HSL 102.
Although I had seen and photographed the High Speed Launch (HSL) 102 a number of times over the years at her Home Base at the Royal Naval Dockyard at Portsmouth, I have only ever seen her underway on the one occasion which was on the 20th May 2016. On that date I was on the Red Funnel car and passenger ferry Red Eagle at East Cowes Isle of Wight when HSL 102 was motoring in the River Medina having just left the Solent. The 13.5 Ton, 21.8 metre long HSL 102 was built for the Royal Air Force in 1936 by the British Power Boat Company of Hythe and is the last surviving member of her class. She had an interesting life in both Military and Civilian service until 2010 when she was purchased by the Portsmouth Naval Base and placed on permanent display. A search on the Internet will reveal a great deal of information about her history. It would appear that she is available for Charter and special events which might explain her presence in Cowes waters.