Design of the Gay class
Printed From: BMPT Forum
Category: Boats (In alphabetical order)
Forum Name: Gay Class Boats
Forum Description: Discussion on Gay Class Boats
URL: http://www.bmpt.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=10
Printed Date: 26 March 2026 at 9:14pm
Topic: Design of the Gay class
Posted By: Pioneer
Subject: Design of the Gay class
Date Posted: 01 January 2005 at 11:29am
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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? ------------- Pioneer - Forum Moderator |
Replies:
Posted By: cducane
Date Posted: 07 January 2005 at 1:23pm
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Yes! ------------- crusade |
Posted By: Pioneer
Date Posted: 09 January 2005 at 4:02pm
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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. ------------- Pioneer - Forum Moderator |
Posted By: cducane
Date Posted: 12 January 2005 at 9:55am
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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!! ------------- crusade |
Posted By: Pioneer
Date Posted: 12 January 2005 at 12:10pm
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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. ------------- Pioneer - Forum Moderator |
Posted By: cducane
Date Posted: 12 January 2005 at 1:24pm
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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!! ------------- crusade |
Posted By: Pioneer
Date Posted: 12 January 2005 at 2:12pm
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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'. ------------- Pioneer - Forum Moderator |
Posted By: cducane
Date Posted: 12 January 2005 at 2:51pm
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Incidentally there is no "e" in Thornycroft! ------------- crusade |
Posted By: Pioneer
Date Posted: 12 January 2005 at 2:54pm
oops, I surrender ------------- Pioneer - Forum Moderator |
Posted By: cducane
Date Posted: 12 January 2005 at 3:42pm
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I wish of the many spectators that a few more would join in! ------------- crusade |
Posted By: Pioneer
Date Posted: 15 January 2005 at 5:28pm
Hopefully not Dark Invader!! ------------- Pioneer - Forum Moderator |
Posted By: ben
Date Posted: 22 September 2008 at 9:20am
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I notice that there were enquiries regarding the design of the Gay class boats, I had a brief spell with the section in 1953, I was a supply rating seconded to the group for a short time.
I understood if my memory serves after 60 years that the boats were designed by the engineering and design officer at Portsmouth. He was a Captain? Gay, and the boats were named after him.
The reason I was seconded, as well as my commander wanting to get shot of me, was that I was at HMS Peregrin at Ford, a naval air station, and I took a load of pilots pressure suits for use by the crews, especially those on the bridge, to help modify the effect of the wave slap which was quite debilitating at high speed. I did have an outing on Gay Cavalier.
Another memory was that one of the boats was converted to a gas turbine boat using a Olympus gas turbine engine, with a reputed top speed of 70 knots!
This could not have been confused with the later gas turbine boats , these did not come into service until after I left the Navy.
I hope this info is useful to someone.
Ben.
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Posted By: Pioneer
Date Posted: 22 September 2008 at 1:00pm
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Hello 'Ben' -Welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy the trip.As you may have read in the earlier postings in this Topic, the Gay class was designed at the Admiralty Design facility at Bath. It may well have have had a Captain (Constructor) in the design team but you can be assured that it would have originated with several, possibly Naval, draughtsmen - able to draw on the vast experience then available from WW2.
A 'barb' often mentioned is that the design was then handed to Messrs Vosper to "sort the boat out" - not my personal view - as Messrs Vosper would - I am sure - have been well involved with the initial plans. (I do have some copies of the original plans clearly marked Vosper type "A" ) which as we now know became the "Gay" class.
The 'hijacking' of the then lovely word "Gay" - came much later, as you will know - but I doubt if such a class name will ever be used again. ------------- Pioneer - Forum Moderator |