Dordt in Stoom 2014 – SS Elfin

A torpedo recovery vessel, now that was a dangerous job, good to see she survived.

From what I understand it had to recover practise torpedoes, not torpedoes shot in anger, and only in home waters.

Unusual for we were that short of ships that any vessel was roped in to duty during the war, trawlers acting as minesweepers etc.

Before the War HMS Elfin was a torpedo recovery vessel and a tender for the submarine fleet. The home port was Portland. During the War, the name was changed to HMS Nettle. It moved to Blyth, were it was used on the River Tyne to escort submarines (British ones I think) in and out of the harbour, so that submarines weren't attacked by British airplanes. From 1943 it moved to Rothesay. After the War it moved back to Portland again, to assist the submarine fleet again. In 1957 it was sold. It briefly became a movie star, as it appeared in the movie “The Key”, but after that the Elfin moved to Holland to become a tank cleaning vessel and since 1989 a museum ship. This page has text (in Dutch), but also some old pictures:

www.elfin.nl/elfin.htm

Thank you very much for going to so much trouble, much appreciated.

You roused my interest and caused me to do a little research and discovered this information,

"During 1940 the 6th Flotilla accompanied by ELFIN moved up to Blyth, ELFIN was renamed NETTLE and given the Pendant number T.94.

Skipper F. Dale RNR was appointed in command 12.8.1941 NETTLE was re fitted at Blyth between March and April 1942 and is shown in Pink Lists from July 1943 as serving at Rothesay.

During the War the crew did some heroic stuff. For a particular brave action several crew members were rewarded."

The Dutch page has the same info, but only in Dutch :-)