Sultan - Fairey Huntress

This Fairey Huntress was one of 23 built for the Admiralty for their captains to use.  The order was to meet the requirements of the then new Guided Missile Destroyers DLG’s on which they were deployed as captains' barges.  Others were used on the Landing Assault ships Intrepid and Fearless and also HMS Hermes.

As far as we know, this boat served on HMS Fearless during the 1982 Falklands War alongside LCVP Foxtrot 8, which is also in this collection.  It is thought she was subsequently based at HMS Sultan, by which name she is often referred.

The boat is built using the hot-moulding method, a type of construction with origins in the aircraft industry during the Second World War.  To construct this type of vessel, boat builders would staple and glue five veneers of mahogany wood over a mould.  They would then vacuum-seal this inside a large bag, and heat the moulded layers in an autoclave at 100º C.

Boat Stats

Build details

Captain's barge

Length Overall

23ft

Beam

8ft 6in

Draft

2ft 10in

Displacement

2.3 tons

Engine

Perkins T6 145hp Sabre inboard Diesel

Speed

23 knots

Construction

Hot moulded agba (mahogany) veneers.

Date Built

1964 (or later)

Boat Yard

Fairey Marine Ltd., Hamble, Hampshire.

Supported by:

Supported by Regional Growth Fund