Letters

Repair ships WW2 Royal Navy, HMS Artifex

November 6, 2012

I served aboard HMS Lancashire in WW2 and she was an accommodation ship for HMS Artifex. Who was a heavy fleet repair ship and was based at Manus Island at the latter stages of WW2 HMS Artifex had extensive workshops for  molding  casting all common metals with heavy, light and grinding machine shops.

Also were plating shop shipwright shops etc. I transferred to HMS Artifex in August 1945 and we left Manus for Hong Kong where we spent 6 months carrying out repairs to city facilities and dockyard etc  We returned to UK via Australia and I have a "Courier Mail" photo of Artifex in dry dock in Bribane approx Feb or March 1945. i also have the xmas day luncheon menu for xmas 1945 signed by all members of my ERA's mess.

harold rich


Harold,

Thank you. Should the Courier Mail photo date be 1946?.

Regards.
Mac.


You are right of course it was early 1946. we returned to UK in june 1946 and tied up at Cardiff to unload gifts etc from NSW to South wales. I left Artifex at Cardif and returned to chatham and left thr navy soon after,

Harold Rich


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