Royal Navy NB

[midsnick]

Came across something unusual to my eye yesterday,

 

From Jim Shead

 

CLEOPATRA Built by ROYAL NAVY - Length 18.9 metres (62 feet ) - Beam 1.98 metres (6 feet 6 inches )

 

What would a NB such as this be used for by the Royal Navy?

[mrsmelly]

Came across something unusual to my eye yesterday,

 

From Jim Shead

 

CLEOPATRA Built by ROYAL NAVY - Length 18.9 metres (62 feet ) - Beam 1.98 metres (6 feet 6 inches )

 

What would a NB such as this be used for by the Royal Navy?

 

The royal navy have owned several narrowboats over the years. In the 70s we could book them out for jollies for a week or two. I also used to book out for sunny weekends a 36 ft nicholson yacht called " Temerare " from Guzz and take it over to St Petersport. Ahh those were the days....Do we still have a navy ?

 

Tim

[Nightwatch]

Do we still have a navy ?

 

Tim

Nope. Not really.

 

Martyn

[midsnick]

In its present condition I do hope it isnt part of our Navy, pretty much a shell, though to my untrained eye looks very good steelwork.

[LEO]

Came across something unusual to my eye yesterday,

 

From Jim Shead

 

CLEOPATRA Built by ROYAL NAVY - Length 18.9 metres (62 feet ) - Beam 1.98 metres (6 feet 6 inches )

 

What would a NB such as this be used for by the Royal Navy?

 

hi,

 

The Navy built, converted or 'mocked up' several narrowboats to look like naval destroyers and used them for recruitment purposes around the system in the late 1960/70's? I have seen pics of them and they certainly visited the Aylesbury Arm.

 

They looked quite good, might be one of those.

 

Leo

[mrsmelly]

hi,

 

The Navy built, converted or 'mocked up' several narrowboats to look like naval destroyers and used them for recruitment purposes around the system in the late 1960/70's? I have seen pics of them and they certainly visited the Aylesbury Arm.

 

They looked quite good, might be one of those.

 

Leo

 

You are right they did, but they also had some bog standard narrowboats and still have that are fitted throughout with bunks just for days away.

 

Tim

[midsnick]

My link

 

A picture of her

[Graham and Jo]

My link

 

A picture of her

Looks like the one on the left.

 

 

Cheers Graham

[sharpness]

Back in the 90's the Navy had a couple of bog standard boats kept at Calcutt. One of them was called Andrew, used to be a standing joke whenever we saw any damage, "the Andrew woz ere"

 

Steve

[mrsmelly]

Back in the 90's the Navy had a couple of bog standard boats kept at Calcutt. One of them was called Andrew, used to be a standing joke whenever we saw any damage, "the Andrew woz ere"

 

Steve

 

Yup they were all called " The Andrew " years ago, the reason being " The Andrew " is the name us matelots called the Royal Navy.

 

Tim

[Sue1946]

Back in the 90's the Navy had a couple of bog standard boats kept at Calcutt. One of them was called Andrew, used to be a standing joke whenever we saw any damage, "the Andrew woz ere"

 

Steve

If it's the same one - was seen 2 weeks ago at Thrupp (Oxford). No pic - sorry,

[adam1uk]

Back in the 90's the Navy had a couple of bog standard boats kept at Calcutt. One of them was called Andrew, used to be a standing joke whenever we saw any damage, "the Andrew woz ere"

 

Steve

 

They still have two boats based at Calcutt. One is The Andrew; can't remember the name of the other, but it's almost identical.

[sharpness]

Yup they were all called " The Andrew " years ago, the reason being " The Andrew " is the name us matelots called the Royal Navy.

 

Tim

Well well, I never knew that. There was more than 1 though, were they called Andrew 1, Andrew 2 and so on then?, I dont remember.

 

Steve

[Keeping Up]

They still have Andrew and Lafter at Calcutt (saw them both last week). They also had Shy Talk but I don't know what happened to that one. I'm pretty sure there was another but I can't remember the name.

 

None of them have any connection with the warship replicas pictured above

[chieftiff]

They were actually built by JL Pinder in 1973 for the Royal Navy as part of a recruitment drive, Cleopatra was F28 - A Leander Class Frigate (of sorts, in miniature), JL Pinder also built 2 Destroyers and a Submarine. Cleopatra became Minerva for a while and was run by Nottingham Sea Cadets.

