Fairmile - Addenda...

I'm not sure what speed WWII Fairmiles did, certainly faster than our 1960s NZ Navy HDMLs. They were re-under-powered post-war, as an economy measure, and sped along at around 12 knots - fast enough to catch errant fishing boats of the time. From memory the originals did something like twice the speed.

Anyway, I was intrigued to find just how early powered vessels were used for shore whaling in NZ, and the speeds they reached. I guess the Australian situation was somewhat similar.

In 1908 the first motorised launch, built in Wellington to the order of J.Goodall, had one of the latest muzzle loaded harpoon guns mounted on the bow. Pursuit of the whales was now faster and easier. Motor launches used for shore whaling began to reach speeds of 16knots by the year 1917; they could easily catch the whales and overhaul them, if necessary, to turn them back towards the shoreline.
Jackson, at Kaikoura, went one better in 1920, when he purchased a craft of 45hp., capable of speeds up to 18-20 knots on flat water and was therefore able to speed ahead of his competitors to take the pick of the whales before they arrived on the scene. - From an article on Early NZ Whaling by Anthony Flude

Cheers - Sam