HMS St Christopher (shore establishment)
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MGB 66 at speed with the crew at action stations, off the coast at Fort William.
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS St Christopher |
Commissioned | October 1940 |
Decommissioned | December 1944 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Stone frigate |
HMS St Christopher was a
History
Commissioned in October 1940, HMS St Christopher was in service for a total of four years, until being decommissioned in December 1944. The base was first commanded by Commander A.E.P. Welman DSO DSC RN, and existed to train the crews of a variety of different
The base had a staff of several hundred, billeted in hotels around the town, with extra space being provided by Nissen huts. Most of the engineering and mechanical works were based at Corpach, and consisted of a number of sheds and slipways. The base was defended by a number of anti-aircraft guns and searchlights, which were also used to defend the town of Fort William herself.
By April 1942 there were around 80 to 90 boats at the training base, comprising a number of different flotillas. They consisted of nine Motor Torpedo Boats, thirty seven
Legacy
A number of the outbuildings and storage sheds can still be seen today, as can some of the old searchlight and gun emplacements. There are a number of commemorative and memorial plaques in the town, often located at the hotels where the recruits were billeted. The base is also commemorated in the name of the Lochaber