The Project

ST437 has had a long life. Initially designed to be built quickly and cheaply to fulfil the urgent need for rescue vessels, she saw four years of active service and, after the war, changed hands several times as a pleasure craft. It is this constant use over the years that has enabled her to survive to this point - so many of her sister-ships have long since been broken up or left to rot. To my knowledge, there are six other STs in ship-shape condition - one 200 class, two MK1s and three MK1As. 437 is now destined to join that small, proud band. The difference is that four of the six are known to be in museums and will never put to sea again.

Three STs in South Wales in the 1960s. 437 is the middle boat (Abakama)

She needs a lot of work.

The wheelhouse coachwork has been substantially altered, sealing the hatches;
The deck is rotten with some large holes and will need re-laying;
Numerous side and hull planks are rotten, as are the many thousand manganese bronze screws holding them in place;
The cabin coachwork has previously been significantly altered and will need replacing;
Internally, she will be entirely stripped back to the hull, including the removal of the bulkheads;
One of the two 1940s Perkins SM6 engines has blown, the other is in unknown condition.

Premises

I have been very fortunate; a good friend and neighbour has very kindly allowed us use of a barn, quite close to where I live, in which to carry out the restoration. He has very kindly agreed to a nominal rent, which immediately makes the project financially viable. The barn is ideal in every way - the right length, width and height - the only problem being that it is about 100 miles to the nearest coastline!

Moving 437 from Watchet, where she is presently lying, to rural Buckinghamshire is proving to be the first of (probably) many costly and knotty problems. It never occurred to me that 'boat transport' doesn't include loading and unloading at either end. Instead of dealing with one company, I find I am having to deal with three.

"The Sea Shall Not Have Them" - the motto of RAF Air Sea Rescue