Motor Torpedo Boat

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Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, the Royal Norwegian Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Navy.

During World War II the US Navy boats were usually called by their hull classification symbol of "PT" (from Patrol, Torpedo) and are covered under PT boat though the class type was still 'motor torpedo boat'. The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy (RN) boats and abbreviated to MTB. German motor torpedo boats of World War II were called S-Boote (Schnellboote ~ fast boats) by the Kriegsmarine and E-boats by the allies. Italian MTBs of this period were known as "MAS boats" (Motoscafo Armato Silurante ~ torpedo armed motorboats).

Contents 1 History 1.1 Notable operations 2 Specification 2.1 Vosper Private Venture Boat 2.2 Vosper Types 1 & 2 2.2.1 Vosper Type I 2.2.2 Vosper Type II 2.3 RCN MTB 3 References 4 Notes 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] History

MTBs were designed for high speed and manoeuvrability on the water to get close enough to launch their torpedoes at enemy vessels. With next to no armour, the boats relied upon their agility at high speed to avoid being hit by gunfire from bigger ships.

The British and Italian navies started developing such vessels in the early 20th century. Italian MTBs were called MAS boats and were comparatively small, at 20-30 tons displacement. MAS 15 has the distinction of sinking the Austrian battleship Szent István in 1918.

British small torpedo boats of the First World War were small at only around 15 tons and were known as Coastal Motor Boats. A similar size boat with a different role was the Rescue Launch.

The last MTBs for the Royal Navy were the two Brave class fast patrol boats of 1958 which were capable of 50 knots (93 km/h).

[edit] Notable operations

• Dunkirk evacuation
• Channel Dash
• St. Nazaire Raid
• Operation Neptune

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

[edit] Specification

Many boats were built with the MTB designation.

[edit] Vosper Private Venture Boat

Designed by Commander Peter Du Cane CBE, the Managing Director of Vosper Ltd, in 1936. She was completed and launched in 1937, she was bought by the Admiralty and taken into service with the Royal Navy as MTB 102.

• Length: 68 ft (21 m)
• Beam: 14 ft 9 in
• Draft: 3 ft 9 in
• Powerplant: 3 Isotta Fraschini 57-litre petrol engines
• Power: 3,300 hp.
• Speed 48 knots (light), 43 knots (loaded and armed)
• Crew: 2 officers, 10 men.
• Armament:
  • Two 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (depth-charges, machine guns and the Swiss made Oerlikon 20 mm cannon were trialled on her)

MTB 102 was the fastest wartime British naval vessel in service. She was at Dunkirk for the evacuation and carried Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower to review the fleet for the Invasion of Normandy.

[edit] Vosper Types 1 & 2

Between 1943 and 1945 two Vosper designs appeared, the "Vosper Type I 73ft", and then the Type II

[edit] Vosper Type I

• Length: 73 ft (22 m)
• Engine: 3 Packard 12M engines for a total of 4,200 hp
• Speed: 40 knots (74 km/h)
• Range: 470 nmi (870 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h)
• Displacement: 47 t
• Armament:
  • Four 18-inch (457 mm) Torpedo tubes
  • Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
  • Two 0.303 in Vickers K machine guns (optionally two 0.5 Vickers MG)
• Crew: 13

[edit] Vosper Type II

This design remained in use after the war.

• Length 73 ft (22 m)
• Engine 4,200 hp
• Speed 40 knots (74 km/h)
• Range 480 nmi (890 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h)
• Displacement 49 t
• Armament
  • Two 18-inch (457 mm) Torpedo
  • QF 6 pdr Mark IIA (57 mm)^[1]
  • 20mm Oerlikon
  • Two 0.303 Vickers MG
• Crew 13

[edit] RCN MTB

These where used by the Royal Canadian Navy 29th MTB Flotilla. Originally designed as Motor Gun Boats (MGBs) carrying a 6-pounder {57 mm, 2.24 inch) to engage enemy small craft they were redesignated as Motor Torpedo Boats.

Scott-Paine Type G 70 foot boat.

• Manufacturer: British Power Boats, Hythe
• Displacement: 55 tons
• Overall length: 72 ft 6 inches
• Breadth: 20 ft 7 inches
• Draught: 5 ft 8 inches
• Maximum speed: 38 to 41 knots (new)
• Armament:
  • auto-loading 6 pounder gun (57 mm, 2.24 inch)
  • Two 21-inch (530 mm) torpedo tubes
  • .303 or .50 Vickers machine guns
  • 20 mm Oerlikon or 40 mm Bofors cannon
• Powerplant - three Rolls-Royce or Packard 14M supercharged V-12 (three shafts)
• Power - 3,750 hp total
• Range - 140 miles (260 km) at 25 knots (46 km/h)
• Crew -

[edit] References

• "British Motor Torpedo Boat 1939–45" by Angus Konstam, Osprey, 2003, ISBN 1-84176-500-7
• "Dog Boats at War: A History of the Operations of the Royal Navy d Class Fairmile Motor Torpedo Boats and Motor Gunboats 1939-1945" by L. C. Reynolds and Lord Lewin, Sutton Pubns Inc, 2000, ISBN 0-7509-2454-3

[edit] Notes

[edit] See also

• Motor Launch
• Motor Gun Boat
• Fairmile D motor torpedo boat - British"Dog Boats"
• Torpedo boat - history of torpedo boats
• PT boats - United States torpedo boats
• E-boat - German Schnellboote
• German torpedoboats of World War II
• MAS (ships) - Italian torpedo boats
• Fast Attack Craft
• Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy
• Skjold class patrol boat - Modern stealth MTB (Royal Norwegian Navy)

[edit] External links

• A Short History of HMS St Christopher
• http://www.bmpt.org.uk/index.htm - British Military Powerboat Trust