ROYAL NAVY SOUTH ATLANTIC COMMAND - ROYAL NAVY M
33)ML 1044 (MOTOR LAUNCH)
Image by A. I.
Motor Launch HMS HDML 1044 (ML 1044) served as a Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HDML) for the Royal Navy during World War II.
Primary Role and Duties
Harbour Defense: Patrolled coastal areas and strategic ports to protect against enemy submarines, surface craft, and infiltration.
Anti-Submarine Chasing: Fitted with defensive armament and tracking capabilities to detect and deter enemy U-boats in shallow or coastal waters.
Local Escort and Patrol: Conducted routine security sweeps, surveillance, and auxiliary-picket tasks around controlled ports and choke points.
Vessel Specifications
Type: Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HDML)
Builder: Newman (Hamworthy, England, U.K.)
Displacement: 46 Gross Register Tons (BRT)
Length: 72 feet (overall)
Complement: 10 men
Speed: Max 11 knots
OPERATIONAL HISTORY
The operational history of HMS HDML 1044 spanned the majority of World War II, during which it was deployed primarily to protect vital allied sea lanes and coastal waters in West Africa.
Timeline of Service
Commissioning (August 19, 1941): ML 1044 was commissioned into the Royal Navy following its completion by Newman in Hamworthy, England.
Deployment to West Africa (January 1942): Rather than navigating open ocean passages on its own keel, ML 1044 was transported as deck cargo via a merchant ship to the North Atlantic Command. It was stationed at the crucial allied port of Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Flotilla Assignment: It operated under the 108th Motor Launch Flotilla, providing anti-submarine screens, harbor security sweeps, and local escort tasks alongside sister craft like ML 1050 and ML 1065. Freetown was a critical assembly point for Atlantic convoys, making harbor defense essential to counter German U-boat infiltration.
End of Service (November 1945): Following the conclusion of hostilities, the vessel returned to the UK and was listed for disposal in November 1945 as the Royal Navy rapidly downsized its wartime coastal forces. Chronology of Her South Atlantic Service
Official war records from The Medusa Trust detail her exact operational movements under the 108th Motor Launch Flotilla within the West African and South Atlantic theater:
January 1, 1942: Delivered to Freetown, Sierra Leone, alongside sister craft ML 1050, ML 1065, and ML 1066 to establish the flotilla base.
August 1, 1942: While operating around the West African coast, a British Wellington aircraft was forced to land directly alongside ML 1044 near Bathurst (now Banjul, The Gambia). The crew of the aircraft was successfully rescued by the motor launch.
December 17–21, 1942: Teamed up with the anti-submarine trawler HMS Portsdown and sister craft ML 1066 to escort a merchant vessel safely from Freetown northward to Bathurst.
April 8–9, 1943: Escorted the sloop HMS Bridgewater from Bathurst to Dakar, Senegal. The very next day, ML 1044 joined the Free French ship La Gracieuse on an active submarine hunt out of Dakar.
April 24, 1943: Conducted coastal escort duties alongside the French ship Victoria, arriving safely at Port Etienne (now Nouadhibou, Mauritania).
November 1945: Following the end of the war, ML 1044 remained in the theater and was officially paid off and listed for disposal locally in West Africa.
