Download or read book Allied Torpedo Boats written by John Lambert and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2010-09-13 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An inspirational/enjoyable book with excellent representations of a wide variety of [Motor Torpedo Boats] by various modelers in a variety of scales.”—ModelGeek The ShipCraft series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeler through a brief history of the subject class, highlighting differences between sisterships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring color profiles and highly detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modeling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the ships, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references—books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites. This volume follows the format of the highly successful Flower Class Corvettes where the extent has been doubled to include far more detailed drawings of the many different designs of British MTBs and US PT-boats, including their fittings, sensors and weapons. “The content is packed with information that makes you want to turn a page, from the history of torpedo boats from 1915-1945, which then goes on to model products, showcase, construction, aftermarket products for scales 1-1200 to 1-100 . . . Not only a reference to torpedo boats, but a wonderful guide to building and getting the best out of a model.”—AutoModeler

Download or read book Royal Navy Torpedo Vessels written by Les Brown and published by Seaforth Publishing. This book was released on 2023-02-02 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The self-propelled or locomotive torpedo was probably the greatest game-changer in the history of naval warfare. For the first time the largest warship could be sunk by a weapon carried by the smallest, and most navies were quick to see the potential. Although the 19th-century Royal Navy had a reputation for technological conservatism, it was an ‘early adopter’ of the torpedo and was instrumental in the development of the small fast craft that became the delivery system of choice, the steam torpedo boat. Britain’s most important contribution to torpedo warfare, however, was the invention of its antidote, the torpedo boat destroyer, or ‘destroyer’ as it came to be called. This often-told story has overshadowed the earlier but no less significant history of the torpedo boat itself in the Royal Navy, an injustice set to right by this new book. Torpedoes were derived from earlier underwater explosive devices – mines, spar and towed torpedoes, and the like – so the first chapter briefly reviews their history before moving on to Robert Whitehead’s revolutionary invention that made the self-propelled torpedo a practical weapon. The Admiralty was so impressed it purchased the rights to Whitehead’s device, and thereafter the Royal Navy made much of the early running in torpedo boat design. In this they were greatly assisted by existing boatbuilders like Thornycroft and Yarrow who already specialized in small fast craft. The core of this book is a detailed developmental history of British torpedo craft, from the early experiments like Vesuvius and Polyphemus, through the 1st Class TBs to the so-called Coastal Destroyers of the early 20th century. There are also separate chapters on 2nd Class boats, on Torpedo Gunboats and on the ‘Torpedo Depot Ships’ Hecla and Vulcan. The book concludes with a number of appendices devoted to background issues like quick-firing guns and reports on performance of the boats in various circumstances. As it fills a surprising gap in the technical history of British warships, this book will be welcomed by naval enthusiasts, modelmakers and historians.

Download or read book Fairmile D Motor Torpedo Boat written by John Lambert and published by Conway. This book was released on 2005-04-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Fairmile Type D was designed to combat the known advantages of German S-boats (Schnellboote - but always called 'E-boats' by the Allies) over previous British coastal craft designs. Designed for 31 knots at 80 tons' displacement, the Fairmile Ds were the most potent and heavily-armed coastal forces type of any navy. They fulfilled various roles, from the original MTB/MGB role to anti-submarine and mine operations. This book is the most comprehensive body of information available anywhere in a single volume on this important type. This book provides the finest documentation of these uniquely fast small warships ever produced, through a complete set of superbly executed line drawings offering enthusiasts a novel insight into ship design and construction. In addition, it includes a service and design history and a pictorial section emphasising close-up and on-board photographs.

Download or read book Allied Coastal Forces of World War II Volume I written by John Lambert and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2018-10-30 with total page 864 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The major contribution made by Coastal Forces to the Allied war effort has had surprisingly little coverage in the literature of the Second World War. Motor torpedo boats, PT boats, motor gunboats, launches and submarine chasers served with distinction throughout the War, and in every theatre. They performed invaluable service as patrol boats, convoy escorts, minelayers and minesweepers, harbour defence vessels, light landing craft, RAF rescue boats and transports for agents and clandestine missions.Allied Coastal Forces, now a recognised classic work and first published in 1990, remains the only publication to deal comprehensively in words, photographs and drawings with the technical detail of all these boats. Design, construction and subsequent development are all covered, and the builders, construction lists, fates and the technical data are given for each type. Separate sections cover armament and equipment, sea-going qualities and habitability.This first volume covers all the designs of the Fairmile Marine Company (including those craft built and equipped for Canada), together with the 72ft Harbour Defence Motor Launch and the US Navy 110ft subchaser.The authors, firmly established as the recognised authorities on small warships, unearthed a remarkable body of information now included in this major work, and their finely detailed drawings, redrawn form original builders plans, offer an unparalleled view of all these remarkable designs. The new editions of their work will be welcomed by naval enthusiasts and modellers alike.

