MS-15

This page is about the Italian motor torpedo boat MS-15. For other versions, see CRDA60t (Family).

MS-15

VAS 201

Stefano Turr

MS-15

VAS 201

Stefano Turr

Italy

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.3	1.3	1.3

Class:

Motor torpedo boat

Boat

Research:9 200

Purchase:16 000

Show in game

Description

The CRDA 60t(1a), MS-15 is a rank II Italian motor torpedo boat with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Starfighters".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull40 mm (wood)

Superstructure15 mm (wood)

Number of section3

Displacement63 t

Crew19 people

The MS-15's armour consists of 40 mm of wood in the hull and the structure is 15 mm of wood. This ship can be easily destroyed by HE belts. For the survivability, the MS-15 has a crew of 19 people, which can easily be decimated by other ships. Don't engage enemies in a head-on.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB86 / 33 km/h

RB61 / 23 km/h

The MS-15 is powered by three Isotta Fraschini "ASSO" engines that provides 52 km/h of speed (Upgraded 61 km/h). The turning speed and manoeuvrability are good for its BR, which helps eavade shots.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	86	33
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	61	23

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB472 → 581

RB688 → 846

Total cost of modifications8 380

9 460

Talisman cost640

Crew training4 500

Experts16 000

Aces180

Research Aces190 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

50 / 70 / 100 %

118 / 118 / 118 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 560 Cost: 630 100 Rudder Replacement Research: 470 Cost: 530 85 Propeller Replacement Research: 700 Cost: 790 125 Engine Maintenance Research: 680 Cost: 770 120	Damage Control Division Research: 560 Cost: 630 100 Fire Division Research: 470 Cost: 530 85 Smokescreen Research: 470 Cost: 530 85 New Pumps Research: 680 Cost: 770 120	20mm_it_breda_he_ammo_pack Research: 560 Cost: 630 100 20mm_it_breda_ap_ammo_pack Research: 470 Cost: 530 85 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 700 Cost: 790 125 Depth Charges Research: 700 Cost: 790 125 Artillery Support Research: 680 Cost: 770 120 Torpedo Mode Research: 680 Cost: 770 120

Armament

Primary armament

2 х Turret20 mm/65 Breda anti-aircraft gun

Ammunition1500 rounds

Belt capacity12 rounds

Fire rate240 shots/min

Vertical guidance-10° / 90°

As main armament, the MS-15 uses two 20 mm 20/65 Breda cannons, seen previously on the VAS 201 and other ships. These cannons cause little damage and is divided into magazines, every 12 shots the cannon will reload. This is a bad thing in rough seas as it will be difficult to hit the targets with the available shots before having to reload.

• Universal: API-T · HEFI-T*
• HE belt: HEFI-T* · HEFI-T* · HEFI-T* · API-T
• AP belt: API-T · API-T · API-T · HEFI-T*

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HEFI-T*	4	4	4	4	4	4
API-T	38	36	27	19	14	10

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
HEFI-T*	830	0.14	0	0.1	3	79°	80°	81°
API-T	832	0.14	0.001	1	1.7	47°	60°	65°

Additional armament

Setup 12 x 533 mm steam turbined torpedo S.I. 270/533X6.84 Tipo L

Setup 212 x B TG depth charge

Setup 32 x 533 mm steam turbined S.I.270

12 x B TG depth charge

The MS-15 can at best carry the following additional armament:

• Two Torpedoes S.I.270
• Two Torpedoes W.200/450X5,75
• Twelve B TG'

The Torpedoes S.I.270 have a maximum speed of 93 km/h (81 km/h with torpedo mode), 270kg of explosive and a range of 4 Km (8 Km with torpedo mode).

The depth charges B TG have 50 Kg of Explosive, they can be used very well when you are against a better-armoured but much slower opponent.

Remember to use your torpedoes in a good time because you have only 2 and they don't have a very long range.

Usage in battles

The MS-15 is a normal fighting motor boat. Its biggest disadvantages are the small magazines for the main armament and no protection whatsoever.

It is a good rapid ship for its battle rating, the best advice is to not attack frontally or go into the mouth of the enemy. Go around them and shoot them from the side. Bring two different belts for dealing with different scenarios, one AP belt for fighting tough, armoured targets, and the on HE belt for fighting more thin-skinned ships. For dealing with larger vessels, use the torpedoes for a quick way to destroy them, although use the torpedoes only when certain they will hit or reach the target as the torpedoes have a rather limited range.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good speed (61 km/h)
• Good rotation time 
• Good torpedoes

Cons:

• No armour
• The 20 mm cannons have small magazines and a slow rate of fire
• Terrible survivability (compared to other ships)
• No anti-aircraft

History

The Italian Motosiluranti (MS) are medium-sized ships, with good manoeuvrability, speed and with the property of carrying torpedoes to destroy ships, particularly large ones.

