Snap taken by Eric Simpson while on a Broadland cruising holiday c 1955.
Through time watercraft of every shape and size have been either purpose built, or more often reconfigured to make a vessel suitable for residential use.
Houseboats and life around the river have always had romantic connotations. There is been a flipside to this ~ skullduggery on the water. Perhaps it is no coincidence that boats and ships ~ with backdrops of rivers, docks and wild coastal outposts feature in numerous gritty post war British films, known as 'film noir'. Examples of these films, which in some ways are works of art are regularly broadcast on the marvellous Talking Pictures Television ~ one of our very favourite channels.
Over the years we have collated some archival material about this oft sidelined mode of life. Visual media, like paintings have recorded many living boats for posterity. With the advent of film and photography, true to life scenes of nautical habitation could be captured almost instantaneously.
The photograph (above) was taken by Eric Simpson while on a boating holiday. It shows part of a former 2nd World War Royal Navy Fairmile D 'Dog Boat' Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) 653, laying on the River Bure by Hobb's Drainage Mill at Horning.
John K describes the craft on the British Military Powerboat Team forum:
"She was about 117 feet long and powered by 4 v12 Packard engines of about 1200 horse power each which gave a top speed of about 25 knots. Displacement was about 60 tons and in addition to torpedoes she was also heavily armed with various caliber guns. The dog boat was the first British boat designed as a joint MGB and MTB."
After seeing extensive service in far flung Baltic seas; she was purchased from the Admiralty and ended up as a houseboat on quieter East Norfolk rivers. Sadly not one of the Fairmile D class survive, however memories and legends live on.
Thanks to Carol Gingell of the superb Broadland Memories Archive.
Chris
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