MTB-1(1)

MTB-1(1)

HMS Tiger

Fairmile A (ML100)

MTB-1(1)

HMS Tiger

Fairmile A (ML100)

Britain

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Motor torpedo boat

Boat

Research:Free

Purchase:Free

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Description

The MTB-1 1 series is a reserve Rank I British motor torpedo boat with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea" as part of the British fleet closed beta test.

General info

Survivability and armour

MTB-1 1 series has the following armour layout:

• Hull: 24 mm, wood
• Superstructure: 2 mm, steel

MTB-1 1 series internals (starboard side). Note the ammo storages between the bridge and the forward gun mount.

Any gun in the game will easily be able to penetrate anywhere on the boat at practically any range.

MTB-1 1 series can be hull-broken by any gun that is greater than or equal to 4 inches (102 mm) in diameter. Hull-break triggers when a capable gun destroys any hull compartment or the bridge, resulting in instant destruction of the rest of the boat. At MTB-1 1 series' battle rating, these include the 8cwt QF Mk I (found on Dark Adventurer) and the 4 in QF Mark V (found on HMS Liscomb). While it isn't uncommon for a boat in tier 1 and 2 to be able to be hull-broken by guns larger than 4 inches, it's relatively rare for it to be able to be hull-broken by actual 4-inch guns. This trait is generally given only to reserve boats or boats very early in the tech tree, including MTB-1 1 series.

MTB-1 1 series' hull is split into three compartments. The first compartment starts at the bow and ends between the ammunition storage and the pumps. The second starts where the first ends and ends just behind the bridge. The third starts at the end of the bridge and ends at the stern. Overall, with a crew complement of 10, survivability is average.

Of note though are two ammo storages between the forward gun mount and the bridge. Destroying these will also destroy the rest of the boat. In practice, though, this almost never happens, since most guns at this battle rating are either machine guns or low-calibre autocannons which require a large number of hits to destroy the ammo storages. It's both faster and easier to just target the hull compartments and knock out the crew.

Mobility

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	63	32	~18.64	~33.79
	Upgraded	86	43	~12.67	~21.85
RB/SB	Stock	53	26	~20.77	~38.57
	Upgraded	62	31	~17.44	~31.61

When moving forwards at high speeds, the bow will slightly lift out of the water, though this is unnoticeable in gameplay and doesn't affect the firing of the guns in any real way. MTB-1 1 series has a displacement of 22.4 tons.

Armament

Primary armament

In her main armament group, MTB-1 1 series has two quadruple 7.72 mm Lewis machinegun 1916 mounts, one on the bow and one on the stern, for a total of 8 guns. For each mount, there are 3880 rounds of ammunition available, 970 rounds per gun, for a total of 7760 rounds. They can traverse horizontally at a rate of 75°/s and vertically at a rate of 75°/s. Each gun has a magazine capacity of 97 rounds and has a rate of fire of 550 rounds/min. With a stock crew, the guns can be reloaded in 18.2 seconds; with an aced crew, they can be reloaded in 14 seconds. Their maximum range against surface targets is roughly 1.6 km.

Turrets are named sequentially, clockwise, starting at the bow

Guidance for the Main Gun Turrets
No.1 Turret		No.2 Turret
Horizontal	Vertical	Horizontal	Vertical
±180°	-5°/+43°	±160°	-5°/+43°

There are three choices of ammunition available:

• Universal: AP/T/AP/T

• 7.7 mm AP belt: AP/AP/AP/T

• 7.7 mm API belt: IT/IT/IT/AP

Penetration Statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Universal	20	19	16	13	11	10
7.7 mm AP belt	20	19	16	13	11	10
7.7 mm API belt	20	19	16	13	11	10

Torpedo armament

Depending on the armament setup, MTB-1 1 series can carry two different types of torpedoes. With the first setup (only torpedoes), she can carry two 533 mm Mk.15 torpedos. With the third setup (torpedoes and depth charges), she can carry two 18 inch (450 mm) Mark XII torpedoes.

In both cases, the torpedoes are carried internally in the aft of the boat and are launched facing forwards through the transom.