The Italian designers and admirals tried to obtain the design plans of the Lürseen motor torpedo boats, that is S-38, S-38b and S-100. They did not succeed and therefore decide to reverse-engineer the vehicles, adapting the new hulls to tested construction techniques and using three Isotta Fraschini "ASSO" engines that guaranteed a speed of not more than 32.5 knots.

In 1941, the 1st Group was created with 18 units of 62 Tons boats ordered from CRDA of Monfalcone. These boats were armed with two torpedo launchers of 533 mm, two 20 mm cannons and depth charges. The boats were numbered MS-11 in groups of 6 and every 6 units was a squadron of torpedo motorboats delivered in 1942.

In the unit formed by MS-16 and MS-22, they are well known for sinking the British light cruiser HMS Manchester during the battle in mid-August 1942

In 1942-1943, the 2nd Group was created with 18 new units, starting from MS-51 onwards. These boats were larger, armed with 2 x 533 mm and 2 x 450 mm torpedo launchers, with more depth charges and 2 x 20 mm guns.

After WW2, the surviving MSs in the years 1960-1962 were refitted with new armaments such as 40 mm Bofors and other armaments. These upgraded versions were designated the MS-472, MS-473 and others.

They were retired from service in 1975 and eventually disbarred in 1979.

History of the MS-15

MS-15 during sail

MS-15 was one of the boats within the 1st Group and as such was created in the first series production.

Entering service after her construction in the 1st Squadron with the Regia Marina, she arrived at operational bases in North Africa during July 1942; the following month, she carried out, with the MS 11, a mission to transport saboteurs of the Reggimento San Marco in enemy waters, participated in anti-ship ambush operations, escorting coastal convoys and anti-submarine surveillance.

In January 1943, he carried out a period of work in Monfalcone, returning to the Dodecanese; when the Armistice of 8 September 1943 took place, he was on Rhodes and was part of the Co-Belligerent forces; later the island was captured by the Germans, on the 11th, the MS 15 was transferred to Leros where she took up the defence against the Germans; on 25 October 1943, the MS 15 was at berth in the port of Leros, she was hit by bombs during a German air attack, the MS 15 was set ablaze and sank soon after due to the explosion of the petrol depots

Devblog

In the early years of WWII, the Italian Navy realized the drawbacks of the MAS series of torpedo boats. Namely, the vessels of this type boasted excellent speeds, but had less than ideal seaworthiness. As a result, the Regia Marina began looking into procuring a vessel that would address this problem in the early 1940s.

The answer quickly came with the fall of Yugoslavia and the subsequent seizure of their limited naval force by the Italians. Having found older German-built Schnellboots of the Lürssen type, the Italians soon came to the conclusion that these vessels ideally fitted the current needs of the navy. As such, the captured examples were taken back to Italy and a nigh identical design was derived from them by the shipbuilder CRDA. The design, designated CRDA 60t, only differed in the powerplant choice as well as featuring Italian weaponry, while the rest remained virtually identical to the original.

The first of the CRDA 60t torpedo boats were completed by April of 1942, of which a total of 36 would be built. The CRDA 60t torpedo boats first saw action during WW2 in summer of the same year. One of the most notable successes of their early service career was the fatal injuring of the British light cruiser HMS Manchester, followed by sinking by British ships, caused by MS 16 and MS 22 in August of 1942, also marking the largest target to be destroyed by any motor torpedo boat during WWII.

Some vessels of the type also served with the Kriegsmarine, particularly those which were captured by the Germans following the signing of the armistice in September of  1943. Of the 36 CRDA 60t torpedo boats, 16 were lost in action during the war. Many surviving units continued serving with the Italian Navy postwar and well into the Cold War, thanks to modernization programs. A handful of the surviving units were also handed over to the French and Soviet Navies respectively under the armistice treaty conditions. The last of the highly modernized CRDA 60t torpedo boats was decommissioned as late as 1979, marking the end of a 37-year service career.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the MS-15 from live.warthunder.com.

Images

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See also

Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the ship;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] The MS-15: Italian navy coming to War Thunder!

Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico (C.R.D.A)
Motor Torpedo/Gun Boats
Motosilurante CRDA 60 t Type I	MS-15 · MV-611*
Motosilurante CRDA 60 t Type II	MS-53
Motosilurante CRDA 60 t Convertibile	MS-472 · MS-473
Folgore-class	MC-490
Freccia-class	Saetta P-494
Light Cruisers
Etna-class	RN Etna
	*MS-11 converted to a motovedette (patrol boat)