PTF-7
Contents
Description
The 80 ft Nasty PTF-7 is a rank I American motor gunboat with a battle rating of 1.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X" as part of the fleet closed beta test.
General info
Survivability and armour
This boat's only armour is located at the 2 x 20 mm turrets. It consists of two 12.7 mm plates sloped at 8 degrees. Ammunition for these guns are located below the waterline and forward of the bridge. The rear of the contains the boat's two engines.
Mobility
Fully upgraded the boat has decent turning capabilities. Its speed when fully upgraded matches that of similar class torpedo boats.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 112 | 36 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 83 | 27 | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armament
Primary armament
The 2 x 20 mm Oerlikon Mk.II cannons are located on either side of the bridge. They provide a cone of overlapping fire of approx 45 degrees to the front and rear of the boat. Ammunition is available in Universal, HE, and AP.
| 20 mm Oerlikon Mk.II (x2) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Turrets (Bow to stern) | ||
| Port turret (x1) | Starboard turret (x1) | |
| Vertical guidance | -5°/+60° | -5°/+60° |
| Horizontal guidance | -180°/+10° | -10°/+180° |
| Vertical targeting speed | 75°/s | |
| Horizontal targeting speed | 75°/s | |
| Ammo capacity (Belt capacity) | 2,160 (60) | |
| Rounds per turret | 1,080 | |
| Rate of Fire (Rounds/min) | 450 | |
The single 12.7 mm AN-M2 machine gun is located in front of the bridge. The location does mean that it has a blind spot to the rear of the boat. Ammunition is only available in the default load.
| 12.7 mm AN-M2 (x1) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical Guidance | Horizontal Guidance | Vertical Targeting Speed | Horizontal Targeting Speed | Ammo Capacity (Belt Capacity) | Rate of Fire (Rounds/Min) | ||
| -5°/+40° | ±155° | 70°/s | 60°/s | 4000 (500) | 576 | ||
Secondary armament
The 40 mm cannon is located mid-ship facing aft. This provides it with an excellent field of fire to the rear but means a blind spot to the front of the boat. Ammunition is available in Universal, HE, and AP.
| 40 mm Bofors L/60 Mark 3 (x1) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical Guidance | Horizontal Guidance | Vertical Targeting Speed | Horizontal Targeting Speed | Ammo Capacity (Belt Capacity) | Rate of Fire (Rounds/Min) | ||
| -6°/+87° | ±180° | 30°/s | 24°/s | 2000 (500) | 160 | ||
Anti-aircraft armament
The 81 mm mortar is available once researched and fires HE ammunition. Once installed, the mortar will take the place of the 12.7 mm machine gun on the front gun emplacement.
| 81 mm Mk 2 Mortar (x1) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical Guidance | Horizontal Guidance | Vertical Targeting Speed | Horizontal Targeting Speed | Ammo Capacity (Belt Capacity) | Rate of Fire (Rounds/Min) | ||
| -5°/+40° | ±155° | 45°/s | 20°/s | 100 (N/A) | 18 | ||
Usage in battles
The 80 ft Nasty gives the captain a versatile ship that can pack a punch for it's Battle Rating, and proves to be highly capable in the hands of a skilled captain even against higher-ranked vessels. Exploiting the strengths of the Nasty and mitigating the weaknesses can make it an impressive ally as well as a fearsome opponent.
- Exploiting Strengths
The 80 ft Nasty has a rather high speed, topping out at 112 km/h (~60 knots) in Arcade Battles and 83 km/h (~45 knots) in Realistic when fully upgraded. Only a small handful of other ships can match or exceed this, and they typically cannot match the armament that the 80 ft Nasty has (such as the Pr.123-bis). This allows the 80 ft Nasty to easily get around the battlefield to carry out an abundance of tasks, anywhere from capturing points, rushing down weaker vessels, harassing larger or more powerful ships, as well as supporting teammates. While staying stationary and hiding in wait for a strike can be a viable tactic, using the speed of the 80 ft Nasty can give excellent results and support the team by being more dynamic.
Another major strength of the 80 ft Nasty is the powerful armament carried on board. Frontally, it is capable of bringing two 20 mm Oerlikon cannons on target which can easily rip through smaller boats in a quick manner. The cannon shells can penetrate through the basic armour profiles of ships at similar Battle Ratings and the high explosive component can devastate the interiors and crew of hostile vehicles. However, the true strength of the 80 ft Nasty is the 40 mm Bofors cannon mounted behind the bridge. Turning to use this weapon can massively boost the offensive firepower and allows the 80 ft Nasty to defeat weaker opponents with relative ease as well as stronger opponents with some skill and tactics. The high explosive shells obliterate ships with little or no armour, and the armour-piercing shells provide the 80 ft Nasty with the ability to tear through even the Soviet armoured gunboats, such as the BMO and Pr.1124 late. Enemy aircraft can also be dealt with using both the Oerlikons and the Bofors cannons, so make sure to assist in clearing the skies when necessary.
