Tin Boat of the Royal Air Force Marine Branch

The Marine Branch was small in comparison to the remainder of the Royal Air Force but size was no true indication of relative importance. The RAF Marine Branch was called upon to deal with specialised applications of maritime practice not usually encountered in other sea services. In 1965, in an effort to prove that the Marine Branch was fully capable of undertaking longer duration tasks the decision was taken to re-equip with larger purposely designed steel craft, well capable of staying at sea for long periods. So why 'Tin' boats? This was the name adopted by RAF crews weaned on generations of high-speed wooden launches, and who looked upon the new steel craft with intrigue and scepticism in equal measure. By the time the 'Tin' boats arrived on the scene, swingeing successive budget cuts, coupled with successive Government Reviews, had reduced the RAF Marine Branch to a shadow of its former self.