MTB 459 during the working-up period at Holyhead. Note 6pdr cannon on foredeck. The tubes were angled outward at 7.5 degrees, once in the water torpedos would turn inward 6.5 degrees to give a spread of 120 feet at 1000 yards.

MTB 459 during the working-up period at Holyhead. Note 6pdr cannon on foredeck. The tubes were angled outward at 7.5 degrees, once in the water torpedos would turn inward 6.5 degrees to give a spread of 120 feet at 1000 yards. 459 was lost in the tragic fire at Ostend
Photo Credit: PAC PA 144587

Canada history: Feb 14, 1945, The tragic torpedo boat disaster.

Though the Allies now had a firm hold on the European continent and were battling back German forces, the Second World War was now at it’s height with desperate combat raging on land, in the air, and on the sea.

Many among the general public only know of “torpedo boats” from American sources, whether it be the the story of John Kennedy’s PT-109, or the comedy TV show, McHale’s Navy and PT-73.

But in real life what is little known is that American PT’s were originally based on a British Scott-Paine design, which was also built in Canada. The Commonwealth designation was MTB- for motor torpedo boats, those armed with more guns and a small cannon were also known as MGB- motor gun boat, or MTB-G Type.

 Outside boat is G-class MTB 466 of the Canadian 29th Flottilla, inside boat has two rows of small depth charges instead of torpedo tubes. These were to counter German two-man mini subs.
Outside boat is G-class MTB 466 of the Canadian 29th Flotilla, inside boat has two rows of small depth charges instead of torpedo tubes. These were to counter German two-man mini subs. 466 was lost in the fire at Ostend ©  PA-144537

Also little known is that a fleet of British and Canadian sailors manning the MTB’s played an important role in the sea battles along the European coast.

After escort duties on D-Day, the ships were assigned to patrol duty along the European coasts similar to their role along the English coast prior to D-Day.. Several nights a week from European ports, the crews set out to harass German shipping, and the German navy equivalents of the the MTB’s, the E-boats and R-boats.

Workers on the deck of an MTB at the Canadian Power Boat Company, Montreal, April 24, 1941. Once the contracts for MTB’s and high-speed rescue boats were filled, the company began making wings for Mosquito fighter-bombers.
Most Canadians are completely unaware that torpedo boats were also built in Canada. Workers on the deck of an MTB at the Canadian Power Boat Company, Montreal, April 24, 1941. Once the contracts for MTB’s and high-speed rescue boats were filled, the company began making wings for Mosquito fighter-bombers.

The MTB’s were powered by three V-12 marine engines, with a Ford V-8 powered generator.  Armed with two torpedos and a few machine guns, or even  (Type-G) a 2-pounder pompom or on some boats a 6-pounder cannon, the top speed of the 68-72-ft boats (depending on model) was an impressive 39-40 knots.

Two MTB’s at right showing torpedo tubes and MG turrets. Moored at righ is a slighlty smaller High Speed Launch used to rescue downed pilots in the English channel and elsewhere. The building would be to the left.. Note the roadway lift bridge just at the upper left which gave the boats access to the Lachine Canal.
Montreal: Two MTB’s in the boat basin at right (now a parking lot) showing torpedo tubes and MG turrets. Moored at right is a slighltly smaller High Speed Launch used to rescue downed pilots in the English channel and elsewhere. The building would be to the left.. Note the roadway lift bridge just at the upper left which gave the boats access to the Lachine Canal.

On this date, February 14th, 1945, the Canadian 29th Flotilla of MTB’s  were moored at the Belgian port of Ostend (Oostende)  in a small  basin called La Crique, along with a British flotilla.

A patrol had been scheduled for that night, so some sailors were away from their ships for a few hours, while others were below decks sleeping.. During fuelling or de-fuelling operations that day some of the high-octane aviation fuel had been spilled onto the water, spreading out among the boats.

Montreal April 1941: checking one of the just added machine gun cupolas, the other one to the left has not been fitted yet.
Montreal April 1941: Inspecting one of the just added machine gun cupolas, the other one to the left has not been fitted yet. © PAC

Perhaps it was a carelessly tossed cigarette, but something ignited the thin layer of fuel which spread across the water and quickly set the closely packed wooden ships on fire in a sudden and intense inferno.

