Name ST 206

ST 206 was built as a seaplane tender for the Royal Air Force by the British Power Boat Company at Hythe, Southampton and is of double diagonal construction, mahogany and pine. Her present engines are twin Cummins diesels. After entering service for the RAF at Calshot in 1932 the vessel served at many locations both in the UK and abroad. In 1946 ST 206 was earmarked for disposal through the Admiralty and disappeared from view between 1946 and 1990 when she was found at a boatyard in Gweek, Cornwall in a dilapidated and heavily modified condition. A three year restoration was carried out by Phil Clabburn and she was relaunched from Hythe in 1993. In 1994 she sailed to Normandy to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day. In February 2010 ST 206 was purchased by the RAF Museum at Hendon for permanent display and made her final voyage from Lymington to Shepperton Marina where she was lifted out for the journey to Hendon. She was one of the first batch of seven that formed the RAF Class 200, the first hard-chine planing design adopted by The Royal Air Force. This hull design was a major stepping stone towards fast sea going Royal Air Force High Speed Launches used for Air Sea Rescue work in world war two. In the early trials with her prototype and the early years of her service, Aircraftman T E Shaw (Lawrence of Arabia) was involved in various capacities.