MAS 569
| This page is about the Italian motor torpedo boat MAS 569. For other versions, see MAS 500 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Velocissimo Classe 500, MAS 569 is a premium rank I Italian motor torpedo boat with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Starfighters".
General info
Survivability and armour
The MAS 569 is made entirely from wood, the hull has about 40 mm of wood for the hull and 15 mm for the superstructure.
It can withstand blows up to 20 mm, after 20 mm it really starts to struggle in fact it will only take a few moments to sink. On the MAS there are 15 sailors, which may seem few, but compared to the 6 members of the G-5 and 7 of the LS, these 15 are enough and advanced.
The advantage of having a relatively small ship and many members is that it will not take long to repair and extinguish the ship.
Another thing to be careful about is if you hit a reef you will lose crew or in the worst scenario the entire ship.
Mobility
The MAS 569 is propelled to a speed of 80 km/h thanks to 2 Isotta Fraschini engines outputting 500 horsepower. The peculiarity of the MAS is that its 2 engines are civilian engines, not special engines only for the armed forces, these engines are used by Regia Aeronautica too.
These two engines are also capable of going to -33 km/h.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 112 | 45 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 80 | 32 | |
Modifications and economy
2 × 20 / 20 / 50 % 2 × 75 / 75 / 75 % | Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armament
Primary armament
The primary armament is composed of one 6.5 mm Breda Mod.30 and a 20 mm Breda 20/65, the 20 mm causes little damage and has a very low rate of fire but the 6.5 mm have a small calibre but have a high fire rate and can pack a quite a punch.
Additional armament
The MAS 569 is equipped with two types of additional armament. The first one is the W.200 torpedo, a torpedo that can navigate up to 81 km/h for 3 km, while losing 7 km/h but gaining 1,000 metres of range with the torpedo mode modification. These two torpedoes are excellent for quick attacks on larger ships. With their good speed and 200 kg of explosive, it will be child's play to sink a ship.
The second additional armament of the MAS 569 is the depth charge B TG, 6 depth charges can be used in total and are positioned at the back of the ship. The B TGs with their 60 kg of explosive each are very effective to destroy ships that get a little too close, you can also flank the big ships and throw them at them.
Usage in battles
The MAS 569 is a rather odd ship, the 20 mm cannon has a low rate of fire and small magazine, as well as being unable to fire directly forward, drastically limit its potential, but thanks to the 6.5 mm the MAS 569 gets a big advantage which is its rate of fire which can cause serious damage to enemy ships. The best choice when using the cannon and machine gun is not to sail forwards, but to stay to the side. This allows you to use the entire operational area of the weapons.
The best way is to stay behind cover and only move backwards when engaging and then return to cover. One-on-one combat against almost any other reserve boat will not work in your favour, so the element of surprise is very important.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Good speed (80 km/h)
- Good turn time
- Good torpedoes
- Good acceleration
- Good machine gun
Cons:
- No armour
- 20 mm cannon has small magazines and slow rate of fire
- Terrible survivability in combat (compared to other ships)
- 20 mm cannon has limited angles of fire
History
MAS type "500"
The project for the MAS type "500" was presented in November 1935, because Italy needed motorboats armed with modern torpedoes (for that time) with a guaranteed speed of 44 knots assured by 2 petrol engines Isotta Fraschini "Asso" of 1,000 horsepower each.
This new class of MAS was studied by Cantieri Baglietto of Varazze and was shown to the Minister of the Navy and then accepted by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini.
The MAS type "500" were small fast wooden boats, unlike the MAS of the First World War they were much faster. They got different armaments over time and also different modifications.
The MAS type "500" were composed of almost 100 units, these wooden boats then obtained several modifications such as the use of metal instead of wood for the hull of the boat, and increases in size and crew complement.
The MAS type "500" were produced in four series.
The first units of the MAS "500" had a wooden hull (the MAS 525 had a metal hull) with a hull with two steps and a range of 400 miles at 42 knots and 1000 at 6 knots with auxiliary engines.
There were 26 units of 1st Series from MAS 501 to MAS 525. In particular, the MAS 424 had 3 Isotta Fraschini engines with 3 propellers instead of 2 but without auxiliary engines.
There were 24 units of 2nd Series from MAS 526 to MAS 550. 2nd Series had greater dimensions, were built with two-stepped wooden hulls, and had a range of 360 miles at maximum speed or 1,100 miles at 6 knots. MAS 550 had a metal hull.
There were 13 units of 3rd Serie from MAS 551 to MAS 564 divided into 2 groups.
1st Group from MAS 551 to MAS 554 had metal hulls, with a range of 350 miles at maximum speed and 850 miles with auxiliary engines.
2nd Group from MAS 555 to MAS 564 had wooden hulls, with a range of 395 miles and 913 miles respectively.
The MAS of 3rd Series changed the 13.2 mm Breda machine gun with the 20/65 Breda machine gun, this made the gun more effective against enemies at medium distances.
There were 12 units of 4th Series from MAS 566 to MAS 576. These units were almost identical to those of the 3rd Series with some minor changes such as the adoption of the helm of manoeuvre in the bridge, the replacement of the shaft with support for the Breda 6.5 mm machine gun and the increase in the supply of ammunition for the 20/65 Breda machine gun
MAS 569
Deployed in the Alto Tirreno FMO until May 1942, MAS 569 was sent with MAS 568 to the Black Sea, arriving in Yalta on 30 July 1942.
During the evening of 14 February 1943, while returning from a mission, it sighted a Soviet submarine surfacing about 10 miles to the east.
The crew of the MAS 569 went to attack the Soviet submarine launching 2 torpedoes which did not hit the target, after having ascertained the negative outcome of the torpedoes launching they headed towards the Soviet submarine to launch depth charges to try to sink the submarine. They also used the 6.5 mm Breda Mod.30 to damage it but it jammed after a few shots, after having damaged it the Soviet submarine submerged and they lost track.
Between March and April 1943, together with the MAS of the IVa Flottiglia, it took part in numerous battles with Soviet patrol boats and gunboats and some demonstrative actions along the enemy coast.
On 20 May 1943 the MAS 569 was loaned to the German Navy, assuming the German designation S 504.
Then ceded on 28 August 1943 to the Romanian Navy, and was scuttled at Costanza or somewhere in the Black Sea in August 1944.
The MAS 569 is part of the final series of the MAS type "500" PT boats. It was part of the Italian Black Sea flotilla and participated in the August 1942 attack on Soviet cruiser Molotov.
The MAS 569 was heavily damaged in a Soviet bombing of Yalta in September 1942.[1]
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr., "Decima Flottiglia MAS: The Best Commandos of the Second World War", p. 122
| Italy boats | |
|---|---|
| Motor torpedo boats | MC-490 · Freccia P-493 · MAS 555 · MAS 561 · MAS 569 |
| MS-15 · MS-53 · MS-472 · Stefano Turr · VAS 201 · GIS 811 · MS 444 · MC 485 | |
| Motor gun boats | MAS 441 · MS-473 · MV-611 · Alano · Sparviero |
| Motor torpedo gun boats | Saetta P-494 |
| Gunboats | Albatros · Alcione |
| Italy premium ships | |
|---|---|
| Motor torpedo boats | Freccia P-493 · MAS 569 · MS 444 · MC 485 |
| Motor gun boats | Sparviero |
| Sub-chasers | Folaga |
| Destroyers | RN Aquilone · RN Aviere · RN Geniere · RN Tigre · Geniere |
| Heavy cruisers | RN Pola |
| Battleships | RN Leonardo da Vinci |