2016: The heritage Canadian Power Boat Co. building. The boat basin long since filled in and the roadway lift bridge giving access for boats to the canal, also long gone. The building has remained largely unchanged since the war. It was occupied by a number of small entrepreneurs until a couple of years ago when Montreal expropriated it, and planned to demolish it for a new bus repair depot. Abandoned since then, the otherwise good shape of the building has deteriorated. © Google streetview

For the next two hours fuel tanks and ammunition exploded and burned,

A heavy toll- in lives and ships

Quick action by one crew managed to get their ship running and as they beat back the flames, the crew tied two other ships to theirs and pulled them to safety out of the harbour.

Able Seaman Jack Porter recovering from burns in the Feb 14 1945 fire
Able Seaman Jack Porter recovering from burns in the Feb 14 1945 fire © PAC- mikan 3364374

But the damage and death toll was heavy.  Five of the eight Canadian 29th Flotilla ships and seven British boats were destroyed.

The loss of life was even greater and far more tragic with 26 Canadian sailors, and 35 British having perished in the inferno.

With most of their MTB’s gone, the 29th Flotilla was disbanded on March 8, and remaining boats and crew were absorbed into British Flotillas.

The accidental fire on this date remains the greatest tragedy of the coastal patrol fleet.

MTB 462 (type G) with a 2-pdr foredeck cannon. The torpedo tubes, normally mounted on the rails amidships appear to be missing. The ship took part in the D-day landings of June 6, 1944, but was destroyed in the Feb 14, 1945  fire with the loss of 6 crew. (LAC PA 144574)

The Senior Officer of the 29th Canadian Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla – C.Anthony Law – wrote a book called “White Plumes Astern” about the Canadian MTB’s.  At the end of the book he quoted a poem by signalman Andrew Cleeland

“The raging of the treacherous seas,  Long the arch enemy of the M.T.B.’s,

Now ceases to hold us in its spell,  As we hear the tale of Ostend Hell,

The truth of cause will be remote, and intrigue will lend its tragic note,

Here today and gone tomorrow, As mothers and sweethearts shrink in sorrow,

but above it all is heard the cry, Oh God, the everlasting question, WHY?”

The monument is found on the Montgomery Dock, just a few hundred metres northwest of the Oostende train station.
The monument is found on the Montgomery Dock, just a few hundred metres northwest of the Oostende train station. © Robert Lust- Veterans Affairs Canada

CANADA REMEMBERS THE 29TH MTB FLOTILLA

FEBRUARY 14, 1945

ON THIS DATE AN ACCIDENTAL FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS DECIMATED THE 29TH CANADIAN MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT FLOTILLA WHILE DOCKED IN OOSTENDE, BELGIUM HARBOUR. 26 SAILORS OF THE R.C.N.V.R. WERE KILLED AND 5 BOATS DESTROYED.

IN HONOUR OF

WE CARE AND REMEMBER , R.C.N.A.  THEY SERVED WITH VALOUR

Granite memrorial at Ostende to the tragedy of Feb 14, 1945. Listing the Canadian seamen who died in the tragedy.
Granite memorial at Ostend to the tragedy of Feb 14, 1945. Listing the Canadian seamen who died in the tragedy. © Deltombe Rino/A Century Ago -Veterans Affairs Canada

 

(on the back of the monument)

THEY DIED FOR THE FREEDOM OF BELGIUM AND MANKIND.”

IN MEMORY OF THE R.C.N.V.R. OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE 29TH CANADIAN MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT FLOTILLA WHOSE NAMES ARE ENTERED HERE.

A FEW LIE IN MARKED GRAVES, THE MAJORITY KNOWN UNTO GOD. ALL ARE HONOURED HERE, IN THE HARBOUR OF OOSTENDE, WHERE THEY PAID THE SUPREME SACRIFICE.

WE PROUDLY SALUTE THE MEMORY OF SHIPMATES OF THE ROYAL NAVY, 35 WERE KILLED WITH THE LOSS OF 7 BOATS IN THIS DISASTER.

WE REMEMBER LS JOSEPH VASEY R.N. KILLED WHILE SERVING IN MTB 465 OF THE 29TH FLOTILLA.

ERECTED BY THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVAL ASSOCIATION, THE CANADIAN COASTAL FORCES VETERANS ASSOCIATION, SYMPATHETIC FRIENDS, AND THE MAYOR, COUNCIL AND CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF OOSTENDE.

MAY 8, 2003

The scene after the fire with a couple of boats burned and sunk while another lies flipped over. LAC PA-116494

Additional information- sources

NOTE: March 2020 :some details have been changed to reflect new information, such as the main armament, and engine power details.

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