by the Admiralty and laid down by the British Power Boat Company in Hythe, Southampton. Commissioned into the Royal Navy in April 1941, the vessel was despatched to HMS St Christopher in Fort William for working up.
MASB 27 was subsequently in mixed active service for Coastal Forces. Armed with twin Lewis guns on the foredeck and twin Vickers .50 calibre heavy machine guns in a central turret, 27 was based mainly at HMS Forte Falmouth, used for air-sea rescue and other duties. Based on crew reports, MASB 27 is believed to have been used in clandestine operations on the Brittany coast and for underwater preparations for the D-Day assault.
Like many such vessels, 27 was decommissioned in late 1945 and sold into private ownership for conversion as a houseboat. Sold again in the mid-1980s, there was a second houseboat conversion for mooring at Swanwick, subsequently sold in 2016 to the registered veterans’ charity, D-Day Revisited. After restoration to near-authentic wartime condition, MASB 27 crossed the Channel on 3rd June 2019, the first time under her own power since 1945. Out of original production of 24 anti-submarine gunboats, 27 is the only survivor and the only example of a ‘whaleback’ deck as designed & built by the British Power Boat Company.
SPEC:
Length: 63 feet, Width/Beam: 15 feet, Weight: approx 20 tonnes
Construction: Double diagonal Honduras mahogany planking, with extra layer under the waterline. Main frame timbers in Honduras mahogany, mostly original. Restoration works have faithfully recycled original timbers where possible for use as internal fittings. New wood is Sapele/Mahogany. Wheelhouse construction is marine plywood, all external surfaces coated with polyurea to be durable and water-tight. Timbers below the waterline are GRP coated.
Mechanical/electrical: the restoration of 2016-19 was presented with an empty hull whose timbers had been saved by a coating of GRP applied in the 1980s. All installations are new, including three Cummins turbodiesel engines which were chosen to match power output of wartime Napier Sea Lions – 550 HP for short periods, 500 HP cruise.
Electrical installation includes 12v, 24v DC and 230v AC, with on-board power inverter, batteries of all types and shore power charger. Interior cabins feature ample lighting and 230v power sockets. Raymarine Radar, Radio & SatNav plotter are all installed.
Plumbing includes a large capacity clean water storage tank, automatic water pumping. Senior officer's cabin has ensuite heads with wash basin and shower. The forward mess deck (crew quarters) has attached heads facility with wash basin. Galley includes storage and preparation area with sink. A small grey water tank automatically pumps out above waterline; a larger black water tank pumps under manual control though a sea cock situated in the engine room.
In traditional Royal Navy fashion, MASB 27 is operated from an open bridge of two hatches accessed from the wheelhouse. Control instructions are relayed to the helmsman in the wheelhouse below. In wartime these gunboats were handled by a crew of eight ratings plus two officers. With modern control systems, a minimum crew of three is recommended, preferably four. There is accommodation on board for six persons.
Subject to favourable sea conditions, MASB 27 has a top speed of around 33 knots. Fuel usage is modest for a vessel of this type and size, with tank capacity of 600 gallons (2,700 litres). Extensive internal D-Day memorabilia displays can be included.
CURRENT CONDITION:
A refit was carried out during September 2023 to July 2024 during which the following repairs and improvements were made:
- Installation of new centre transmission mounting, with new propeller shaft, P bracket and propeller
- Deck timbers stripped for installation of new GRP membrane to prevent leaks to interior, followed by installation of new Iroko timber decking throughout
- Engines & transmissions serviced
- Thorough clean, with new superstructure protective coating
MASB 27 is currently afloat, in seaworthy condition at the Memorial Jetty in Portsmouth. A professional marine survey was carried out in summer 2025. A 47 minute video is available on-line.
If you are interested in becoming the new custodian of MASB 27 or have any questions not answered here, please contact National Historic Ships UK by email to info@nationalhistoricships.org.uk in the first instance, and we will pass on your details to the owner.
Zone South East