Finally emerging from the M&K workshop, is this large……
Vintage Royal Navy & RFA “CSV Kinbrace” Ships Bell c.1945-92.
RFA Kinbrace was named after a small community in Strath Beg in east Sutherland in Scotland and was one of seven Kin class coastal salvage vessels (CSV) used by the Admiralty.
It was built by Alexander Hall & Sons and was launched on 17 January 1945, eventually starting its service in 1950.
They were re-rated as Mooring, Salvage and Boom Vessels in 1971 and were equipped with lifting horns and heavy rollers.
It had a busy service career, raising numerous wrecks etc from the seabed, most notably raising the sunken RFA WAR SEPOY, a blockship during WW2 which was lying badly corroded in 2 parts on the Western Entrance to Dover Harbour, in 1952 raised the aft section HMS FOYLEBANK (a naval flak ship), which had been bombed and sunk by German aircraft on 4 July 1940 in Portland Harbour. She succeeded in refloating the British steamer BARON DOUGLAS which had been beached by tugs near Hastings and assisted in the recovery of a Sea Hawk jet fighter which had crashed in the sea off Mablethorpe at the mouth of the River Humber, she also participated in the Suez Crisis in 1956.
The list is endless but the pictures used in the description were taken in 1974 off Chesil Beach, Portland, raising a Westland Wessex HAS3 (XP138) from NAS737, which had crashed in the sea on approach to the Naval Air Station at Portland
Finally after an extremely busy service, Kinbrace was sold to SC Chambers, Liverpool in April 1992.
The 11”H crowned bell is in fine fettle, it has a 11” flare, admiralty broad arrow embossed to the interior and name to the front. It comes with its clanger/clapper fitted with a decorative bell rope.
Ding Dong!
£2295
Local delivery, U.K & international shipping available with collections welcome too