Download or read book Allied Coastal Forces of World War II Volume I Fairmile Designs and U S Submarine Chasers written by John Lambert and published by US Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2018-11 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The major contribution made by coastal forces to the Allied war effort has had surprisingly little coverage in the literature of World War II. Motor torpedo boats, PT boats, motor gunboats, launches, and submarine chasers served with distinction throughout the war, and in every theater. They performed invaluable service as patrol boats, convoy escorts, minelayers and minesweepers, harbor defense vessels, light landing craft, RAF rescue boats, and transports for agents and clandestine missions.

Download or read book PT Boat Odyssey written by Robert P. Gelzheiser and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2019-09-04 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Nicely illustrated with black-and-white historical photos…extraordinary…impressively informative…. Expertly organized and presented…recommended”—Midwest Book Review During the Pacific War between the United States and Imperial Japanese navies, the author's father, Francis Gelzheiser, deployed with Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 16A, from New Orleans to Panama to Seattle and to Attu Island in the Aleutians. After their return voyage, the PT boats journeyed to New Guinea, then battled Japanese kamikazes for the Philippine Island of Mindoro. Like many World War II veterans, Gelzheiser only shared his recollections of combat later in life. The author chronicles his father's experience, details the roles PT boats played in the war and examines why, despite America's overwhelming wartime manufacturing capacity, the Japanese believed they could still win the war.

Download or read book US Patrol Torpedo Boats written by Gordon L. Rottman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-12-20 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK. Motor torpedo boat development began in the early 1900s, and the vessels first saw service during World War I. However, it was not until the late 1930s that the US Navy commenced the development of the Patrol Torpedo or PT boat. The PT boat was designed for attacking larger warships with torpedoes using its 'stealth' ability, high-speed and small size to launch and survive these attacks – although they were employed in a wide variety of other missions, including rescuing General MacArthur and his entourage from the Philippines. This book examines the design and development of these unique craft, very few of which survive today, and goes on to examine their role and combat deployment in World War II.

Download or read book The Definitive Illustrated History of the Torpedo Boat written by Joe Hinds and published by Nimble Books. This book was released on 2009-11 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This, the seventh volume in this ten-volume series, provides a global timeline of motor torpedo boat actions throughout the pivotal year 1943: PT boats, S-boats, MTBs, MAS boats, TKAs, and more. One hundred eighty-five footnotes providing authentication for every statement of fact. Full color interior with sixty rare photographs and maps covering every theatre of war from the South Pacific to the Arctic.

Download or read book PT Boats written by David Doyle and published by Schiffer + ORM. This book was released on 2019-05-28 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History of the design, development, and deployment of the US Navy's famed fleet of PT boats Chronicles the construction, launch, commissioning, and combat use of PT boats, including John F. Kennedy's ill-fated PT-109 Profusely illustrated with scarce archival photographs from diverse collections, including previously unpublished images

Download or read book Devil Boats written by William B. Breuer and published by Presidio Press. This book was released on 1987 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The PT boat was a class of motor torpedo boats used by the United States during the Second World War. Armed with a 40mm antiaircraft gun, two 20mm antiaircraft guns and four torpedo tubes, their agility and speed consistently bested even the most outlandish expectations. Against Japan, they figure prominently in some of the best-known feats of heroism of the entire war. In Devil Boats, the reader is right on board, buffeted by the spray of the crashing Pacific minutes after the Pearl Harbor disaster as a PT boat brings down the first enemy plane. And there again as PT boats, their engines muffled, steal along on an unforgiving ocean to sink a warship, blow up a supply barge, carry a sabotage team past enemy lines, or effect another extraordinary rescue of a downed Allied pilot. In instance upon instance, the PT boats and their crews performed deeds demanding incredible courage and skill, pitting their plywood craft against the force of the angry sea, or the might of ships hundreds of times their own size. Among their legendary exploits - General MacArthur being spirited off besieged Corregidor; Philippine president Quezon's "kidnapping" to Australia; and the unforgettable heroism of a wounded John F. Kennedy and his fearless PT-109.

Download or read book British Submarine vs Italian Torpedo Boat written by David Greentree and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-06-16 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the war in North Africa escalated, Axis war efforts became increasingly dependent on supply lines across the Mediterranean. To try to cut off these lines of supply the British deployed submarines from the besieged island of Malta with the directive to sink as much merchant convoy tonnage as possible. Italy responded by sending her Torpedo boats to protect and escort Axis convoys. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork and carefully chosen archive photographs, this engaging study assesses the evolving battle between Britain's submarines and Italy's torpedo boats in the struggle for primacy in the Mediterranean at the height of World War II.