Torpedo Characteristics (Mk.15)
Torpedo Mode	Mass (kg)	Maximum speed in water (km/h)	Travel distance (km)	Depth stroke (m)	Arming distance (m)	Explosive type	Explosive mass (kg)	TNT equivalent (kg)
No	1559	83	5.50	1	50	TNT	224	224
Yes	1559	107	3.67	1	50	TNT	224	224

Torpedo Characteristics (18 inch Mark XII)
Torpedo Mode	Mass (kg)	Maximum speed in water (km/h)	Travel distance (km)	Depth stroke (m)	Arming distance (m)	Explosive type	Explosive mass (kg)	TNT equivalent (kg)
No	702	50	3.20	1	50	TNT	176	176
Yes	702	74	1.37	1	50	TNT	176	176

The Torpedo Mode modification is available as a tier IV modification. Installing it will give the following changes:

Torpedo Mode Specification Changes
Max Distance (m)	Max Speed (m/s)
-1829	+7

MTB-1 1 series is highly unusual in that it has two different torpedo armaments depending on the armament setup and that installing the Torpedo Mode modification decreases the maximum range and increases the maximum speed. Because of this oddity, the Mk.15 torpedoes on MTB-1 1 series (with the Torpedo Mode modification installed) have a much lower maximum range and can achieve a much higher maximum speed than those found on other vehicles. Normally, with the Torpedo Mode modification installed, the Mk.15 torpedoes would have a maximum range of 9.15 km and a maximum speed of 62 km/h.

MTB-1 1 series having the Mk.15 torpedo is most likely a bug.

Special armament

Mk.VII depth charges numbered 1-4 according to the order in which they're dropped (click to view a larger image).

MTB-1 1 series can carry four Mk.VII depth charges just behind the bridge, two on each side facing outwards. The depth charges are dropped one at a time and drop in this order (see the image):

1. Portside, foremost
2. Starboard side, foremost
3. Portside, aftmost
4. Starboard side, aftmost

Before spawning, the detonation time delay can be set anywhere between 3 seconds and 10 seconds.

Depth Charge Characteristics
Mass (kg)	Explosive Type	Explosive Mass (kg)	TNT Equivalent (kg)
196	TNT	130	130

Usage in battles

MTB-1 1 series with the historical camouflage "MTB-1 '01'", available on the Gaijin Marketplace.

MTB-1 1 series' main armament only consists of low-calibre machine guns, so the damage output per hit is very low, although this is somewhat alleviated by the fact that she has 8 such guns. Regardless, the guns will always be limited by their low maximum range, roughly 1.6 km. Despite their deficiencies, the guns have a relatively large magazine size of 97 rounds, and, with a rate of fire of 550 rpm, MTB-1 1 series can sustain about 10.58 seconds of fire. Assuming that all the shots are well-aimed, this is more than enough to destroy most boats at this tier without having to reload, unlike some other reserve boats, the G-5 and the Type T-14 in particular, which both have to reload once or more to destroy most targets. Be careful though, since MTB-1 1 series has the longest reload of any reserve boat. Because of this, it's always better to empty the magazines after each engagement so that the maximum amount of ammunition is available for the next engagement.

The firing arc for the forward gun mount is very good. It is able to fire in all directions except in a ~34° arc directly behind it. The same can't be said though of the rear gun mount. Because of the depth charge racks, even if they're empty, the rear gun cannot target close targets ~42° on each side facing forwards. It also can't fire in a ~28° directly behind. Because of this, MTB-1 1 series needs to show more of its side to get the rear gun mount on target, and, considering the low damage output of the guns, getting as many guns on target is almost a necessity.

MTB-1 1 series is a reserve vehicle. As such, it has no repair costs and can be respawned up to three times in a single battle.

Ammunition Choices

The best ammunition choice is the 7.7 mm AP belt since it has the highest ratio of AP to T rounds. While the 7.7 mm API belt may look tempting because of the incendiary tracer rounds, the IT rounds are actually stopped by most wooden hulls and rarely start fires, if ever. This belt is the best to use against aircraft, though with such a long reload to switch to it and such a minuscule difference, there isn't much of a point in using it in that role either.

Torpedoes

The 18-inch Mk.XII is fairly average in terms of maximum speed and range, but it has a very low TNT equivalence compared to other torpedoes at this tier. Still, a hit with the Mk.XII torpedo on any boat at this tier is more than enough to destroy it. Otherwise, this is torpedo is unnoteworthy.

The real standout is the Mk.15 torpedo. As mentioned earlier, the Mk.15 can achieve a top speed of 107 km/h with the Torpedo Mode modification installed, but only on the MTB-1 1 series for whatever reason. This gives MTB-1 1 series by far the fastest torpedo in the game, and thus the easiest to aim against fast-moving targets. Be aware though that Mk.15 takes quite a bit of time to accelerate up to its maximum speed.

Regardless of which torpedo is used, the Torpedo Mode modification should always be installed. The higher maximum speed is much more valuable against the fast-moving boats of tier I and II, and the maps are small enough that the reduction to the maximum range doesn't really matter.

Whatever torpedo is used, be aware though that, if the torpedo is unused, it can be shot at, and, if it's destroyed, there is a chance the entire boat can be destroyed along with it. For this reason, it's best to either use them early on or to not take them into battle at all.

