Mystery floating thingie - flying boat related?

I am at a loss to identify this relic in the RAF Museum Store at Stafford. At the time I photographed it, I assumed it was part of a marine flarepath at a flying boat base but have since begun to think it might be range-related. An email to Peter Kirk soon sank that theory, although he didn't entirely dismiss it. O.H.M. could be a variation of OHWM - Ordinary High Water Mark, Peter suggests. The fairly bright paintwork indicates that it could be of relatively recent vintage, unless it has been stored in a dark place for decades. I would appreciate any comments.

Dave Smith

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Could it be either an Onshore or Offshore Hazard Marker ?

Appears to be well weather protected and with a good size warning pendant hole in the center mid ship area.

Pity that you can't look inside for what I know as a mud anchor with a hundred feet or so of tethering line.

If I still lived in or near to Port Loe or Padstow then I would show the picture to as many old sea dogs that I could find in exchange for a pint of St Austells.

I believe the clue lies in the stern markings but its only a land lubbers guess.

Thanks, Harboda, that's a very reasonable suggestion, land lubber or not!

I'm guessing it's a bombing range marker float that were set at sea to be used as sea bombing targets. The pictue at this link shows one in slightly better condition:

www.bapc.org.uk/html/searchInner.php?id=2295

Not sure about the O.H.M. Though.

In fact here's another image of the same, but from the rear. It has KHM on the back!

www.flickr.com/photos/45898619@N08/5514576801/

Peter wrote:

I haven't come across marker floats on ranges as they usually use buoys. I wonder if it is for flying boat landing runs?

As the latest photos appear to be of a different boat I wonder if the "O" and the "K" of the three letter codes were part of an alphabetic sequence? As I wrote that could it also me a marker for an individual aircraft? O-HM and K-HM, unlikely I would have thought.

This is a boat shaped buoy. The way the ropes are attached underneath in the original photo and the way the cone on top of the one at the Hendon Museum looks as though it is on a gimbal to stay verical (ish) with the swell, tends to that conclusion. The only reason I can think of it being boat shaped would be to inticate tidal stream (Thought while typing: "That would be good information for a landing flying boat pilot, but only if there were no other boats around!)

Thanks everyone for some interesting theories. The HM could indicate Hamworthy, perhaps, but I'm clutching at straws here!

Might I suggest contacting the "Sunderland Trust" at Pembroke Dock. I am sure that they might have some ideas! See

www.sunderlandtrust.com/

I just came across this quote:

'At Amble harbour was a 2 vessel MCU. Naturally its primary purpose was rescue, but in fact it spent almost the whole time running around off the coast of Northumberland doing maintenance on the marker floats and targets that comprised the RAF Acklington Air-Ground (or rather Sea) ranges. (Acklington was the Fighter Command Gunnery School).'

Here: www.rafforum.activeboard.com/t9262661/sailors-in-the-raf/