Draft:List of vessels of Royal Navy Coastal Forces
Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy operated Motor Launches (ML), Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB) and Motor Gun Boats (MGB) during Second World War and after.
The vessels were made by several manufactures and the designs varied.
MTBs were intended for attacking enemy shipping while MGBs were armed for combat with other fast attack craft. Motor Launches were used for harbour defence and anti-submarine operations.
Motor Torpedo Boats
[edit]| Vessel | Type | Builder | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTB 1 | 60ft BPB | British Power Boat Company (BPB) | June 1936 | |
| MTB 2 | ||||
| MTB 3 | ||||
| MTB 4 | ||||
| MTB 5 | ||||
| MTB 6 | ||||
| MTB 7 - MTB 12 | Lost in December 1941 during Japanese attack on Hong Kong | |||
| MTB 13 | 60ft BPB | |||
| MTB 14 | ||||
| MTB 15 | ||||
| MTB 16 | ||||
| MTB 17 | ||||
| MTB 18 | ||||
| MTB 19 | ||||
| MTB 20 | 70ft | Vosper | To Romanian Navy | |
| MTB 21 | 70ft | |||
| MTB 22 | 70ft | RN | ||
| MTB 23 | 70ft | To Romania | ||
| MTB 24, MTB 25 | 74ft | Thornycroft | Prototypes for 75ft design | |
| MTB 26 | From order for China. MTB 26 sunk December 1941
MTB 27 was scuttled in December 1941 during the Japanese attack on Hong Kong | |||
| MTB 27 | ||||
| MTB 28, | Vosper (sub contracted to Thornycroft) | Replacements for 20, 21, 23. MTB 30 lost to mine in North Sea December 1942[2] | ||
| MTB 29, 30 | Vosper (sub contracted to Camper and Nicholsons) | |||
| MTB 31-40 | 70ft | Vosper | changed to Hall Scott Defender engines from No. 35 onwards. MTB 33, 37, 39 and 40 wer lost to a bombing raid during construction. MTB 35 out of service in 1943[2]MTB 32 became a target boat ("Controlled Target) CT 24 in 1942 [3] MTB 31 and MTB 34 were converted to CT 22 and CT 23 in 1943[4] | |
| MTB 41-48 | ||||
| MTB 49 -56 | 75ft | Thornycroft | ||
| MTB 57-66 | Vosper | ordered 26 February 1940.[5] | ||
| MTB 67-68 | Vosper | |||
| MTB 69-70 | 70 ft | Vosper | Intended for Greek Navy (as T3 and T4).[5] Two engines instead of three limited top speed to 27 knots[6] | |
| MTB 71-72 | 60ft | Vosper | originally built for Norway (as No.7 and No.8)[5] | |
| MTB 73-99 | 72ft 6 in[a] | Vosper | delivered January 1941 to January 1942 | Ordered 14 May 1940[5]. Construction subcontracted to various yards. Packard engines. Six supplied to Free French forces[6]MTB 74 Special modification, 70 ft long with torpedo tubes on fo'castle. to fire over anti-torpedo nets. Used in St Nazaire raid
MTB 75 destroyed in German bombing raid while being built[7] MTB 90, 91, 92, 94, 96, and 98 trasnferred to Free French in 1942[7] |
| MTB 102 | 68ft | Vosper | Private venture designed by Peter du Cane. Preserved | |
| MTB 103 | experimental 70ft, used as target tow | |||
| MTB 108 | MTB 'small type' | Destroyed by bombing before complete[8] | ||
| MTB 201-212 | J. Samuel White | Built to Vosper design | ||
| MTB 218-221 | 70ft Vosper | Vosper | Ordered for Greek Navy in 1940. Requestioned be UK in 1941[9] Same design as MTBs 69-70
MTB 218 sunk by mine and "German surface craft" in the Dover Strait 18 August 1942.[10] | |
| MTB 222-245 | 72ft 6 in | Vosper | Similar to MTB 73 series but with 20mm cannon added[6]. Two to Free French and two to Royal Netherlands Navy[6] MTB 242 to 245 built by J Samuel White as replacements for MTBs 33, 37, 39, and 40[7] | |
| MTB 246-257 | 73ft White | Vosper design | ||
| MTB 258 | ||||
| MTB 259-268 | 70ft Elco | Elco | 1941 | Supplied under Lend-lease. Armed with two 21-inch torpedo tubes[11] Formerly USN PT-10 to 19 [12] |
| MTB 275-282 | Vosper design built by Annapolis Yacht Yard in USA | Lend-Lease production | ||
| MTB 307-316 | 77ft Elco | |||
| 347 - 362 | 70ft | Vosper | ordered April 1942 | |
| 363-370 | 72ft 6in Vosper | Vosper built by Annapolis Yacht Yard | Transfered to USSR | |
| 371-378 | 72ft 6in Vosper | Vosper built by Annapolis Yacht Yard | British use | |
| MTB 379 | 70ft scale test of 73 ft design for MTB/MGB | |||
| MTB 380-395 | 73ft Vosper Type 1 | Vosper | 73ft Type 1[13] Four 18-inch torpedo tubes[6] | |
| 419-423 | 78ft Higgins | |||
| 424-429 | 73ft White | |||
| MTB 510 | 100ft | December 1943 | Experimental 100 ft design to test gearbox, not used in combat [8] | |
| MTB 523-527 | 73ft Vosper Type 2 | post war | 73ft Type II with heavier gun armament (additional 6-pounder gun and 20 mm cannon[6]) than the Type 1. Carried two 21-inch torpedo tubes | |