Depth Charges

Being anti-submarine weapons and with the present lack of submarines in the game, there is practically no reason to use them. While they can be used against surface targets, this is extremely situational. Sailing up right next to a slower target and dropping a depth charge can lead to some success, though again, this is very situational. If attempting this, remember the order in which the depth charges drop and that there is no reason to use any depth charge activation time setting above the minimum 3 seconds, since higher delay times means the depth charge will sink further, and thus away, from the target. Again, it should be reiterated that this is very situational.

There is no practical reason to take them into battle, epecially since, if they're not dropped, they essentially become unarmoured ammo racks. This is even more so the case with MTB-1 1 series, since the Mk.15 torpedoes are only available in the armament setup without depth charges.

Modules

Tier	Seakeeping		Unsinkability		Firepower
I	Dry-Docking		Tool Set		7.7 mm AP belt
II		Rudder Replacement	Fire Protection System	Smokescreen	7.7 mm API belt
III	Propeller Replacement				Primary Armament Targeting	Depth Charges
IV		Engine Maintenance	New Pumps		Artillery Support	Torpedo Mode

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Relatively large magazine capacity, can sustain fire for ~10 seconds before reloading
• Large number of guns
• Mk.15 torpedo can reach 107 km/h with the Torpedo Mode modification installed

Cons:

• Main armament consists of low-calibre machine guns, low damage output per gun and small maximum range (~1.6 km)
• Longest reload of any reserve boat
• Relatively weak torpedoes (low TNT equivalence)

History

Though the Royal Navy had operated a small number of coastal boats during the first World War, by the 1930s, these flotillas had long been dissolved and the Royal Navy had yet to construct any more coastal boats. The first two coastal boats since WWI were ordered on 27th September 1935 by the Royal Navy, the order given to British Power Boat Company based at Hythe, a town near Southampton. In addition to this order, four more were ordered on 19th October 1935. These six boats were completed by November 1936, and, with their commissioning on 27th April 1937, the Royal Navy Coastal Forces was founded. Following this, three more boats were ordered on 7th December 1936, and nine more on 11th January 1938. In total, 18 boats were ordered, all of them being completed by 1939.

These boats had a standard displacement of 18 tons and had a length of 60 ft. 4 in., a width of 13 ft. 4 in., and a drought of 2 ft. 10 in. at standard displacement. They were powered by three Napier Sea Lion petrol engines, each driving a single shaft, and could reach speeds of around 30-35 knots. Each boat could carry two 18 inch torpedoes which were stored on rails above the engines. On the aft were two more rails that could be folded down to the transom, extending the torpedoes' rails outside of the boat. The torpedoes fired facing forwards down the rails, after which the boat that fired them would have to turn to evade them. In addition to torpedoes, the boats were also armed with a number of depth charges and, depending on the boat, up to eight Lewis guns.

MTB 1, the first of the boats, was redesignated MTB 7 in 1937. Similarly, MTB 7 was redesignated MTB 1 in the same year. In 1938, the former MTB 1, now MTB 7, was redesignated MTB 13. At the same time, MTB 13 was redesignated MTB 7. Finally, later in 1938, the former MTB 1, now MTB 13, was again redesignated MTB 19. Thus, by the start of WWII, the boats were numbered MTBs 1-12 and 14-19 and formed two MTB flotillas: 1st MTB Flotilla, consisting of MTBs 1-6 and 14-19; and 2nd MTB Flotilla, consisting of MTBs 7-12.

The 1st MTB Flotilla was sent to Malta at the start of WWII and served with HMS Vulcan. They were soon recalled back to England in December 1939 to be based at Felixstowe with HMS Beehive, though MTB 19 was sent to HMS Vernon at Portsmouth. Along the way back, due to bad weather, MTB 6 had to be foundered. After they arrived, the remaining boats continued to operate in the English Channel until they were either lost or replaced. Those lost were MTBs 15, 16, and 17, all of which were mined in 1940.

The 2nd MTB Flotilla was commissioned in 1938 and assigned to Hong Kong with HMS Tamar. They were all lost during the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941. MTB 8 was bombed by IJN aircraft and was lost, and MTB 12 was sunk in action by IJN landing craft. The remainder of the 2nd MTB Flotilla was scuttled on 26th December 1941.

Media

See also

• MTB-1(2)
• MTB Vosper
• MTB Vosper(2)

External links

• unithistories.com - Royal Navy Coastal Forces 1940-1945
• naval-history.net - British vessels lost at sea in World War 2 - MGB, MTB, SGB, ML, etc - originally published in British Vessels Lost at Sea, 1935-45, His Majesty's Stationary Office, 1947
• mwadui.com - Royal Navy Coastal Forces - Hong Kong
• Coastal Forces Heritage Trust - History
• yalumba.co.uk - British Power Boat Co Page 1 and British Power Boat Co Page 5
• Wikipedia - Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy