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Thanks Makko and J Copp a very interesting photo and it leads me to wonder what happened. I know the Wild Duck Class mooring vessels were capable of taking the bottom but not I imagine in a scenario like that and with the workboat hard and dry too! As a sometime master of these vessels, including sisters of this one, albeit somewhere other than Devonport I spent much time trying to avoid situations like that. The resulting inquiry would have been interesting. Like most naval bases and vessels based there, the Inquiry Board would probably have consisted of Captain of the Port/Queen's Harbour Master (RN), Deputy Queen's Harbour Master (RN) and Shipping Master (RMAS). A report would have been passed to the Director of Marine Services in Bath (the boss of the RMAS nationwide) and in all likelihood a "We fail to understand" letter issued together with any disciplinary action.
These days of course there is no RMAS and the private contractor Serco Defence have no mooring vessels; they put it out to a sub-contract with Briggs Marine, so in all probability Red Duster rules apply.
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