Fairmile B (ML345)
Contents
Description
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The Fairmile B (ML345) is a rank II British motor gunboat
with a battle rating of 2.0 (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
The Fairmile B (ML345) has very little armour with similar construction to the previous gunboats in the family, the Fairmile A (ML100). The engines, fuel tanks and ammunition racks are easy targets, as they are located in the front, rear and centre of the hull, making fires a considerable risk.
The Fairmile B (ML345) has a crew of 18, making it comparable with other gunboats such as the Soviet Pr.1124 (1940) and the American Elco 77 ft PT-59. It is advisable to keep some distance from smaller ships as flanks from faster vessels can result in the defenceless hull sides being compromised.
Mobility
The Fairmile B (ML345) has a top cruising speed of around 37 kp/h. The turn rate is similar to other vessels of similar size but takes over 10 seconds to complete turns. The reverse speed is up to 14 kp/h.
Armament
Primary armament
The main firepower of the Fairmile B (ML345) is the 3 pounder QF Hotchkiss cannon. Lacking in fire rate, it does serious damage against smaller boats it may encounter with the large explosive power yet fails to do any significant damage to vessels similar to its own size or larger. It can carry High Explosive, Armour Piercing and Universal rounds, which make for reliable defence.
Secondary armament
In addition to the 3 pounder QF Hotchkiss cannon, the Fairmile B (ML345) also features two 20 mm Oerlikon cannon turrets. One a Mark V and one a Mark II, with 4,080 and 2,040 rounds respectively.
Anti-aircraft armament
The Fairmile B (ML345) has two auxiliary dual-mount 7.72 mm Lewis 1916 machine guns located above the bridge. These machine guns can possibly be used against strafing aircraft, however, they are in a perfect position to eliminate lighter boats with persistent fire.
Special armament
Mk.VII Depth charges make little difference to the manoeuvrability of the vessel, but can be effective when used against larger ships such as destroyers and frigates.
Usage in battles
The Fairmile B (ML345) is a capable vessel when used appropriately and the right targets are prioritised. Ships of equal size using large guns with a slow rate of fire are easy targets for the Fairmile B to target. Ships with multiple guns and a rapid rate of fire should be avoided as these will target the vulnerable hull of the Fairmile B resulting in fires or sinking.
Engaging these boats should be at distance and sailing at an angle will allow the gunners to also fire at the target, but these need to be toggled to target ships. Keeping the correct distance on the rangefinder is essential if shooting over long distances as there is some considerable drop off of the rounds.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- The 3 pounder is better placed compared to Fairmile A's location
- Can equip a large number of depth charges
- 20 mm cannons are more powerful than the 7.7 mm machine guns on previous models
Cons:
- Lacks armour protection
- Less maneuverability of similar sized vessels
History
The Fairmile B first left the production line in September 1940 and entered service shortly after.[1] These motor-launched boats served in many invasion operations, such as the D-Day landings at Normandy, and the St Nazaire Raid.[2]
Some Fairmile B vessels were designated as medical ships attached to marine invasion infantry units and underwent modifications to expand their sickbays to accommodate more casualties.[3]
The Fairmile B was operated by Commonwealth nations during and after the Second World War. Bermuda, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa used the Fairmile B, primarily as patrol boats.[4] The Fairmile B also served up to the 1980s with the Guardia di Finanza, an Italian naval gendarmerie.[5]
Media
An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.
See also
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on ship;
- other literature.
| Britain boats | |
|---|---|
| Motor torpedo boats | Brave Borderer · Dark Aggressor · Dark Aggressor TD · Fairmile D (617) · Fairmile D (697) · Fairmile D (5001) · HMS Gay Archer |
| MTB-1(1) · MTB-1(2) · MTB Vosper · MTB Vosper(2) · MTB-422 | |
| Motor gun boats | Dark Adventurer · Fairmile A (ML100) · Fairmile B (ML345) · Fairmile C (312) · Fairmile C (332) · Fairmile D (601) · Fairmile H LCS(L)(2) |
| HMAS Arrow · HMAS Fremantle · MGB-61 · MGB-75 · ML 1383 · SGB Grey Fox · SGB Grey Goose | |
| Gunboats | HMS Spey |
- ↑ Konstam, A. and Bryan, T., 2010. British Motor Gun Boat. Oxford: Osprey Publ.
- ↑ Wright, M., 2014. British And Commonwealth Warship Camouflage Of WWII. Seaforth Publishing, p.137.
- ↑ Lenton, H. and Colledge, J., 1973. Warships Of World War II. 2nd ed. I. Allan, pp.523–530.
- ↑ Seapower Centre, 2005. The Navy Contribution To Australian Maritime Operations. Canberra: Defence Publishing Service.
- ↑ oceania.pbworks.com. 2010. Oceania / Italian Financial Guard. [online] Available at: <http://oceania.pbworks.com/w/page/8465167/Italian%20Financial%20Guard> [Accessed 11 April 2020].
