Unknown Soviet motor torpedo boat

[Juha Tompuri]

Soviet MTB mentioned to have been captured at Petroskoi/Petrozavosdsk.
The boat is mentioned to have been left behind by Soviet forces, and will be fixed with little repair and then starting to operate at Lake Äänisjärvi/Onega
Photos taken 3rd Oct-41



SA photos N:o 56230 and 56231
http://sa-kuva.fi/

Regards, Juha

[igorr]

No MTB was in lists of Onega Flottilla. Cutter has no torpedo tubes...

[Juha Tompuri]

No MTB was in lists of Onega Flottilla. Cutter has no torpedo tubes...

Yes, I was a bit unsure about the type, but as the rear (and the possible G-5 MTB type "torpedo wells") of the boat could not be seen, I thought that the "MTB option" could not be ruled out from the two(three) photos available.
What do you think about the boat type? Patrol boat? NKVD/Border Guard?

Regards, Juha

[igorr]

Sorry, no idea. Some river speedboat may be? I look through list of Lake Onega's Flottila but not find such boats. Loss list also give no clues.

[Juha Tompuri]

Kalervo Kijanen at a Finnish book Suomen Laivasto 1918-1968 (Finnish Navy...) wrote that October 1941 Finns captured at at Uusiselkä (just South of Petrozavodsk), a small abandoned Soviet MTB, which however could not be repaired.

Regards, Juha

[Juha Tompuri]

Here is also a war diary mention about the vessel:

significant war-booty at the harbour area:
-one MTB, at bad shape,

http://digi.narc.fi/digi/view.ka?kuid=3546517

Regards, Juha

[Mangrove]

MTB "2":
Material: Wood
Crew: 1+2+5 = 8
Length: 13.50 m
Beam: 3.00 m
Motor: 400 hp V12
Armament: Twin-mount 7.62 mm machine gun (no torpedo tubes)

She was presumably captured at Petrozavodsk on 1 October 1941. The boat is first listed on the list of war trophies collected by the Finnish troops. The list is dated to 12 November 1941. Her overall condition was evaluated as satisfactory, but the clutch was broken and there was a hole on the bow. She was intended to use as a patrol boat and was sent to Hietalahti shipyard for repairs in February 1942. It seems she was never returned to her unit.

Source: T 2619/17, T 863/5.

[Juha Tompuri]

Thanks,

Was there any mentions of the vessel type?
MTB?

(no torpedo tubes)

No MTB was in lists of Onega Flottilla. Cutter has no torpedo tubes...

Yes, I was a bit unsure about the type, but as the rear (and the possible G-5 MTB type "torpedo wells") of the boat could not be seen, I thought that the "MTB option" could not be ruled out from the two(three) photos available.

http://www.aviapress.com/viewonekit.htm?ARM-019

Regards, Juha

[Mangrove]

Was there any mentions of the vessel type?

Finns classified her as MTB.

[Juha Tompuri]

(no torpedo tubes)

Is that written at the document, or is it your conclusion?

Regards, Juha

[Mangrove]

Is that written at the document, or is it your conclusion?

It is my conclusion based on the fact that Finns did not capture any torpedoes with the boat and only the machine guns are listed as her armament.

[Juha Tompuri]

Is that written at the document, or is it your conclusion?

It is my conclusion based on the fact that Finns did not capture any torpedoes with the boat and only the machine guns are listed as her armament.

I think it is quite natural that as the boat seemed to be under repair/abandoned by the Soviet forces, there would not be any torpedoes installed then.

But as Finns listed the boat as MTB, I think there was some reason for it.
Like torpedo release system(s) or marks of them at the boat.

Regards, Juha

[Mangrove]

I tried to find more information about the vessel, but without avail. She was never listed as an operational vessel at her home unit, nor she was listed on any of the lists of vessels repaired at Helsinki during 1942. It seems plausible she was scrapped after arriving to Helsinki. I also think it is possible that some of her parts were used to repair TK 141/Vihuri.

[Juha Tompuri]

I also think it is possible that some of her parts were used to repair TK 141/Vihuri.

I doubt there were (m)any interchangeable parts at them.

Regards, Juha

[TISO]

As per photo it is no way that is Tupolev G-5 type.
Could it be one of former english Thorneycroft CMB's?

On the list under torpedo boats on the link there are 7 Thornycrofts (TKA-1 to TKA-7):
http://flot.sevastopol.info/ship/katera/katera.htm