The British Royal Navy started developing particularly small, agile, and fast petrol-powered torpedo boats in the early 20th century, shortly before the beginning of WW1. Known as coastal motor boats, these were only around 15 tons. They were joined by the Italian Navy's MAS boats, of 20-30 tons displacement. MAS 15 was the only motor torpedo boat in history to sink a battleship, the Austro-Hungarian vessel Szent István in 1918.
A motor torpedo boat is a fast torpedo boat, especially of the mid 20th century. The motor in the designation originally referred to their use of petrol engines, typically marinised aircraft engines or their derivatives, which distinguished them from other naval craft of the era, including other torpedo boats, that used steam turbines or reciprocating steam engines.
Later, diesel-powered torpedo boats appeared, in turn or retroactively referred to as "motor torpedo boats" for their internal combustion engines, as distinct from steam powered reciprocating or turbine propulsion.
Torpedo boats were designed for missions that variously involved high speed, operating at night, low speed ambush, and manoeuvrability to allow them to get close enough to launch their torpedoes at enemy vessels. With no significant armour, the boats relied upon surprise and agility at high speed to avoid being hit by gunfire from bigger ships.
The BPB 63 ft (19 m) high-speed launch was similar size boat used by the RAF for air-sea rescue operations in WW2.
After the end of WW2 a number of Royal Navy vessels were stripped and sold for use as houseboats. These included MGBs as well as MTBs. Many of these were moored in Langstone Harbour, Littlehampton, Hayling Island and Wootton Creek, although most have now disappeared from these locations. More MTB houseboats can be found at Shoreham-by-Sea (West Sussex), Cobden Bridge (Southampton) and Bembridge (Isle of Wight).
Diesel-powered MTBs entered the Royal Navy with the Dark class patrol boat in 1954. The last MTBs in the Royal Navy were the two Brave-class fast patrol boats of 1958, which were capable of 50 knots (93 km/h).
Though other navies built similar petrol-powered craft, the specific designation "motor torpedo boat", abbreviated to "MTB", is generally used for craft of the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Canadian Navy boats. During WW2, the US Navy built several classes of marine V-12-powered PT boat, whose hull classification symbol "PT" stood for "patrol, torpedo", but which were grouped into motor torpedo boat squadrons.
German diesel-powered torpedo boats of the Second World War were called S-boote (Schnellboote, "fast boats") by the Kriegsmarine and "E-boats" by the Allies. These large craft (well over 100 ft overall) were not known as motor torpedo boats at the time, but later have been grouped with them by some. Italian MTBs of this period were known as Motoscafo Armato Silurante ("MAS boats", torpedo-armed motorboats). French MTBs were known as vedettes lance torpilles ("torpedo-launching fast boats"). Soviet MTBs were known as торпедные катеры (torpyedniye katyery; "torpedo cutters", often abbreviated as TKA). Romanian MTBs were known as vedete torpiloare ("torpedo fast boats").
The role of the motor torpedo boat has been absorbed in modern navies by the fast attack craft.
- Fairmile Marine - Fairmile D motor torpedo boat
- Fairmile A motor launch .
- Fairmile B motor launch .
- Fairmile C motor gun boat .
- Fairmile H landing craft .
- Steam gun boat .
- Vospers .
- Electric Launch Company (NY, USA)
- British Coastal Forces of WW2 .
- Battle of Rumani Coast – battle involving MTBs
- Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy .
- Fairmile D motor torpedo boat – British "dog boats"
- Fast attack craft .
- E-boat .
- HNoMS Nasty .
- Motor Launch .
- Swift boat .
- United States Nasty-class patrol boat .
MTB - Motor Torpedo Boat ..
Small boats ..
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