Download or read book Hunters in the Shallows written by Curtis L. Nelson and published by Potomac Books. This book was released on 1998 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hunters in the Shallows is the first book to examine the development and role of the small torpedo boat in U.S. naval history, from William Cushing's heroic attack on the Confederate ram Albemarle in 1864, to PT operations in World War II. Moreover, it offers the first critical analysis of the PT's operational value. Culled from primary sources, this myth-buster covers the inside story of the scandalous 1939 Elco deal, offers new insight into the roles of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Douglas MacArthur in PT development, dares a shocking reappraisal of MacArthur's dramatic escape from Corregidor by PT boat in 1942, and reassesses the sinking of John F. Kennedy's PT-109. It also contains numerous photos and illustrations tracing American small torpedo boat development from the Civil War through World War II. Sure to be controversial, Hunters in the Shallows is a must read for naval professionals, military historians, and PT boat buffs alike.

Download or read book British Submarine vs Italian Torpedo Boat written by David Greentree and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-06-16 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the war in North Africa escalated, Axis war efforts became increasingly dependent on supply lines across the Mediterranean. To try to cut off these lines of supply the British deployed submarines from the besieged island of Malta with the directive to sink as much merchant convoy tonnage as possible. Italy responded by sending her Torpedo boats to protect and escort Axis convoys. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork and carefully chosen archive photographs, this engaging study assesses the evolving battle between Britain's submarines and Italy's torpedo boats in the struggle for primacy in the Mediterranean at the height of World War II.

Download or read book Dog Boats at War written by Leonard C Reynolds and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2009-05-29 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Built of plywood and measuring 115 feet long, powered by four supercharged petrol engines and armed to the teeth with heavy weapons, the 'D' Class Motor Gun Boats (MGBs) and Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs) were better known as Dog Boats and played havoc with enemy shipping in home and foreign waters. During three years of war they engaged the enemy on more than 350 occasions, sinking and damaging many ships. Dog Boats at War is the authoritative account of operations by the Royal Navy's 'D' Class MGBs and MTBs in the Second World War in Home, Mediterranean and Norwegian waters. As well as drawing on official records - both British and German - the author has contacted several hundred Dog Boat veterans whose eye witness accounts add drama to the unfolding story.

Download or read book Building the Mosquito Fleet written by Richard V. Simpson and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2001 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1877, the U.S. Navy purchased the fast steam yacht Stiletto from the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol, Rhode Island, for "automobile" torpedo experiments in Narragansett Bay. The submarine service was in its infancy, and interest in the self-propelled torpedo as an undersea weapon flourished. Herreshoff's fast, steam-powered boats were the first of the delivery platforms accepted by the U.S. Navy Department for experiments at the Newport Naval Torpedo Station and service during the Spanish-American War. Dating from the Civil War, the torpedo station on Goat Island in Newport Harbor was the first torpedo armory in the United States, specializing in research, development, and manufacture. Building the Mosquito Fleet: The U.S. Navy's First Torpedo Boats traces the important and often dramatic history of the involvement between the U.S. Navy and the Herreshoff brothers' marine yards over a period of more than thirty years. It is a story of enterprise, naval development, and marine manufacturing during a time of experimentation and evolution. Included are dramatic stories of the men who built and tested these dangerous new vessels. This fascinating volume preserves under one cover a concise history of the torpedo boats built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. It describes design and construction innovations introduced by the Herreshoffs and traces the events that led the major navies of the world to take notice of the Herreshoffs' work.

Download or read book The E Boat Threat written by Bryan Cooper and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-02-28 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the major lessons of World War II was the importance of coastal waters. It was not widely recognised beforehand just how vital the control of such waters would become, both in defending essential convoys as well as attacking those of the enemy, and in paving the way for amphibious landings.??While land based aircraft could carry out offshore operations by day and destroyers and cruisers patrolled deeper waters, the ideal craft for use in coastal waters were motor boats armed with torpedoes and light guns. But with the exception of Italy, none of the major powers had more than a handful of these boats operational at the outbreak of war.??From a small beginning, large fleets of highly maneuverable motor torpedo boats were built up, particularly by Britain, Germany and the USA. They operated mainly at night, because they were small enough to penetrate minefields and creep unseen to an enemy's coastline and fast enough to escape after firing their torpedoes. They fought in every major theatre of war, but the first real threat came in the North Sea and English Channel from German E-boats, crossing to attack Britain's vital convoys. Ranged against them in the 'battle of the little ships' were British MTBs and MGBs and, later, American PT boats. They often fought hand to hand at closer quarters than any other kind of warship in a unique conflict that lasted right to the end of the war.??The E-boat Threat describes the development of these deadly little craft, the training of their crews who were usually volunteers and the gradual evolution of tactics in the light of wartime experience. Methods of defence are also related, which included the use of aircraft and destroyers as well as motor gunboats, sometimes acting under a unified command.

Download or read book United States PT boats of World War II in Action written by Frank D. Johnson and published by Blandford. This book was released on 1980 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An account of the development of American motor-torpedo boats and their important role in naval operations during World War II.