List of vessels of Royal Navy Coastal Forces

Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy operated Motor Launches (ML), Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB) and Motor Gun Boats (MGB) during Second World War and after.

The vessels were made by several manufactures and the designs varied.

MTBs were intended for attacking enemy shipping while MGBs were armed for combat with other fast attack craft. Motor Launches were used for harbour defence and anti-submarine operations.

Motor Torpedo Boats +List of MTBsVesselTypeBuilderIn serviceNotes MTB 160ft BPBBritish Power Boat Company (BPB)June 1936MTB 2MTB 3MTB 4MTB 5MTB 6MTB 7 - MTB 12Lost in December 1941 during Japanese attack on Hong KongMTB 13Pennant not usedMTB 1460ft BPBBPBMTB 1560ft BPBMTB 1660ft BPBhit mine and sank in the Thames estuary, 31 October 1940MTB 1760ft BPBhit mine and sank off Oostende, Belgium, 21 October 1940MTB 1860ft BPBMTB 1960ft BPBMTB 2070ftVosperTo Romanian NavyMTB 2170ftMTB 2270ftRNMTB 2370ftTo RomaniaMTB 24, MTB 2574ftThornycroftPrototypes for 75ft designMTB 2655 ft CMBThornycroftOctober 1939From order for China. MTB 26 sunk December 1941 MTB 27 was scuttled in December 1941 during the Japanese attack on Hong KongMTB 2755 ft CMBThornycroftOctober 1939MTB 28, 70 ftVosper (sub contracted to Thornycroft)July 1940Replacements for MTBs 20, 21, and 23. MTB 28 burned out 7 March 1941 MTB 29 sank after colliding with a German MTB, 6 October 1942. MTB 30 lost to mine in North Sea, December 1942MTB 29, 3070 ftVosper (sub contracted to Camper and Nicholsons)June 1940 July 1940MTB 31-4070ftVosperFrom September 1940changed to Hall Scott Defender engines from No. 35 onwards. MTB 33, 37, 39 and 40 were lost to a bombing raid during construction, January 1941. MTB 35 out of service in 1943MTB 32 became a target boat ("Controlled Target) CT 24 in 1942 MTB 31 and MTB 34 were converted to CT 22 and CT 23 in 1943MTB 41-48Vosper 72ftJ S WhiteFrom September 1940MTB 49 -5675ftThornycroftMTB 57-66Vosperordered 26 February 1940.MTB 67-68VosperMTB 69-7070 ftVosperIntended for Greek Navy (as T3 and T4). Two engines instead of three limited top speed to 27 knotsMTB 71-7260ftVosperoriginally built for Norway (as No.7 and No.8)MTB 73-9972ft 6 inVosperdelivered January 1941 to January 1942Ordered 14 May 1940. Construction subcontracted to various yards. Packard engines. Six supplied to Free French forcesMTB 74 Special modification, 70 ft long with torpedo tubes on fo'castle. to fire over anti-torpedo nets. Used in St Nazaire raid MTB 75 destroyed in German bombing raid while being built MTB 90, 91, 92, 94, 96, and 98 trasnferred to Free French in 1942MTB 10268ft VosperBuilt 1936-37Private venture with Isotta Fraschini engines, designed by Peter du Cane. Acted as flagship during Dunkirk evacuation (Operation Dynamo). Preserved since 1995.MTB 103experimental 70ft, used as target towMTB 108MTB 'small type'Destroyed by bombing before completeMTB 201-212J. Samuel WhiteBuilt to Vosper designMTB 218-22170ft VosperVosperOrdered for Greek Navy in 1940. Requestioned be UK in 1941 Same design as MTBs 69-70 MTB 218 sunk by mine and "German surface craft" in the Dover Strait 18 August 1942.MTB 222-24572ft 6 inVosperSimilar to MTB 73 series but with 20mm cannon added. Two to Free French and two to Royal Netherlands Navy MTB 242 to 245 built by J Samuel White as replacements for MTBs 33, 37, 39, and 40MTB 246-25773ft WhiteVosper design. MTB 248 lost following collision June 1944Konstam 2003 p40-42MTB 258MTB 259-26870ft ElcoElco1941Supplied under Lend-lease. Armed with two 21-inch torpedo tubes Formerly USN PT-10 to 19 MTB 275-282Vosper design built by Annapolis Yacht Yard in USALend-Lease productionMTB 307-31677ft Elco347 - 36270ftVosperordered April 1942MTB 363-37072ft 6in VosperVosper built by Annapolis Yacht YardTransferred to USSRMTB 371-37872ft 6in VosperVosper built by Annapolis Yacht YardBritish useMTB 37970ft scale test of 73 ft design for MTB/MGB MTB 380-395 73ft Vosper Type 1Vosper73ft Type 1 Four 18-inch torpedo tubesMTB 396-41172ft 6in Vosper72ft BPBBPBInitially MGB 74-81MTB 419-42378ft HigginsMTB 424-42973ft WhiteMTB 430-500BPB 72 ftFormer MGBsKonstam 2003 p44 436,437 and 453 transferred to RCNMTB 501-509Camper & Nicholson 117 ft MTB/MGBFebruary 1941MTB 510Vosper 100ft December 1943Experimental 100 ft design to test gearbox, not used in combat MTB 511-518Camper & Nicholson 117 ft MTB/MGB"Summer" 1944MTB 519- 522Pennant numbers assigned but not used.MTB 523-52773ft Vosper Type 2post war73ft Type II with heavier gun armament (additional 6-pounder (57mm) gun and 20 mm cannon) than the Type 1. Carried two 21-inch torpedo tubesMTB 528-53073ft Vosper Type 2MTB 532-53373ft Vosper Type 2