 

Canaldrifter knew a lot about these and spent some time posting info and photographs on another forum (RN), does he ever pop in anymore?

 

As an aside the RN still have 4 narrowboats running out of various marina's, also several ships have their own for R&R as do several RAF bases, I could tell you most their names (the RN ones anyway) as I've taken most out at one time or another but I think they go to some length to stay fairly anonymous. The one on the K&A had to change it's name a few years ago as it became 'unwelcome' near many pubs due to alcohol induced high spirits.

 

Edited to add the following that Canaldrifter put up on the other forum a couple of years ago, I just found it:

 

I have been working on what was HMS Cleopatra for the last couple of

years and was out on the cut with her on Monday.

 

She bears little resemblance to her original , now a very conventional

60ft narrowboat. The hull shape is the same, a rather nice bow shape &

transom stern and there are a couple of original heavy fairleads on

the stern. The engine is now a (German!) Mercedes- Benz OM616 .

The history of her is quite unusual:

 

Built in 1973 by JL Pinder for the RN , along with 2 destroyers and a

submarine. Sold to a privateer about 1978 who wrecked her whilst a

liveaboard, re- sold in 1981, new owner built new conventional steel

superstructure and then had a fit-out done by Warble Boats ( one of

their first) at huge expense. Then boat abandoned , unfinished , no

engine fitted , no gas locker in bow. Boat floats around unloved from

about 1984 to 2004. Me and my mate , Derek ( ex Royal & Merchant Navy)

take it on as a project and she's nearly right now. Maiden voyage was

last July, first time moved under her own power for 25years.

 

Oddly enough , I find her quite boring, I am used to boating with our

70ft wooden motor or horse-boating with " the UK's oldest wooden

narrowboat", both of which are a lifetime passion of mine.

Cleopatra was F28 , she is now called "Minerva" (F35) both Leander

class frigates as you no doubt know. The Sea Cadets at Nottingham (TS

Orion) had one of the others on the Trent in original condition ,

certainly a few years ago.

 

cheers

Robert Holmes

Edited June 27, 2012 by chieftiff

[ditchcrawler]

They still have Andrew and Lafter at Calcutt (saw them both last week). They also had Shy Talk but I don't know what happened to that one. I'm pretty sure there was another but I can't remember the name.

 

None of them have any connection with the warship replicas pictured above

The other one was a girls name, I think it was Emma.

[RLWP]

They still have Andrew and Lafter at Calcutt (saw them both last week). They also had Shy Talk but I don't know what happened to that one. I'm pretty sure there was another but I can't remember the name.

 

None of them have any connection with the warship replicas pictured above

 

Did Shy Talk belong to the Fleet Air Arm?

 

Richard

 

Shitehawk - oh those jolly matelots

[sharpness]

The other one was a girls name, I think it was Emma.

I think you might be right, that rings a bell. They were pretty anonymous, as was the boat we were taking out from Calcutt - Lothbury Lady & later on Pride of Lothbury.

 

Steve

[RLWP]

The other one was a girls name, I think it was Emma.

 

Ack Emma?

 

Richard

 

I dunno what the phonetic for PM is

[allybsc]

Came across something unusual to my eye yesterday,

 

From Jim Shead

 

CLEOPATRA Built by ROYAL NAVY - Length 18.9 metres (62 feet ) - Beam 1.98 metres (6 feet 6 inches )

 

What would a NB such as this be used for by the Royal Navy?

 

We saw the RN narrowboat in Bath a couple of years ago, had a nice chat to the chaps as they were going up the lock outside the Travelodge, can't remember it's name tho'.

[luctor et emergo]

Looks like the one on the left

 

<stupendously large image removed... >

 

Cheers Graham

 

 

[adam1uk]

The ones based at Calcutt (the Andrew and the other one) aren't that anonymous -- they say Portsmouth on the side!

[cotswoldsman]

.Do we still have a navy ?

 

Tim

 

Well we have more Admiral/Rear Admirals than we have ships..............

[Sarah and Ian]

They still have Andrew and Lafter at Calcutt (saw them both last week). They also had Shy Talk but I don't know what happened to that one. I'm pretty sure there was another but I can't remember the name.

 

None of them have any connection with the warship replicas pictured above

We now own her had her for just over a year.

 

Renamed to Thomas and refitted out.

[David Schweizer]

The Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm used to have a narrowboat called "Pussers Rum" on the K&A, but I believe they sold her some years ago.