Pr.123K

This page is about the Soviet motor torpedo boat Pr.123K. For other versions, see Pr.123-bis and Pr.123K (A-11).

Pr.123K

Pr.123-bis

Pr.1204 late

Pr.123K

Pr.123-bis

Pr.1204 late

USSR

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.3	2.3	2.3

Class:

Motor torpedo boat

Boat

Research:26 000

Purchase:76 000

Show in game

Description

The Pr.123K represents an upgraded iteration of the Pr.123-bis MTB. In 1950, the Soviet Navy required reinforcement of the Pr.123-bis hull due to the transition from American Packard petrol engines to domestic M-50 diesel engines. The original hull structure couldn't withstand the demands imposed by these new engines. Moreover, with the discontinuation of the production of the DShK 1938 heavy machine gun, the designers opted to replace it with twin 14.5 mm KPV heavy machine guns. Additionally, these upgrades included advancements in electronics, encompassing navigation, target acquisition, and a friend-or-foe identification system.

This vessel was introduced during Update 1.79 "Project X" when the Soviet fleet was introduced into the game. The model was equipped solely with twin 14.5 mm KPV heavy machine guns, contrasting the earlier model's configuration of two twin 12.7 mm DShK heavy machine guns. Despite having half the number of machine guns compared to the previous model, the KPV proved formidable as a heavy machine gun, capable of inflicting significant damage on enemy boats and certain armored vessels due to its API ammunition. Furthermore, it carried two 45-36NU torpedoes, ideal for targeting slower-moving vessels or lower-ranked destroyers and frigates. Additionally, it carried four BB-1 depth charges, which, if used correctly, could destroy enemy boats and cause massive damage to enemy destroyers.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull4 mm (steel)

Superstructure4 mm (steel)

Number of section3

Displacement23 t

Crew7 people

The Pr.123K, like the majority of PT boats, has no armour. As this is a boat of the same class as its predecessor in-game (Pr.123bis), it has the same vulnerabilities - easily destroyed engines and frequent fires.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB135 / 46 km/h

RB96 / 33 km/h

The Pr.123K has excellent mobility that is very comparable to the reserve G-5 torpedo boat. This ship has an magnificent top speed of 120+ km/h in AB, as well as great acceleration and snappy rudder response. These factors combine with the Pr.123K's small silhouette to make the ship almost impossible to hit at longer ranges - this plays as its biggest advantage, which leads to a sort of "hit and run" playstyle. If you have mastered the playstyle of the G-5 reserve torpedo boat, you will master the Pr.123 easily.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	135	46
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	96	33

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB1 077 → 1 327

RB1 473 → 1 816

Total cost of modifications26 800

50 100

Talisman cost1 100

Crew training22 000

Experts76 000

Aces500

Research Aces320 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

90 / 140 / 100 %

142 / 142 / 142 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 1 800 Cost: 3 400 155 Rudder Replacement Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 800 130 Propeller Replacement Research: 2 200 Cost: 4 100 190 Engine Maintenance Research: 2 200 Cost: 4 100 190	Damage Control Division Research: 1 800 Cost: 3 400 155 Fire Division Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 800 130 Smokescreen Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 800 130 New Pumps Research: 2 200 Cost: 4 100 190	14mm_ussr_KPVT_HEI_ammo_pack Research: 1 800 Cost: 3 400 155 14mm_ussr_KPVT_API_ammo_pack Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 800 130 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 2 200 Cost: 4 100 190 Depth Charges Research: 2 200 Cost: 4 100 190 Artillery Support Research: 2 200 Cost: 4 100 190 Torpedo Mode Research: 2 200 Cost: 4 100 190

Armament

Primary armament

Turret2 x 14.5 mm KPV machine gun

Ammunition3000 rounds

Belt capacity50 rounds

Fire rate600 shots/min

Vertical guidance-20° / 70°

The Pr.123K has half the number of machine guns of the Pr.123bis, but they have a larger calibre (dual 14.5 mm KPV machine guns). This is generally a disadvantage at this battle rating, because the vast majority of boats you will face will have no armour and so volume of fire is more important than the power of the ammunition.

However, the KPV is a very powerful gun, and with API ammunition it can do considerable internal and crew damage, destroying any other small boat in the game with 2-3 reloads, and even significantly reducing the crew of much larger vessels such as destroyers. Effective use of the guns requires good understanding of lead and aiming offsets for speed and angle - opponents will often not adequately compensate for your speed, while you can be causing damage at ranges up to 1.5 km.

The guns are mounted in the stern, giving a very wide angle of fire, excluding a relatively small angle either side of straight ahead.

