The boat that played a key role in Second World War being restored in Hartlepool

Former ‘submarine hunter’ MV Marica which was at the forefront of the invasion of Sicily in 1943 has recently been bought by husband and wife Steve and Patricia Leighton.

They are now in the process of making her shipshape once again at Hartlepool Marina.

Marica, originally called HMDL 1257, was ordered by the Admiralty in 1942 and was specially designed to help defend against German u-boats.

She has been in Hartlepool since the early days of the marina in the 1980’s.

Steve, 59, an electrician and plumber, told the Mail: “We have got a little piece of history that has been around here for years. She has a really amazing war record.

“During recent years she has fallen into a bad state of repair and she came to my attention late last year that she might be available to purchase.

“Myself and Patricia both realised that a major project was required to restore her to a good state of repair and although this is quite a job and not for the faint-hearted, we both felt that she was savable if the work needed was started straight away.

“She has been adapted and considerably altered and has been home to a couple of families during her time here and always been a topic of conversation for both locals and visitors alike.”

During the war Marica helped in the defence of Gibraltar and Malta before playing a major role in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, in July 1943.

She led the way to find the correct beaches to land on and shone a light to guide the larger ships whilst coming under fire.

Marica’s sister ship Medusa undertook a similar role off the coast of Normandy on D-Day.

After the war she returned to her original builders Berthron Boat Builders of Lymington to be converted to civilian vessel.

Steve and Patricia, a nurse, plan to carry out a modern refit inside together with a sympathetic restoration to the outside in keeping with how she would have looked originally.