"Spitfire of the sea" CMB4 Royal Navy World War One vessel replica has launch ceremony

A six year project has led to the creation of a replica of the CMB4 which was the famous naval craft that sunk a Russian warship in 1919.
By Joe Buncle
Published 9th Sep 2023, 15:58 BST
Updated 11th Sep 2023, 15:01 BST
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The Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust has spent the last six years researching the CMB4 and a team of 35 dedicated volunteers have spent their time working to make a replica of the famed naval craft. Yesterday (August 8) the Coastal Motor Boat 4 took to the Solent in the form of a fully active and meticulously built replica, with a private launch event hosted by the PNBPT.

NOW READ: Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust creates replica of “CMB4” which sunk Russian warship “Oleg” in 1919

It has been 100 years since a coastal motorboat was last active and visitors to Boathouse 4 in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard will now have the opportunity to marvel at CMB4R, aka the “Spitfire of the Sea”.

Speedy and lethal WWI naval vessel, Coastal Motor Boat 4 took to the Solent on Friday, September 8, at Boathouse 4 at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in the form of a fully active and meticulously built replica, CMB4R (R for replica), thanks to six years of research and hard graft by a team of 35 dedicated volunteers and partners of the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust (PNBPT). Picture: Sarah StandingSpeedy and lethal WWI naval vessel, Coastal Motor Boat 4 took to the Solent on Friday, September 8, at Boathouse 4 at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in the form of a fully active and meticulously built replica, CMB4R (R for replica), thanks to six years of research and hard graft by a team of 35 dedicated volunteers and partners of the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust (PNBPT). Picture: Sarah Standing
Speedy and lethal WWI naval vessel, Coastal Motor Boat 4 took to the Solent on Friday, September 8, at Boathouse 4 at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in the form of a fully active and meticulously built replica, CMB4R (R for replica), thanks to six years of research and hard graft by a team of 35 dedicated volunteers and partners of the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust (PNBPT). Picture: Sarah Standing
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The original CMB4 was designed in part by one of the first female members of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects and it is known for sinking the Oleg, a Russian warship, in 1919 as well as being an innovative creation in the Navy.

CEO of the Trust, Hannah Prowse, said: “This replica is the brainchild of Rodney Agar, nephew of the original CMB4’s most famed commander, Lieutenant Augustus Agar. Thanks to funding secured from the Chancellor’s LIBOR fund in 2016, we were able to make Rodney’s ambitious dream a reality despite boat building of this nature being now no longer widely practiced or documented.

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“The influence of the CMB on naval architecture post-WWI is of such significance, it felt only right to recreate this revolutionary vessel so visitors to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard could appreciate and understand its impact.”

Here are six photos from the official launch:

Related topics:SpitfirePortsmouth Historic Dockyard