HMS St Christopher (shore establishment)

Coordinates: 56°48′56″N 5°06′44″W / 56.8155208°N 5.1122367°W / 56.8155208; -5.1122367
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

MGB 66 at speed with the crew at action stations, off the coast at Fort William.
History
Royal Navy EnsignUnited Kingdom
NameHMS St Christopher
CommissionedOctober 1940
DecommissionedDecember 1944
General characteristics
Class and typeStone frigate

HMS St Christopher was a

Second World War and located in and around Fort William, Scotland
.

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

would occasionally fly over the base to allow practices on anti-aircraft guns. Over its time in service, the base is estimated to have trained around 55,000 personnel from a number of different allied countries.

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

Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where she replaced AFD 23 which had been damaged beyond repair in an accident.[1]

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

Sea Cadet unit's current training ship, the TS St Christopher
.

See also

References

  • .
  • History of HMS St Christopher

56°48′56″N 5°06′44″W / 56.8155208°N 5.1122367°W / 56.8155208; -5.1122367

  1. ^ A.F.D. 22 Royal Navy Research Archive