| 528-530 | 73ft Vosper Type 2 | |||
| MTB 532-533 | 73ft Vosper Type 2 | |||
| MTB 412-416 | 72ft BPB | BPB | Initially MGB 74-81 |
Motor Gun Boats
[edit]| Vessel | Type | Builder | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MGB 1-39 | 60ft and, 70ft | BPB | converted from MA/SBs in 1940. MGB 1, 2, 4, 5, 22-39 converted to Air Sea Rescue launches in 2941-42.[15] | |
| MGB 40-45 | 60ft | BPB | Dutch navy MTBs converted. MGB 44 and 45 transferred to Polish Navy in 1944[15] | |
| MGB 46 | 70ft | BPB | ||
| MGB 47, 48 | 75ft | White | ||
| MGB 49 | 60ft | White | ||
| MGB 50-67 | ||||
| MGB 68 | 81ft | Higgins | April 1941 | Formerly USN PT-6 |
| MGB 69-73 | 70ft | Higgins | june 1940 | built for Finland but transferred to UK instead |
| MGB 74-81 | ||||
| MGB 82-93 | 70ft | Elco | 1941 | USN PTC 1-12 supplied under lend lease from US. Fitted with 20mm Oerlikon and two twin 0.5-inch Vickers heavy machine guns in British service.[16] |
| MGB 98-99 | 65ft 7in AC de Loire | Built for France as VTB-11 and 12. Requisitioned | ||
| MGB 100-106 | 70ft | Higgins | built for Finland but transferred to UK instead | |
| MGB 177-192 | 78ft | Higgins | built for USN but transferred to UK instead | |
| MGB 312–335 | Fairmile C | Fairmile Marine | 1941 onwards | 110 ft design |
| MGB 336-500 | not used | |||
| MGB 501 | 110ft | Camper and Nicholson | 1942 | prototype for 502-509 and 511-518 |
| MGB 502 to 509 | 117 ft | Camper and Nicholson | 1941 | Under construction for Turkey. Taken over in 1941[17]
Five converted to blockade runners to transport ball bearings from Sweden, 504 became Hopewell, 505 became Nonsuch, 506 became Gay Viking, 507 became Gay Corsair and 508 became Master Standfast. Gay Corsair converted back to MGB 507 then renamed HMGB 2007 |
| MGB 510 | 73ft | Vosper | 1943 | Experimental MGB based on 73ft Vosper Mtb |
| MGB 511-518 | 117 ft | Camper and Nicholson | 1944 | dual MTB/MGB design |
| MGB 519-600 | designation not used | |||
| MGB 601-800 | Fairmile D | 1942-1945 | ||
| MGB 801-2000 | designation not used | |||
| MGB 2001 | Fairmile F | Fairmile | 1943 | Single prototype |
| MGB 2002-5000 | designation not used | |||
| MGB 5001-5029 | Fairmile D | 1944-1945 | dual MTB/MGB configuration | |
Motor Launches
[edit]
Steam Gun Boat
[edit]The Steam Gun Boats were a class of nine high speed 145 ft (44 m) vessels intended to combine the functions of an MTB and an MGB comparable to a German "E-boat". They were powered by steam turbine engines due to lack of suitable internal combustion engines. Only seven of the nine ordered out of a planned 52 boats were completed.[18]
Operated as a single flotilla in the Channel, SGB7 was lost in the 1942 Dieppe Raid[19] The five remaining were converted to minesweepers in 1944.
| Vessel | Builder | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SGB 1 & 2 | Thornycroft | Cancelled | Construction stopped after damaged in air raid[19] |
| SGB 3 to 9 | Thornycroft, Yarrow, Hawthorne Leslie, Denny, J Samuel White | 1941 onwards. | Later given names starting with 'Grey' |
Notes
[edit] | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2021) |
- ^ Konstam 2003, p. 38-39.
- ^ a b Connelly 2000, p. 8.
- ^ Connelly 2000, p. 43.
- ^ Connelly 2000, p. 44.
- ^ a b c d Connelly 2000, p. 9.
- ^ a b c d e f Davies 2012
- ^ a b c d Connelly 2000, p. 10.
- ^ a b Konstam 2003, p. 15.
- ^ Connelly 2000, p. 45.
- ^ Connelly 2000, p. 47.
- ^ Konstam 2003, p. 18.
- ^ Konstam 2010, p. 10.
- ^ Konstam 2003.
- ^ Konstam 2010, p. 46.
- ^ a b Konstam 2010, p. 36.
- ^ Konstam 2010, pp. 10–11.
- ^ "MGB 502 Gunboats". NAVYPEDIA. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ Konstam 2010, p. 19.
- ^ a b Konstam 2010, p. 20.
References
[edit]- Konstam, Angus (2003). British Motor Torpedo Boat 1939–45. New Vanguard. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84176-500-6.
- Davies, James (2012). "70' Vosper Motor Torpedo Boat". ww2ships.com.
- Connelly, T Garth (2000). Vosper MTBs in Action. Warships No. 13. Squadron/Signal.
- Konstam, Angus (2010). British Motor Gun Boat 1939–45. New Vanguard No. 166. Osprey. ISBN 9781849080774.
Further reading
[edit]- L. C. Reynolds; Lord Lewin (2000). Dog Boats at War: A History of the Operations of the Royal Navy D Class Fairmile Motor Torpedo Boats and Motor Gunboats 1939–1945. Sutton Pubns Inc. ISBN 978-0-7509-2454-2.