Coastal Forces Achievements

The story of Coastal Forces is an inspiring and exciting tale. Their operations were as diverse as attacking enemy convoys and their E-Boat escorts, to running agents to the enemy and playing a major role in the Normandy landings and operations at St Nazaire and Dieppe.

The story can best be told through the boats and the men who fought in them. There remain only a few of the 2,000 Coastal Forces craft, Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs), Motor Gun Boats (MGBs) and Motor Launches (MLs), whose exploits in WW2 so stirred the public imagination. Affectionately known as the Navy's 'Little Ships' the MTBs, MGBs and MLs of the Coastal Forces served with distinction throughout the Second World War. From Dunkirk to VE day, they fought over 780 actions, sinking 800 enemy vessels, including 48 E-boats. Of 81 enemy midget submarines destroyed, 32 were claimed by Coastal Forces. Having fired 1169 torpedoes, their percentage of hits and probable hits bettered that of the submarine service. In addition, 32 enemy aircraft were shot down and twice as many mine laying operations were carried out than were credited to other mine laying forces.

By 1944 Coastal Forces, numbering some 3,000 officers and 22,000 ratings were operating from Narrow Sea of the Channel and the North Sea, from Norway to the Aegean and Mediterranean and the Far East.

Over 3,000 decorations, including two VC's were won by the men of these 'Little Ships', often faced by the comparatively gigantic vessels of their protagonists in over 780 battles.

By the close of hostilities 170 of the 'Little Ships' were sunk or destroyed

The trust has located many of the charismatic WW2 Coastal Forces leaders and crews and has recorded their memories to form a video archive for future researchers.