Fairmile D motor torpedo boat

	The Fairmile D motor torpedo boat MGB 606
Class overview
Name	Fairmile D motor gun boat
Preceded by	Fairmile C motor gun boat
Completed	229
General characteristics
Displacement	As MTB; 102 long tons (104 t) standard; 118 long tons (120 t) full load; As MGB; 90 long tons (91 t) standard; 107 long tons (109 t) full load;
Length	115 ft (35 m)
Beam	20 ft 10 in (6.35 m)
Draught	4 ft 9 in (1.45 m) to 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m) mean deep load
Propulsion	4 × Packard 4M 2500 petrol engines, total 5,000 hp (3,728 kW)
Speed	29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph) at full load
Range	506 nmi (937 km; 582 mi) at max revolutions; 2,000 nmi (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph);
Complement	21
Armament	(Sample armament for gunboat configuration as fitted to Dog 658 by the end of the war): ; 2 × single 6 pounder guns; 4 × 20mm Oerlikon (2 × single, 1 × twin); 2 × twin .303 Vickers K guns; 4 × light boat depth charges; Searchlight; TSA smoke generator;
Notes	Specifications from Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. and Motor Gunboat 658

The Fairmile D motor torpedo boat was a type of British motor torpedo boat (MTB) and motor gunboat (MGB)^[1] designed by Bill Holt and conceived by Fairmile Marine for the Royal Navy. Nicknamed "Dog Boats", they were designed to combat the known advantages of the German E-boats over previous British coastal craft designs. They were bigger than earlier MTB or motor gunboat (MGB) designs (which were typically around 70 feet) but slower, at 30 knots compared to 40 knots.

Unlike the Fairmile B designs, the Dog Boats were only produced in component form in Britain. Some were built for the RAF's Marine Branch for use in the long range air-sea rescue for downed airmen. 229 boats were built between 1942 and 1945.

Many versions were produced or converted from existing boats; MGB, MTB, MA/SB, LRRC and post-war FPB.

Since the Fairmile D could be fitted out with a mix of armament that gave it the capabilities of both a motor gunboat and a motor torpedo boat, the MGB designation was dropped.^{[disputed – discuss]}

Two captured boats were put in Kriegsmarine service.^[2]^{[verification needed]}

Today the D-type is a popular choice among boat modelers.^{[citation needed]}

There are no known survivors, other than two abandoned wrecks, one in Chatham, England and the other in Ellingsøy, Norway.

6-pounder (57 mm) gun with Molins autoloader mounted on a Fairmile D
Back view of the same gun

Notes

^ Reynolds, Leonard C. Dog Boats at War: Royal Navy D Class MTBs and MGBs, 1939–1945. 2000. ISBN 978-0-7509-1443-7
^ "S 631 motor torpedo boats, Coastal Forces, Germany". Navypedia. Retrieved 25 July 2018.

References

Lambert, John. Fairmile D Motor Torpedo Boat. (Anatomy of the Ship series) 1985 ISBN 978-1-84486-006-7
Lambert, John and Ross, Al. Allied Coastal Forces of World War Two, Volume I : Fairmile designs and US Submarine Chasers. 1990. ISBN 978-0-85177-519-7
Konstam, Angus. British Motor Torpedo Boat 1939–45. (New Vanguard). Osprey 2003. ISBN 978-1-84176-500-6
Konstam, Angus. British Motor Gun Boat 1939-45 (New Vanguard) Osprey 2010 978-1849080774
Chesneau, Roger (editor).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London, UK: Comway Maritime Press, 1980. ISBN 0-85177-146-7
Reynolds, Leonard C. Motor Gunboat 658: The Small Boat War in the Mediterranean 1955/2002. ISBN 0-304-36183-6

External links

[1] Reynolds, Leonard C. Dog Boats at War: Royal Navy D Class MTBs and MGBs, 1939–1945. 2000. ISBN 978-0-7509-1443-7

[2] "S 631 motor torpedo boats, Coastal Forces, Germany". Navypedia. Retrieved 25 July 2018.

[1]

[2]

See also

Notes

References

External links