• Universal: API-T · IAI · AP-I(c) · IAI
• IAI: IAI · IAI · IAI · API-T
• API-T: API-T · AP-I(c) · AP-I · IAI

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
API-T	38	35	25	17	11	7
IAI	8	8	7	5	4	4
AP-I(c)	40	37	27	19	13	9
AP-I	40	39	34	29	24	20

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
API-T	1,000	0.06	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°
IAI	1,000	0.06	0	0.1	1.5	47°	56°	65°
AP-I(c)	1,000	0.06	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°
AP-I	1,000	0.06	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°

Additional armament

Setup 12 x 450 mm wet-heating 45-36NU torpedo

Setup 24 x BB-1 depth charge

Setup 32 x 450 mm wet-heating 45-36NU torpedo

4 x BB-1 depth charge

The Pr.123K is equipped with 2 x 450 mm wet-heating 45-36NU torpedoes, which are placed on the sides of the boat. When released, they are fired forwards already at speed, which allows you to get a jump on any opponents who are in the torpedo range. It is a good idea to rush tougher opponents and fire your torpedoes very close to them to guarantee a hit (use this tactic at higher battle ratings to get rid of the toughest ships).

The Pr.123K can carry 4 BB-1 depth charges, which can be used as time-based mines or as traps for opponents who are circling you. It is advised to read the full BB-1 article which covers its uses in more depth.

Usage in battles

The Pr.123K can seem as a downgrade from the previous Pr.123bis, with two less machine guns placed in a position that forces you to expose your side to shoot. However, the ship does have a more powerful set of guns, which can be combined with the ship's excellent mobility to make use of ambush / hit-and-run tactics.

The Pr.123K does best in base-capturing abilities, as it can easily reach bases before most other boats. Thus, at the start of each game, you should rush straight for the bases. After the bases are captured, you can move into ambush tactics, as the Pr.123K has relatively weak survivability and will be shredded in any brawls. Thus, you have to play very carefully, and always stay at speed, or you will get picked off very quickly by gun boats with large guns. You should be the person to capture points for your team, and stay a nuisance for the enemies.

Against smaller vessels such as MTBs, the two 14.5 mm machine guns are usually more than enough. However, note that these guns will bob considerably when travelling at high speeds, making aiming extremely difficult. Thus, ambush tactics are important - the boat who shoots first will almost always win the engagement. You should try to ambush other MTBs who are already distracted in order to maximise your ship's survivability. Against larger destroyers, the Pr.123 gets two large torpedoes which are often enough to knock out anything up to the size of a destroyer - make use of these torpedoes to get rid of larger vessels such as early destroyers.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Extremely mobile with a high top speed and snappy control response
  • Very small silhouette makes this boat extremely difficult to engage at range
• Two heavy-hitting machine guns capable of shredding through most boats at its BR
• Gets access to torpedoes which can easily destroy anything up to the size of a destroyer

Cons:

• Absolutely no armour and just 7 crew members cause the ship to have terrible survivability
  • The hull is made of wood and can easily be set alight by machine-gun fire
• Two fewer guns than the preceding Pr.123bis
• Inability to engage opponents right in-front due to the positioning of the dual machine-gun turret
• Only two torpedoes which fire forward, compared to four on many comparable MTBs
• Can't hit anything in wavy waters

History

Pr.123K "Komsomolets" was the last variant of the Pr.123 series of motor torpedo boats built by the Soviet navy during and shortly after the Second World War. The ship differed from previous Pr.123 versions due to the removal of one 12.7 mm DShK machine gun turret, the installation of a heavier 14.5 mm machine gun turret, and the installation of two Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF) and target search radars. As well, the ship carried a new design of smoke generator designed to operate for longer periods of time. In total, 205 boats were built from 1949 to 1951.

The Pr.123K was the final development of the Pr.123 class, and had improved armament and sensor equipment. Compared to the previous Pr.123bis, several changes were made to the basic ship design. The Pr.123K was built with a new, more spacious open bridge, which housed the steering and control equipment. As well, the Pr.123K lost the forward machine gun turret of the Pr.123bis, while the rear turret was upgraded to a dual KPV machine gun turret. The ship had less powerful engines compared to the Pr.123bis (200 fewer hp per engine), but was capable of a higher top speed thanks to a lighter and more hydrodynamic hull. Finally, the ship gained two new radars - the "Zarnitsa" air-search radar and the "Fakel-M" IFF device. Both were mounted on a dome behind the bridge.

In total, 205 Pr.123K boats were built between 1949 and 1951, several years after their earlier counterparts. Of these, some ships were delivered without the radar installation. Two ships were modified with single and dual hydrofoils (being the A-10 and A-11 models), which were capable of even higher speeds in tests. As well, over 100 Pr.123K MTBs were exported to Warsaw-pact countries. The ships had a long service life, some ships remaining in export service until 1990.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Pr.123K from live.warthunder.com.

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

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.