Motor Gun Boats

+List of MGBsVesselTypeBuilderEntered serviceNotes 60ft and, 70ft BPBconverted from MA/SBs in 1940. MGB 1, 2, 4, 5, 22-39 converted to Air Sea Rescue launches in 1941-42. MGB 40-45 60ftBPBDutch navy MTBs converted. MGB 44 and 45 transferred to Polish Navy in 1944MGB 4670ftBPBMGB 47, 4875ftWhiteMGB 4960ftWhiteMGB 50-67MGB 6881ftHigginsApril 1941Formerly USN PT-6MGB 69-7370ftHigginsJune 1940built for Finland but transferred to UK insteadMGB 74-81 MGB 82-93 70ft Elco 1941 USN PTC 1-12 supplied under lend lease from US. Fitted with 20mm Oerlikon and two twin 0.5-inch Vickers heavy machine guns in British service.MGB 98-9965ft 7in AC de LoireBuilt for France as VTB-11 and 12. RequisitionedMGB 100-10670ftHigginsbuilt for Finland but transferred to UK insteadMGB 177-19278ftHigginsbuilt for USN but transferred to UK insteadMGB 312–335Fairmile CFairmile Marine1941 onwards110 ft designMGB 336-500not usedMGB 501110ftCamper and Nicholson1942prototype for 502-509 and 511-518MGB 502 to 509 117 ftCamper and Nicholson1941Under construction for Turkey. Taken over in 1941 503 and 503 completed as MGBs. Five converted (three by Camper and Nicholson and two by Amos and Smith, Hull) to blockade runners to transport ball bearings from Sweden, 504 became Hopewell, 505 became Nonsuch, 506 became Gay Viking, 507 became Gay Corsair and 508 became Master Standfast. Gay Corsair converted back to MGB 507 then renamed HMGB 2007. 509 later MGB 2009 converted post war as gas turbine experiment. MGB 51073ftVosper1943Experimental MGB based on 73ft Vosper MtbMGB 511-518117 ftCamper and Nicholson1944dual MTB/MGB designMGB 519-600designation not usedMGB 601-800Fairmile D1942-1945MGB 801-2000designation not usedMGB 2001Fairmile FFairmile1943Single prototypeMGB 2002-5000designation not usedFairmile D1944-1945dual MTB/MGB configuration

Motor Launches

Steam Gun Boat

The Steam Gun Boats were a class of nine high speed vessels intended to combine the functions of an MTB and an MGB comparable to a German "E-boat". They were powered by steam turbine engines due to lack of suitable internal combustion engines. Only seven of the nine ordered out of a planned 52 boats were completed.

Operated as a single flotilla in the Channel, SGB7 was lost in the 1942 Dieppe Raid The five remaining were converted to minesweepers in 1944.

+VesselBuilderIn serviceNotes SGB 1 & 2 Thornycroft Cancelled Construction stopped after damaged in air raid SGB 3 to 9 Thornycroft, Yarrow, Hawthorne Leslie, Denny, J Samuel White 1941 onwards. Later given names starting with 'Grey'

Notes

References

Further reading