- Mitigating Weaknesses
A significant weakness of the 80 ft Nasty is the lack of torpedo armament. When caught in the middle of multiple opponents or attempting to scare off potential threats, there is little that can be done. Torpedoes give a distraction to enemies and can potentially erase them from the map, but without them, it is crucial to maintain awareness and not dive too deep into enemy territory. The 40 mm Bofors do provide capabilities against heavily armoured ships, but time is needed to take them down and too many at once is quickly overwhelming. When using the 20 mm Oerlikons it is important to note that it takes several seconds to reload, which can be a way to quickly sink in combat if not timed properly. Combined with the fact that the 80 ft Nasty is relatively large compared to other ships in the range of its Battle Rating and pushes out into open waters can quickly become a death sentence. Using the terrain and cover wisely is a helpful skill to learn in order to survive.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High speed, giving the ability to re-position and engage targets at will
- Effective 20 mm Oerlikon cannons against other small craft
- Highly destructive 40 mm Bofors against small craft, that could also prove competent against larger vessels to a degree
- Combined Bofors and Oerlikon cannons provide an effective anti-aircraft armament
- Can exchange the .50 cal AN-M2 machine gun for an effective 81mm mortar which, if aimed correctly can cripple most ships in its BR range
Cons:
- Lack of torpedo armament makes attacks against larger vessels exceedingly dangerous
- Large size makes it an easy target, and lack of any hull armour means low survivability
- Inability to use all armaments at once, due to 40 mm Bofors being located on the aft end of the ship
- Lengthy reload time for the 20 mm Oerlikons can be detrimental in the middle of a fight
- The 81mm Mk 2 mortar is, considered "anti-aircraft armament" this makes combat quite difficult as the AI gunners aren't particually good at aiming with any of the weapons so the player must decide whether they prefer rate of fire (20mm), consistant damage output (40mm) or pure damage (81mm). This leads to complicated engagements as the Nasty's firepower will often be split up and focus on different targets instead of a single one. However, this can be mitigated by assigning the same target(s) to the 3 weapon groups.
History
The Nasty-class of patrol boats was originally the work of a private venture in Norway as an attempt to build the best possible patrol craft featuring all of the best attributes of those from World War II. The first prototype was built in 1957 for the Royal Norwegian Navy and tests were shown to be successful.[1] The Nasty used a sleek wooden hull combined with two Napier Deltic engines, each providing 3,100 HP, for a speed of over 74 km/h (40 knots). It was designed to accommodate a range of weaponry for any role.
With the escalation of the war in Vietnam, the United States saw a need for new patrol boats as nearly all of the ones from World War II had been scrapped or were unusable. Several countries made contracts with the Westermoen shipyard in Norway to construct Nasty-class patrol boats and the United States purchased 14 of them which were delivered in 1964. An agreement was also made for six to be built under license at a shipyard in Annapolis, with those being delivered in 1967.[2] These were all put into service as they were acquired, being employed in South Vietnam and designated Fast Patrol Craft (PTF). A few of the Nasty-class boats (PTF-7 included) were used to train South Vietnamese Navy crews and given to them for a period of four years but were all returned to American service in 1970. During the war, the Nasty PTFs were used for shore bombardment and secret mission by special forces units along the coast. Out of the 20 total built, 6 were lost in action. After the end of the war, the Nasty boats were used sparingly, as the maintenance costs were high and they were all eventually decommissioned by the end of the 1970s with many were scrapped. A small few likely remain in existence, although many are merely hulks which have been stripped of all equipment and are in poor condition.
Media
- Videos
See also
- MGB-61: The MGB-61 has a somewhat similar arrangement of weapons, with a 40 mm Rolls Royce semi-automatic cannon on the rear along with two twin 12.7 mm machine guns
- Type 4 (mod. 2): The Type 4 Model 2 also has a similar offensive suite, with a quick firing 37 mm cannon and a 20 mm autocannon
External links
- [Wikipedia] United States Nasty-class patrol boat
- [PTFNasty.com] The "Nasty Class" Fighting Boats
- [PTFNasty.com] Gallery of PTF-7
References
- ↑ Dan Withers, "History," The "Nasty Class" Fighting Boats, Last Modified June 1, 2013, http://www.ptfnasty.com/ptfHistory.html.
- ↑ Ibid.
| A/S Westermoen Båtbyggeri og Mek Verksted | |
|---|---|
| Patrol Boats | |
| Patrol Craft Fast (PTF) | PTF-7 |
| Schnellboot Type 152 | Hugin |
| USA boats | |
|---|---|
| Motor torpedo boats | PT-3 · PT-6 · PT-20 · PT-71 · PT-103 · PT-109 · PT-174 |
| PT-200 · PT-314 · Thunderbolt (PT-556) · PT-565 · PT-658 · PT-810 · PT-811 · PT-812 | |
| Motor gun boats | Kim Qui · LCS(L)(3) · PT-59 · PTF-7 · USS Candid · USS Asheville · USS Douglas · USS Flagstaff · USS Tucumcari · USS Cyclone |
| Armoured gun boats | LCM(6) Zippo |
