Depot Ships and other vessels associated with HMS St Christopher.

Information from Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy by Lt. Cdr. B Warlow RN

HMS ST CHRISTOPHER

Commissioned   31st October 1940

Paid Off            31st December 1944 when training was transferred to HMS BEE

The Nominal Depot Ship

Speedboat BEN TRAVATO 31st October 1940 - 22nd June 1944

Harbour Launch (Patrol) 42604 from 22nd June 1944

In the Royal Navy, under section 67 of the Naval Discipline Act 1866, the provisions of the act only applied to officers and men of the Royal Navy borne on the books of a warship. When shore establishments began to become more common it was necessary to allocate the title of the establishment to an actual vessel which became the nominal depot ship for the men allocated to the establishment and thus ensured they were subject to the provisions of the Act.

ABERDONIAN

Built 1909

Coastal Forces Depot Ship

Requisitioned 26th April 1940

Commissioned 22nd July 1940

Temporary Maintenance Ship for Auxiliary Patrol Motor Boats

Chatham August 1940

Fort William October 1940 to November 1941

Dartmouth January 1942 to 1945, tender to BRITANNIA II

Paid Off 27th March 1945

There is a reference to a HM Hospital Ship ABERDONIAN between 16th October 1915 to 16th June 1919, it is said to be one of the smaller hospital ships with accommodation for 245 casualties.  This could be the same vessel.

BOURNEMOUTH QUEEN (Sometimes called BOURNEMOUTH BELLE)

Built 1908

Paddle Steamer

Lamlash Base and Accommodation Ship

Hired as Mine Sweeper in WWI, BOURNE and as Anti Aircraft ship April 1941

Guard Ship Harwich 26th September 1942

Accommondation Ship Fort William

Commissioned 19th October 1943

Paid Off 16th February 1944

Allocated as Trial Ship to Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development Trials Lamlash 24th March 1945

Restored to owner 8th November 1945

There is a photograph of BOURNEMOUTH QUEEN here and here

ORIOLE

Built 1910 by Napier and Miller at Old Kilpatrick

Fort William / Dieppe Accommodation Ship

Paddle steamer EAGLE III

Hired as Mine Sweeper WWI and again November 1939

Experimental Mine Layer 1941 to 1943

Accommodation Ship 1943 to August 1945

Fort William from September 1943 to July 1944 (at least)

Terneuzen to April 1945

To DST 29th August 1945 and at Dieppe September 1945

There is a photograph of EAGLE III / HMS ORIOLE here

TIERCEL

Built 1913

Yacht

Fort William Accommodation Ship

Requisitioned 1941

Accommodation Ship Royal Navy Patrol Service Fort William October 1941

To Care & Maintenance 24th January 1942

Reallocated to BEE as torpedo target and recovery vessel October 1944

To DST at Cowes 27th August 1945

For disposal May 1946

Corpach

Destroyer Repair Base December 1941

To be reduced by August 1945