User:Andrewcooksonsmith/HMCL Diligence

'H.M.C.L Diligence' Her Majesty's Customs Launch Diligence is one of two ships orded by HM Customs and Excise Royal Mint, London in 1945. The keel was laid down in 1946 and she was launched in 1947. She as a length of 49'6"(15.12mts) Beam of 12'6"(3.81mts) and draught of 5'6"(1.71mts) and deadweight of 30 tons. She is powered by a Cummins NHC-250 giving 250hp at 2100rpm with a speed of 12 knots. Diligence and her sister ship Hunter were built by the famous yard of J. Samuel White & Co of Cowes, Isle of Wight for the Preventive Waterguard Service. She served all her working life on the River Thames based at Greenwich, London until 1972 and then sold out of service as a private motor yacht. On 10th September 1949 Diligence played a prominent part in the Thames River Pageant proceeding upstream in formation to a point between Westminster Bridge and Lambeth Bridge, Where the salute was taken by Mr. Chuter Ede M.P the Home Secretary. From 1972 Diligence had a successfull career sailing around west coast of scotland, Ireland and the Bay of Biscay until the early 1990s. in 2007 Diligence was sold again and relocated to Douglas, Isle of Man where after a few years of neglect in october 2013 she parted her mooring ropes in a storm and damaged several fishing boat before being rescued by the local harbour tug. The vessel was bought and saved from the breakers yard after lengthy negotiation by the current owner who is restoring her to original stature as a working museum ship. Diligence is the sole surviving example of an early Customs Revenue Cutter of her type and is the last one to carry the name. Diligence has been identified as meriting inclusion in the National Register of Historic Vessels of the United Kingdom...