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Nydia

Nydia

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Type Motor Yacht
Length 32 ft
Beam 9 ft
Draft 3 ft
Displacement 8 tons
Engine 2.2l BMC Diesel
Construction Carvel
Builder Husk, Wivenhoe, Essex
Year Built 1937

As early as 14th May 1940 the BBC announced that "the Admiralty requests all owners of self-propelled craft between 30ft. and 100ft. to send all particulars within fourteen days" so that they could be requisitioned. This was more an order than a request and by 26th May most of them were called into service. Nydia had only just been completed by Thornycrofts for Harold Turner, who had commissioned her, when the Admiralty took her over. They kept her throughout the war and she was only returned to Harold Turner for a short time and was then sold to C.J. Deal, the young Naval officer who had commanded her briefly in the war. At Dunkirk she ferried troops from the beach to the larger vessels lying off and she finally returned full of British and French soldiers. For the rest of the war, she was stationed in Chatham Dockyard.

After the war she was cruised extensively by a number of owners mainly on the French canals and eventually was hit and sunk on the Canal du Midi. Although she was salvaged, her then owner was not able to carry out the repairs and after some time she was taken to Simon Evans' yard at Sens. The Trust has now taken her over and has transferred her to their site at Marchwood for restoration.

Source : 21.

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