MTB.

This is coolbert:

From the previous blog entry:

"A SWARM of Bladerunner motor launches doing battle with an American carrier task force greatly resembles the threat as posed by the motor-torpedo boat from the pre-Dreadnought era? Prodigious numbers of small but fast naval vessels equipped with torpedoes confounding with NUMBERS alone the much larger battleships of the era [1890's]??"

The concept on paper - - swarms of very small but very fast motor-torpedo-boats [MTB], attacking and defeating through torpedo attack capital ships seems to be valid and have merit. But in reality, the threat, during the pre-Dreadnought era, the era of World War One [WW1] and Two [WW2], was minimal, almost non-existent.

"capital ship – - noun - - one of a class of the largest warships; a battleship, battle cruiser, or aircraft carrier."

Occasions of successful MTB attack upon capital ships has historically been a very rare occurrence.

In particular the Italian navy during WW1 employed TWICE the MTB as an asymmetric weapon to counter the threat as posed by battleships of the Austrian-Hungarian navy:

1. The sinking of the SMS Wien [Vienna]. 1917.

"On 10 December while on patrol in the Muggia Bay off Trieste she [SMS Wien] was hit by two torpedoes fired by the Italian MTB MAS 9; whereupon she foundered with the loss 46 lives."

2. The sinking of the SMS Szent Istvan. 1918.

"Two Italian motor torpedo boats discovered Szent István . . . in the morning of 10 June 1918 . . .. They [Italian MTB] penetrated past her escorts and torpedoed her twice abreast [of] her boiler rooms . . . and Szent István capsized less than three hours after being torpedoed."

Attack in both cases by MAS of the Italian navy. MAS had an outstanding record in both world wars, bantam-weights quite willing to take on the heavy-weights and score "knockout" blows.




"Motoscafo Armato Silurante (Italian: 'Torpedo Armed Motorboat') commonly abbreviated as MAS) was a class of fast torpedo armed vessel used by the Règia Marina (the Royal Navy of Italy) during World War I and World War II."

MAS boats also distinguishing themselves during WW2 as well:

3. The torpedoing and damaging [severely] of the British light cruiser, HMS Capetown. 1941.

"While deployed at the Red Sea she [Capetown] was torpedoed and severely damaged by the Italian Motor torpedo boat MAS 213 off Massawa, on 6 April 1941."

[please note that these successful MTB attacks were NOT by swarms of vessels. ONLY one of two boats involved in both instances!]

But - - again - - instances of MTB attacking successfully much larger capital ships are very few. NOT beyond the realm of possibility, but rare.

Sailors and commanders of Italian MAS were an exception to the rule? Gutsy and daring naval warriors to be admired for their courage and what is termed MEASURED AUDACITY!

coolbert.