Metcalf Motor Coasters Limited of London was one of the major players in the UK coastal trade during the 1940s to the early 1970s, until, when in 1972 the company merged with S. William Coe & Company of Liverpool. During my leave time spent at Hove in the UK, at the weekends I would occasionally take a drive to visit the various south coast ports, such as Dover, Newhaven, Portslade, Shoreham, Littlehampton, and Portsmouth (sometimes venturing further westward as far as Berry Head), where I regularly came across these jaunty little coasters, all proudly sporting a white ‘M’ on a dark green funnel

What struck me was that, aside from their funnels, which were always immaculately painted, the ships always looked spotless, well maintained, spic and span, despite the fact ,that they were hard working vessels mostly engaged in the bulk fertilizer, grain, coal and roadstone trades, and therefore spent little time in port. This spoke volumes for the owners and their crews.

Metcalf Motor Coasters Ltd. began as a subsidiary of C. Crawley Ltd. of Gravesend, which was founded in 1893 by Charles Crawley as a Thames barge and small coaster owner. In 1905, the company was managed by Thomas J. Metcalf, who after World War I purchased five ex-military lighters which he named as Daniel M, David M, Francis M and James M after family members, with the remaining lighter becoming the water carrier Aqua 130/1915, for C. Crawley Ltd.

Thomas J. Metcalf in association with his wife, Mrs. Ellen Metcalf, owned three vessels registered under C. Crawley Ltd. The Aqua, which was broken up in 1984 after a career of almost seventy years, Fountain built in 1915 and sent for breaking in 1950, and Aquarium built in 1895 and broken up in 1966. The connection between C. Crawley Ltd. and Metcalf Motor Coasters Ltd. continued well into the post-World War II years, and a total of over twenty barges and coasters were registered under C. Crawley Ltd., as owners.

The Metcalf Motor Coasters Ltd. fleet grew from five coasters in 1924, to twelve coasters on the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939, to eighteen coasters by 1950, 22 coasters by 1958, and on takeover by Booker Line in 1972 and merger with S. William Coe & Co. coaster fleet of Liverpool, to a fleet of 26 coasters and deep-sea ships, and finally in combination with James Fisher & Sons Ltd. in 1984, to a larger fleet of 35 coasters and deep-sea ships including six managed ships used for the transport of irradiated nuclear fuel.

By 1950 the Metcalf fleet consisted of eighteen dry cargo and coastal tankers in Polly M (above) built 1937, Andrew M built 1943, Ann M built 1926, Anthony M built 1944, Charles M built 1943, Caroline M built 1935, Daniel M built 1936, David M built 1933, Eileen M built 1938, Ellen M (2) built 1936, Frank M built 1929, Jim M built 1944, John M built 1937, Paul M built 1937, Peter M built 1937, Rose-Julie M built 1941, Thomas M (2) the former Ngakoa purchased in 1946 and built in 1938, and the water carrier Aqua built in 1915. The fleet also included two American built (engines midships) USMC standard design N3-S-A1 or ‘Jeep’ types of 2,905 dwt which had been procured in 1950 as Freeman Hatch and Waldo Hill and were renamed Charles M (2) and Andrew M, respectively.

The Freeman Hatch, under her new name of Charles M remained with Metcalf until 1953, when they disposed of her. She was one of 36 such vessels delivered to Great Britain between the war years of 1942-45. Following her disposal by Meltcalf in 1953 the Charles M was renamed Houston but was unfortunately bombed and sunk by the Cuban Air Force in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba on 18th April 1961. She was one of four cargo ships carrying 1,400 Cuban exile troops. 100 people onboard died in the attack.

The Metcalf fleet was expanded during the 1950s by the acquisition of one second-hand coaster, and seven newbuild coasters. In 1952 one ex Dutch coaster, built as the 479grt Havik in 1938 was purchased as Holendrecht from JNV Stoomvaart Mij “De Maas” and renamed Paul M (above), which served with Metcalfs until 1965 when sent for demolition at Grays, Essex.

The newbuild vessels were Lisbeth M 939grt/1953, Marian M 694grt/1955, Michael M 691grt/1955, Melissa M 1,089grt/1956, Christopher M 1,035grt/1956, Charles M (3) 403grt/1956, and Adrian M 967grt/1957.

The 1956 Dutch built coaster Melissa M (above), on which the author served as Mate for several months, relieving, during a short period spent in the UK when supposedly on ‘study leave’ from usual seagoing duties in Asia. Note the high-quality timber work about her wheelhouse area. She was 1,089grt, 1,560dwt, 70m loa, 10m beam with a speed of 12 knots.             The Metcalf’s tanker Robert M had an interesting and varied history, formerly Cree operated in the Far East as a bitumen tanker that was regularly seen executing its voyages around Southeast Asia, and Indonesia, and occasionally to Port Hedland in northwest Australia. She had originally been built for a long-term time charter running to Phnom Penh and Saigon which did not fully materialize , so she spent much of her time running between Pulau Bukom and Brunei with bitumen. She also transported fuel oil between Port Dickson, Telok Anson and occasionally to Penang. This handy little vessel was built in Hong Kong, by the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dockyard Company Ltd., today known as Hong Kong United Dockyard or HUD, for Matheson and Company Ltd. of London with Jardine, Matheson and Company Ltd. of Hong Kong, as managers. The Cree was quite small, with an overall length of only 85m, beam of 13m and a service speed of 12 knots, driven by a MAN diesel of 2,200 BHP. Completed in January 1970 she had been designed to service some of the more remote and smaller river ports of Asia, consequently she had a grt of only 1,593 and a dwt of 2,449.

In 1977 this smart little vessel was sold to Metcalf Motor Coasters Ltd., which by this time had become part of the S. William Coe group. The ship was subsequently renamed Robert M (above), following the naming convention for Metcalf Motor Coasters, and placed under the British flag.

In 1997 she was sold to Haswell Company Ltd., Sharjah, (Cyrus Shipping Services, Sharjah, managers), and renamed Nesa I, then Nesa R. In 2001 she was re-flagged to Panama, in 2002 to the Comoros flag, 2007 to the St. Kitts and Nevis flag and finally in 2007 to the Sierra Leone flag. She was finally sent for demolition at Gadani Beach in December 2009 after a remarkable 39 years’ service, an exceptionally long period for a tanker.

So, came about the demise of a little ship that had an interesting career and holds timeless memories for many of those who served on her, especially during her Far East and UK trading years.

Marian M (above) was another vessel the author served on for about a month as relieving Mate, whilst on ‘study leave’ in London in 1970. A well-appointed little ship but very tender at the best of times, she even rolled when alongside the jetty, but settled down once fully loaded. We did several trips carrying roadstone from Northeast coast ports to Weymouth, Shoreham , Portsmouth, and Dover. Soon after I resumed my usual duties in Asian waters which was much more agreeable to me.

So ended the existence of yet another iconic British coastal shipping company, whose memory now only lives amongst the mists of nostalgia. Sadly, no longer do we see the Red Ensign in such abundance about our coastal ports as we did during those exhilarating days of the 1960s to the 1980s.