Seeking help on my research on an MLC my father & others refloated to succesfully escape from Ayia Galini, Crete to Mersa Matruh in June 1941. A fellow platoon member indicated it was numbered "SD13".
Another barge escaper, Harry Richards, is recorded as using barge "96 SD 16" to succesfully escape from Sfakia, Crete to Egypt at around the same time. I'm presuming the "96" likely refers to the MLC construction number, as "British Vessels Lost at Sea 1939-45" records 95, 96, 97 as "lost in Middle East. Date reported, August 1941".
Major Garrett of the Royal Marines also used an MLC to succesfully escape from Sfakia, although I don't have details of that barge number.
There were three MLC's left at Ayia Galini by HMS Glengyle on 19/5/41 and another three MLC's left at Sfakia by HMS Glengyle on 29/5/41.
My Questions
Where would Glengyle have obtained this number of MLC's? From another Glen ship? Or from HMS Stag, the Combined Training Centre (CTC) Middle East at Kabret, Egypt?
Can anyone identify what the "SD" refers to? I believe from 1942, when the nomenclature for MLC's changed to LCM's, the pennant numbers for LCM's were "DD". (attached are two AWM photos, "British landing barge (D lighter) being used by German Afrika Korps soldiers as a bath house" fairly clearly showing an MLC as "SD 25").
Was "SD" the prior pennant number for MLC's? Or did it refer to the "mother ship"? Eg Glengyle/Glenearn/Glenroy or Stag?
If barge "96 SD 16" referred to MLC build no 96, would it be reasonable to assume "SD 13" referred to MLC build no 93? Any data on who built this range? (I have details of MLC79-MLC86 being built by Cammell Laird, and LCM111-114 being built by Scotts, but no detail in between).
Any input appreciated.
Frank
South Melbourne, Australia (ex RAN)
Author
Topic: MLC / LCM Pennant Numbers - 1941 - Crete (Read 19368 times)