The Schnellebootewaffe And MAS Boats--General Discussion

[David C. Clarke]

This is all Great Information Guys!!!! Thank you All for your input!

Now to better reflect the purpose of the Thread, I've changed the title to include MAS Boats--heck, it's virtually impossible to discuss schnellebootes without discussing MAS boats!


Best Regards,
David

[Xavier]

hello David, maybe another change of title will do: "Fast attack boats (craft) of the axis" to include the suicide ("almost") boats and the italian explosive "barchinos"of war end too......

Regards
Xavier
Instandsetzungtruppfuhrer

[Victor]

Kirill, thanks for the corrections and the link.

[Davide Pastore]

Speaking about MAS, one of the more remarkable success of Italian boats during the war was the torpedoing of the cruiser HMS Capetown off Massaua in the night of 7-8 April 1941 by Mas 213. It is remarkable because this "fast" attack boat, having 23 years of service (since 1918) could only make 15kts as maximum speed for no longer than one hour; even the same, she managed to approach Capetown to just 300 meters, hitting her with a torpedo (which, due to some fault, traveled at the surface) and putting the ship out of service for thirteen months.

In the image below, the Mas 213 in February 1941 while towed. The two guns are 6.5mm Colt Model 1914 MG, the only artillery on board.

Davide

[Davide Pastore]

And this is another interesting and little-known MAS, which untypically had not a number but a name: Stefano Turr. An experimental large aluminium boat built from 1935 to 1937, she was intended as the prototype of a new generation of open-sea attack crafts, but proved disappointing (mainly due to the unreliable engines). After a long career of engine failures she was finally laid up in 1941 and scrapped postwar.

Mas Stefano Turr

Characteristics:

Displacement 58t standard, 61.6t normal, 68.5t full load
Dimensions 32.0m x 5.95m x 1.32m (just 0.95m according to Conway's)
Engines 4x Fiat V1616 Diesels, 4x 750hp
Speed 34kts project, 30-32kts real
Range 750nm/25kts - 1,582nm/16.6kts
Fuel 10t normal, 16t full load
Crew 16
Armament 4x 450mm torpedoes, 2-3x 13.2mm MG, 1x 6.5mm MG, 12x ASW bombs

Note: Stefano Turr was a Hungarian who, while serving as an officier in the Austro-Hungaric army, deserted to the Sardinian in 1849 and subsequently fought in the Baden revolution, in Crimea and with Garibaldi, ending as a regular Italian general. My sources do not provide his original Hungarian name, sorry: maybe Istvàn Türr?
http://www.brigantaggio.net/Brigantaggi ... i/Turr.htm

Davide

[David C. Clarke]

Davide, I certainly hope that the guys who attacked H.M.S. Capetown in MAS 213 got medals--they deserved them for sheer audacity!

Best,
David

[Davide Pastore]

Mas 213 was commanded by Guardiamarina [Ensign] P. Valenza. I know he was not awarded the Gold Medal (well, after all he didn't sunk Capetown) because the list of the holders does not contain his name: http://www.marina.difesa.it/storia/MOVM/Parte06.htm
He may have been awarded with a Silver or Bronze medal, but I haven't found trace of it.

Davide

[SM79Sparviero]

Mas 213 was commanded by Guardiamarina [Ensign] P. Valenza. I know he was not awarded the Gold Medal (well, after all he didn't sunk Capetown) because the list of the holders does not contain his name: http://www.marina.difesa.it/storia/MOVM/Parte06.htm
He may have been awarded with a Silver or Bronze medal, but I haven't found trace of it.

It may happen if you are a hero but you are not an an usual attender of an exclusive club.

July,26, 1941. "Malta Due "="Malta two" operation.

Teseo Tesei, Moccagatta and other officers who died are remembered , but nobody remembers the man who really sacrificed himself by launching his MTM "Barchino Esplosivo" towards one of the piers of St Elmo bridge in the entrance of Grand Harbour to open the way. "Carabelli's target was a narrow, restricted corner and, to make sure that the boat made impact exactly against the chosen target point , Carabelli did not jump from his boat but remained on board to steer it uneringly to its allotted target"-from The battle of Grand Harbour-Joseph Caruana.

The big ,fat , strong Carabelli was no more than an underofficer.Nobody usually remembers him as nobody remembers Ettore Bisagno , the torpedo-officer who really launched torpedos from Luca Tarigo destroyer to Mohawk after training torpedo tubes by his hands ,without any electric-hydraulic support for the damages from enemy shells.

[varjag]

The Germans built a dozen of this type too - called 'Leichte Schnellboote' and
deployed in the Mediterranean...... and there was yet another type called
'Kleine Schnellboote'.....rgds, Varjag

[Alter Mann]

Not being a naval architect, can anyone tell me why it looks like the command station is so far forward in the picture of the LS 6 at Piraeus? Without a gun on the fordeck there's no reason for it not to be there, but most of the boats of this type that I have seen had the command station farther back along the hull.

[varjag]

I think most of the 'business end' was on the after-deck. Appearently they did not
carry torpedoes, but depth-charges etc. and required deckspace for them....(?)
Varjag

[Alter Mann]

Thanks, especially for the side view. I spent a few seconds looking for the torpedo tubes and then thought they must be farther back beyond the deck edge due to the angle of the picture. An after deck full of mines is a very good reason to have the command station forward.

[Victor]

varjag, please also mention the source for the photos.

[David C. Clarke]

These light torpedo boats remind me of the ones used aboard certain German Commerce Raiders.

Thanks for the photos Varjag!!!


Best,
David

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen,

The commerce raider "Michel" (Schiff 28) was the only ship that I know that used such a fast light torpedo craft in action. That craft sank about three ships by itself.

Sincerely,

Edward