I am reading "Hunters in the Shallows" a history of USN tropedo boats.
FWIW its a good read especially the chapters on the development of the boats.
The author is quite critical of MTBRON 3's 77 ft Elco's actual accomplishments against major (DD and up) IJN warships. For one thing, the torpedos were next to worthless and the boats two tin .5 MGs. Now we are talking about the boats, not the crews. By all accounts, the crews were magnificent.
That said, it took some kind of sailormen to go in and risk everything against vastly superior odds, knowing your primary offensive weapon was unlikley to detonate, no matter how close you got or how perfect your fire control solution was.
IMHO, in both the Solomons and New Guinea, the MTB/PTs really only became effective when they became Gunboats.
Even then more armor and a bit less speed would have paid huge dividends against the heavily armored Japanese barges filled with determined Soldiers who used everey weapon they ahd, including mortars.
Was the RN experience in the coastal command and the Med much different?
I understand the "F" or was it "X" Lighters gave Brit MTBs/MGBs and US MTBs a real bad time.
FWIW its a good read especially the chapters on the development of the boats.
The author is quite critical of MTBRON 3's 77 ft Elco's actual accomplishments against major (DD and up) IJN warships. For one thing, the torpedos were next to worthless and the boats two tin .5 MGs. Now we are talking about the boats, not the crews. By all accounts, the crews were magnificent.
That said, it took some kind of sailormen to go in and risk everything against vastly superior odds, knowing your primary offensive weapon was unlikley to detonate, no matter how close you got or how perfect your fire control solution was.
IMHO, in both the Solomons and New Guinea, the MTB/PTs really only became effective when they became Gunboats.
Even then more armor and a bit less speed would have paid huge dividends against the heavily armored Japanese barges filled with determined Soldiers who used everey weapon they ahd, including mortars.
Was the RN experience in the coastal command and the Med much different?
I understand the "F" or was it "X" Lighters gave Brit MTBs/MGBs and US MTBs a real bad time.
