Vosper 73 ft motor torpedo boat

MTB 71, a Vosper 60 ft MTB at the Imperial War Museum Duxford
Class overview
Builders: Vosper & Company, Portsmouth
Operators:  Royal Navy
Built: 1943-1945
Planned: 32[1]
Completed: 29 (17 × Type I, 12 × Type II)[1]
Cancelled: 3 (Type II)[1]
Lost: 1 (MTB-530, 28 March 1952)[1]
Preserved: 1
General characteristics [2]
Type: Motor Torpedo Boat
Displacement:
  • Type I
  • 44.5 long tons (45 t)
  • Type II
  • 48.75 long tons (50 t)
Length: 73 ft (22 m)
Beam: 19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
Draught: 3 ft (0.91 m)
Propulsion: 3 × 1,400 hp (1,044 kW) Packard petrol engines
Speed: 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph)
Complement: 13
Armament:
Armour: Armour plate around the bridge

The Vosper 73 foot motor torpedo boat was a mid-twentieth century British military boat design by Vospers.

At 73 ft (22 m) long they were considered small boats compared to longer designs such as the Fairmile Type D. The design came about from a requirement that British Motor Torpedo Boats should be better able to fight small craft, which was the job of Motor Gun Boats. To this end Vospers built on their existing 70 foot designs. The Type I was introduced in 1943 and the Type II before the end of the Second World War.

The boats carried four 18-inch torpedo tubes as their major offensive armament along with Oerlikon 20 mm cannon and some defensive armament (Vickers K machine guns) for protection against enemy aircraft. The Type II gave up two torpedo tubes, but gained a 6-pounder gun which displaced the twin Oerlikon to the aft deck. This made it more capable of performing the Motor Gun Boat role. Of the 29 built to this design none survives, however a slightly earlier model 60' example has been saved and resides at the Imperial War Museum Duxford annex north east of London.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Helgason, Guðmundur (2012). "Vosper 73 feet-type class Motor Torpedo Boats". uboat.net. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  2. ↑ Davies, James (2012). "Vosper MTB". ww2ships.com. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
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