HMS Medusa, ML1387

History of Medusa

HMS Medusa, originally ML1387, is a Harbour Defence Motor Launch built in 1943 at Poole.  She is now the last original and operational example of nearly 500 that were built to protect ports and anchorages from incursion by German submarines.  As this threat did not materialise, the admiralty used this class of vessel for many other duties including convoy escort, offensive patrols and landing agents onto enemy soil.  Originally the HDMLs were xintended to be transported around the world as deck cargo but after an incident where a merchant ship carrying HDMLs was torpedoed and the crew arrived in Gibraltar having chosen the deck cargo in preference to a lifeboat, they made their own passage.  One such passage was intended to be to the West Indies, outside the 2000 mile fuel range, so the admiralty fitted and extra mast and provided sails.

Medusa had a remarkable war, she sailed for D-Day on D-1 to be marker at the entrance to the narrow cleared channel, through the minefield, that lead to Omaha beach and was the homing point for the invasion force.  Later she took the surrender of Ijmuiden and was the first allied vessel to reach Amsterdam

HDMLs served in the European theatre, Mediterranean, South Africa and the far east including Australia and New Zealand.  Post war many overseas navies, including India, Pakistan, Greece, Italy, Israel, South Africa, France and New Zealand, acquired them.  Others passed into private ownership, some were scrapped and their engines recovered and sold.

Post war ML1387 was kept by the navy and spent some time with the Royal Navy Reserve, briefly as HMS Thames before being taken over by the hydrographic service.  She remained as a survey vessel until 1965 and “surveyed by HMS Medusa” can be found on many old charts of the south coast and Bristol Channel.  She and ML1301 (HMS Meda) were the last two HDMLs in naval service.  Between 1965 and 1968 she swung round a buoy in Devenport and quietly rotted.  She was sold by tender in 1968, believed fit only for scrap, and was purchased by a small group lead by Mike Boyce who has been her skipper ever since.

He and the group steadily restored her over the next 18 years and made many trips on her all round Europe.  At the time HDMLs were not uncommon but as years have passed most have disappeared.  There are currently about 30 hulls left but most are unrecognisable and many are houseboats. By 3003, the vessel had reached the age of 60, 55 years longer than she was built to last, and either needed to be taken ashore and conserved or extensively refitted to remain at sea.  The overriding view from a consultation was to keep her at sea and a programme of fundraising commenced.

Over the last four years Medusa has had an extensive refit, costing £1.5m mainly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.  The work has been done by young shipwrights of the Maritime Workshop and has generated considerable training benefit as well as putting Medusa back to virtually as new condition.

Medusa was launched on 1 March 2010 and since then work has concentrated on completing the interior of the vessel.  This work is now virtually complete and, to mark this milestone, a re-dedication ceremony, hosted by the Royal Navy and attended by HRH the Princess Royal place on 21 October 2010.  Medusa is currently berthed at Haslar Marina, Gosport.  She is regularly at sea and most recently took part in an exercise with the royal navy 1st Patrol Boat Squadron.

About The Medusa Trust

The Medusa Trust was formed in 2003 to take ownership, operate and conserve/restore HMS Medusa to become a fully functional memorial to the motor launches of Coastal Forces.  The Trust is a registered charity.  The Trust is supported by the Medusa Support Group consisting of some 40 volunteers who are responsible for the maintenance and operation of the vessel under the control of the Trust.

Whilst HMS Medusa provides the physical embodiment of the trusts activity, no less important is the website where there is an on line archive covering each of the 480 HDMLs including action reports, crew lists, decorations and first hand recollections from former crew members.  This can be found at www.hmsmedusa.org.uk