Name: ChicoCertificate number: 413 |
Status:Function:Sub Functional Area:Type:Motor Yacht Location:Unknown, Unknown, England Current use:Up for Sale
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Web address
Builder
History
Built 1932 by J. N. Miller & Son at St Monans for Sir Malcolm Campbell, CHICO is a motor yacht of pitch pine on oak frames with a copper sheathed bottom. She has a Gleniffer engine of 119 kw and her original name was BLUEBIRD.
She was requisitioned for war service in 1939, fitted with echo sounding gear at Camper & Nicholson, Gosport and renamed CHICO. She took part in the evacuation of troops from Calais and Dunkirk. In 1943 she was paid off and the engine was overhauled for a new assignment at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, and in 1943 she was transferred to the Medway Mine Watching Patrol at Chatham. She was laid up in Mears Yard in 1945 and disposed of in 1946.
After the war she had a number of civilian owners, some of whom used her as a charter yacht. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was chartered as a diving boat and taken to both Lundy Island and the Isles of Scilly. During this time, she had twin Gardner engines and was based in the Bristol Docks. CHICO cruised to Amsterdam and the Markermeer in August 2006 with a lovely night crossing in force four, followed by a fortnight cruise in Holland. In Spring 2007, she was listed up for sale.
These brief histories are compiled from details supplied by vessel owners and enthusiasts and from various reference works. National Historic Ships would be grateful for any corrections of facts or additional information for inclusion. Please contact ron.ellis@nationalhistoricships.org.uk
Subsequent developments
None notified, please let us know if you have any additional information.
Previous names
- 1932 - 1940, Bluebird
Bibliography
- Brann, Christian, 1989, The Little Ships of Dunkirk: 1940-1990, pp. 74-76, Collectors Books Ltd