Design of the Gay class |
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Pioneer
Moderator Group Pioneer Joined: 07 December 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 675 |
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Posted: 01 January 2005 at 11:29am |
More information has come to light regarding the 'parentage' of the Gay Class FPB. The actual design of this class of craft is now credited to the Admiralty and not Messrs Vosper Ltd. Can any readers confirm this? Edited by Pioneer - 09 May 2008 at 5:20pm |
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Pioneer - Forum Moderator
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cducane
Newbie Joined: 05 January 2005 Status: Offline Points: 20 |
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Yes!
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crusade
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Pioneer
Moderator Group Pioneer Joined: 07 December 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 675 |
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Reading else where I have found that the order for the 'Gay' class can now be viewed as the saviour of Messrs Vosper. The Korean War evidently prompted a crash order for Packard powered craft at a time when Messrs Vosper were certainly 'feeling the pinch' and about to 'go under'. "Its an ill wind"- as they say.
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cducane
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Should Vosper have relied entirely on waiting for Royal Naval orders after WW2 the firm would have certainly folded up. However with a programme of serious and imaginative diversification this was successfully avoided. At no time did they nearly go under.
They diversified in a number of areas. Amongst the stranger ones, exclusive of building and converting yachts, record breakers and the like, are mentioned below. 1. Building and operating trawlers, managed by fishing fleets in Fleetwood and Hull 2. Constructing caravans and other specialist vehicles. 3. Building and repairing fun fair equipment. 4. Repairing automobile engines. By the time that David Brown became involved with the Vosper and Thornycroft companies in 1966 Vosper was by far the stronger company, having produced the Brave Class and had developed an extremely active export sales team with sales to Germany, Denmark, Ghana Nigeria Greece Malaysia etc. etc. They were in a minority amongst the British shipbuilding companies with their aggresive overseas sales policy. I think your information has been somewhat misinformed!! |
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crusade
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Pioneer
Moderator Group Pioneer Joined: 07 December 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 675 |
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My info came through viewing >battleships-cruisers.co.uk.vosper-thorneycroft.htm< In the 3rd paragraph or so I read that as a seperate company, Messrs Vosper were on the verge of "ceasing trading" and that it was indeed the Korean War that assisted the dramatic change in the fortunes of that original company. Messrs David Brown and Messrs Thorneycroft came later, as you say in the '60's. I think that info to be an opinion of the climate at the time and in no way reflects upon the success of the present company. Misinformation? I think not! but I am willing to keep an open mind. |
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cducane
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The preference shares of Vospers, from 1931 until the mid 1960's, were in the hands of my father and his one partner and I would certainly have known if they were about to cease trading!! Times were hard - yes, but I would hope we were a more imaginative and courageous lot than to have put up our hands because there were no orders coming in from the Royal Navy. As I said before it was obvious at the end of WW2 that diversification was necessary and that was the way they went. They not only survived but excelled!!
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crusade
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Pioneer
Moderator Group Pioneer Joined: 07 December 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 675 |
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I suppose that it is all down to interpretation. Without being pedantic, "Hard Times" could be interpreted as "feeling the pinch" and the success of your father and partner has not been challenged, but is there for all to see, Well Done, I say!! The 'true' history of Messrs Vosper Ltd has been written several times, and of course those 'histories' are interpretations of info available at the time. Someone once said that "History is Bunk" but we must have perspective to pin our values on and the more 'independant' the perspective, surely the greater is the 'value'. Edited by Pioneer - 09 May 2008 at 5:21pm |
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cducane
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Incidentally there is no "e" in Thornycroft!
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crusade
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Pioneer
Moderator Group Pioneer Joined: 07 December 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 675 |
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oops, I surrender
Edited by Pioneer - 09 May 2008 at 5:22pm |
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cducane
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I wish of the many spectators that a few more would join in!
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crusade
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