Community Voices
Where Did Coastal Forces Craft Go After WW2?
coastal forces
ww2 service
archive film/photo
A January post and period article prompt fresh questions about the fate of hundreds of Coastal Forces craft after the war.
Published 27 January 2026
The shared late-war article suggests options then being considered for surplus craft, while the accompanying photograph shows rows of vessels beached at Poole after frontline service. The post highlights that all eight BPB 63ft Whaleback ASR-converted RN MA/SBs from the 1st MA/SB Flotilla at Ramsgate were paid off in October 1944 and sent to Poole.
MA/SB 31 is clearly identifiable in the photo, and MA/SB S32 is also visible among MTB, MGB, and MA/SB craft. While many were retired, the post notes that S32 is understood to have returned for one final operation before VE Day.
These details underline how quickly operational wartime small craft could move from essential service to disposal, and why identifying survivors and records remains urgent.
Source post:
https://www.facebook.com/ASRWhaleback/
Photo credit: The Coastal Forces Heritage Trust.