MT explosive motorboat
MT (Motoscafo da Turismo) | |
---|---|
Surface ship, submarine |
The explosive motorboat MT (Motoscafo da Turismo) also known as barchino (Italian for "little boat"), was a series of small explosive motor boats developed by the
By the end of September 1938 the Navy Department ordered six explosive boats. The one-pilot vessels were built by the companies Baglietto of Varazze and CABI of Milan, which was also to supply the engines.[2] The small vessels were used by the Italian Navy in at least two major operations in the Mediterranean theatre during World War II, and sank a number of ships, including the British heavy cruiser HMS York.
Delivery and trials
The first six boats were delivered in early 1939, immediately after which test trials were conducted off La Spezia. The MT explosive motorboat revealed some weaknesses. The deck was made of tarpaulins, which exposed the hull to leakage from splashing at high speed. The naval command demanded the addition of a solid wooden deck and a larger freeboard of 0.9 m (later enlarged to 1.1 m) and sent the boats and machine parts back to the manufacturer so that they could implement the requirements. In March 1939, the Navy Department ordered a further 12 explosive boats, increasing the total number to 18.[2]
MT deployment
The 18 motor boats were not operational until November 1940, when a full trial was carried out with a reduced warhead against an old warship.[3] That was just six months after Italy's entry into World War II as an ally of Nazi Germany. More extensive testing before the official line-up showed once again that the boat's operational performance was limited.[2] Consequently, an improved sea-going version, which also included a reverse gear, was designed, the MTM (Motoscafo da Turismo Modificato).[3]
Specifications
The MTs had a length of 5.62 m (18.4 ft) and a beam of 1.62 m (5.3 ft). They were propelled by a 71 kW (95 hp)
Contrary to Japanese
Operational history
On 25 March 1941, the destroyers Francesco Crispi and Quintino Sella departed from Leros island in the Aegean at night for the allied naval base at Souda Bay, Crete, each one carrying three MTs. The destroyers released their MTs some 10 nm off Suda Bay. Once inside the bay, the six boats located their targets: the British heavy cruiser HMS York, the Norwegian tanker Pericles of 8,300 tons, another tanker, and a cargo ship. Two MTs hit York amidships, flooding her aft boilers and magazines. The Pericles was severely damaged and settled on the bottom. The other barchini apparently missed their intended targets, and one of them was stranded on the beach. All six Italian pilots were captured. The disabled York was later scuttled with demolition charges by her crew before the German conquest of Crete, while the disabled Pericles sank in April 1941 while being towed to Alexandria.[7]
On 26 July 1941, two
The MTs were eventually superseded by the MTMs by the fall of 1941.[3] The MTMs were deployed to the Black Sea at German request, in support of Operation Barbarossa from March 1942 to May 1943 and along the Libyan-Egyptian coast from August to September 1942, in both cases with little success.[10] On 29 June 1942, during the Black Sea campaign, a number of MTMs supported a diversionary German landing near Balaklava. One of the explosive boats was intentionally run aground and set off on a beach occupied by Soviet troops in order to create confusion about the main landing point.[11]
Later in the war, the Italian Navy developed a third type of explosive motorboat, the MTR (Motoscafo da Turismo Ridotto), a light version of the MTM for being carried to the intended target by submarine,
After
At least four MTMs survived World War II to be used by
See also
- Decima Flottiglia MAS
- FL-boat, German boats of WWI
- Human torpedo
- MAS (boat)
- MTSM motor torpedo boat
- Raid on Souda Bay
- Shinyo (suicide motorboat)
- Unmanned surface vehicle
References
- ISBN 1-55750-072-X
- ^ ISBN 3-930656-34-5(in German)
- ^ a b c d e f Greene and Massignani (2004), pp. 38–39
- ^ Greene and Massignani (2004), p. 141
- ^ "HistoQuiz/la Decima MAS". www.histoquiz-contemporain.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ "BARCHINO ESPLOSIVO MODIFICATO RIVA | Edoardo Napodano". www.edoardonapodano.it. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ Borghese, pp. 74–84
- ISBN 0-646-07198-X
- ^ Fort St Elmo is finally linked to the breakwater Archived 18 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine by Annette Vella, 25 July 2012
- ^ a b Italeri 1/35 MTM Barchino by Ray Mehlberger Archived 19 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Borghese, pp. 178–179
- ISBN 1-55750-072-X
- ^ Borghese, p. 48
- ^ Borghese, p. 256
- ^ a b Greene and Massignani (2004), p. 199
- ^ Goodman, Hirsch; Mann, Shlomo (1982). "Navy". IDF in its Corps: Army and Security Encyclopedia (in Hebrew). Vol. 10. Revivim Publishing. p. 44.
- Greene, Jack; Massignani, Alessandro (2004). The Black Prince And The Sea Devils: The Story Of Valerio Borghese And The Elite Units Of The Decima Mas. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306813114.