CRDA 60 t motor torpedo boat
MS 473 (ex MS 31, now on display at the Museo Storico Navale) after the 1950s upgrades
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Class overview | |
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Builders | Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone |
Operators |
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Built | 1942–43 |
In commission | 1942–1970s |
Completed | 36 |
Lost | 22 |
Preserved | 2 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Motor torpedo boat |
Displacement | 63–66 tons |
Length | 28 m (92 ft) |
Beam | 4.3 m (14 ft) |
Draught | 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) |
Installed power | 3,450 brake horsepower (2,570 kW) |
Propulsion | 3 × Isotta Fraschini Asso 1000 petrol engines |
Speed | 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
Armament |
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The Motosilurante CRDA 60 t (also known as MS boat) was a type of motor torpedo boat built for the Regia Marina during World War II. It was designed on the pattern of German S-boats — some early examples of which were captured by the Italians from Yugoslav Navy — to complement the faster but less seaworthy MAS boats.
It was two Motosiluranti CRDA that scored the single biggest success by fast torpedo craft in the Second World War, the sinking of British light cruiser HMS Manchester.[1] After the conflict surviving boats remained in service with the Marina Militare—the last ones being ultimately dismissed after almost 40 years of service, in the late 1970s.[2]
History
Background
Italian motor torpedo boats, the
Design and war service
The Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico firm of Monfalcone was tasked with reproducing the boats domestically.[2] The quickly developed new torpedo boat type was designated CRDA 60 t after its builder and displacement, and classed Motosiluranti (singular motosilurante, MS in short) by the Navy. The motosiluranti were of wooden construction, with steel reinforcements. Unlike the diesel-engined German S-Boote, they were powered by triple Isotta Fraschini Asso 1000 W18 petrol engines from the MAS 500, each producing 1,150 brake horsepower (860 kW).[3] They displaced from 62 to 66 tons and had a top speed of 34–35 knots (63–65 km/h; 39–40 mph). Armament consisted of two 533 mm
Thirty-six vessels were completed from late 1941 to the Autumn of 1943, in two series of 18 boats each. The first series included hull numbers from MS 11 to MS 16, 11–16, 21–26, and 31–36; the second MS 51 to MS 56, 61–66, and 71–76.[2] Some changes were made from series 1 to 2, most notably a raised bow, redesigned torpedo tubes closed by hatches, and the addition of a pair of MAS-type 450 mm torpedo launchers at the rear of the hull.
In August 1942, during
During the
Post war
Of the 36 boats built, 14 survived the conflict. Only nine of these entered service in the newly formed
The four converted boats re-entered service between 1959 and 1961, grouped into the 42nd motor torpedo boat flotilla.[2] Two were finally decommissioned in the mid 1970s, the other two at the beginning of the following decade.[2] Nowadays two of the boats are preserved: MS 472 is a monument in Ravenna, while MS 473 is on display in the Ship's Pavilion of the Museo Storico Navale in Venice.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c "MAS, VAS and MS". regiamarina.net.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bagnasco, Erminio (January 2011). "Le "Nazionali"" (PDF). Marinai d'Italia. LV (1–2). Associazione Nazionale Marinai d'Italia: 16–19. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ ISBN 88-85909-96-5.
- ^ "Mediterranean Fleet, Admiralty War Diary 1942, including Operation Pedestal". naval-history.net.
- ^ a b Marcon, Tullio (July 2000). "Motosiluranti nello Jonio". Storia Militare (in Italian). 82.
- ISBN 0813171989.
External links
Media related to CRDA motor torpedo boat at Wikimedia Commons