MS 444

MS 444

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MS 444

Italy

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.7	2.7	2.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Motor torpedo boat

Boat

Purchase:1 300

Show in game

Description

Higgins 78-foot motor torpedo boat MAS 444 began its history as a PT-94 in New Orleans, built for the lend-lease agreement with Russia and designated RPT-10. Laid down on 23 June 1942 and launched on 20 November 1942, she was intended for transfer to the Soviet Union, but due to the cancellation of spring convoys in 1943 because of U-boat threats, she was instead transferred to the United Kingdom, entering British service as HM MTB-424 in April 1943. In 1947, she was transferred to the Italian Navy, initially designated GIS 0024, underwent a refit between 1943 and 1953, redesignated GIS 844 on 1 April 1951, and finally as MAS 444 on 1 November 1952. Used as a training vessel from 1964, she was decommissioned in 1966, photographed unarmed in La Spezia harbour in 1970, and likely scrapped at an unknown later date.

The MS 444 is a premium rank Italian motor torpedo boat introduced in Update "Firebirds". She is somewhat similar to the PT-200 in the US tech tree, though with a few notable differences in armament. Overall, MS 444 is a very dangerous vessel for her BR, armed with an excellent 40 mm Bofors and three secondary 20 mm guns, which give her relatively impressive firepower for a motor torpedo boat at her BR, particularly making her deadly against aeroplanes or wooden boats. That said, MS 444, much like other Higgins boats, suffers from the fragility of her hull, making her easy to destroy even under lower calibre enemy guns.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull40 mm (wood)

Superstructure15 mm (wood)

Number of section3

Displacement56 t

Crew17 people

Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB104 / 25 km/h

RB74 / 18 km/h

Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	104	25
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	74	18

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB566

RB786

Crew training10 000

Experts67 000

Aces400

Research Aces570 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 80 / 130 / 50 %

2 × 136 / 136 / 136 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Rudder Replacement Propeller Replacement Engine Maintenance	Damage Control Division Fire Division Smokescreen New Pumps	40 mm HE clips 20 mm HE magazines Auxiliary Armament Targeting 40 mm AP clips 20 mm AP magazines Primary Armament Targeting Artillery Support Torpedo Mode

Armament

Primary armament

Turret40 mm Bofors L/60 Mark 3 gun

Ammunition2000 rounds

Belt capacity4 rounds

Fire rate160 shots/min

Vertical guidance-5° / 90°

Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: {{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.

• Universal: AP-T · HEFI-T
• 40 mm AP clips: AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · HEFI-T
• 40 mm HE clips: HEFI-T · HEFI-T · HEFI-T · AP-T

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HEFI-T	3	3	3	3	3	3
AP-T	81	78	68	58	49	41

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
HEFI-T	874	0.9	0	0.1	67.13	79°	80°	81°
AP-T	874	0.89	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°

Secondary armament

3 х Turret20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II autocannon

Ammunition1800 rounds

Belt capacity60 rounds

Fire rate450 shots/min

Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control Select secondary weapon. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.

• Universal: HEF-T · HEF-I · AP-T
• 20 mm HE: HEF-T · HEF-I · AP-T · HEF-I
• 20 mm AP: AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · HEF-I

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HEF-T	2	2	2	2	2	2
HEF-I	2	2	2	2	2	2
AP-T	34	32	24	17	12	8

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
HEF-T	830	0.12	0	0.1	6.57	79°	80°	81°
HEF-I	830	0.12	0	0.1	11.17	79°	80°	81°
AP-T	830	0.12	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°

Additional armament

Setup 12 x 450 mm steam turbined W.200/450X5,75 torpedo

Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.

Usage in battles

Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

Cons:

History

MS 444 began its history in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, as a Higgins 78-foot motor torpedo boat PT-94, made for the lend-lease agreement with Russia (it received a secondary designation RPT-10, the 10th Russian PT). She was laid down on 23 June 1942, launched on 20 November 1942, and designated to be transferred to the Soviet Union on 15 February 1943. However, the spring convoys at the time were cancelled due to U-boat pressure (in March, the Allies lost 82 vessels trying to cross the Atlantic). Under these circumstances, the boat was transferred to the United Kingdom instead, taking a shorter, safer route across the ocean in April 1943. She entered British service as HM MTB-424 (note that there is a significant discrepancy between sources, with some claiming MTB-424 to be a different vessel - a British-built White 73 (or modified Vosper 1943) type motor torpedo boat, which was in the service of the Polish Navy as ORP S-5 from May 1944 until October 1945).

In 1947, she was transferred to the Italian Navy, initially designated GIS 0024. She underwent a refit at some point between 1943 and 1953. On 1 April 1951, she was redesignated GIS 844, and then on 1 November 1952, as MS 444. From 1964, she was used as a training vessel, and in 1966 she was removed from the navy list, ending her military career. She was photographed unarmed, afloat, on 28 May 1970 in La Spezia harbour. She was likely scrapped at an unknown date later on.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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

• [Motor Torpedo Boat Photo Archive] HM MTB-424, ex-RPT-10, ex-PT-94
• [Wikipedia] List of decommissioned ships of the Italian Navy
• [Associazione Venus] Motosiluranti
• [Uboat.net] USS PT 94
• At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the United States Navy by Robert J. Bulkley, page 484
• British Motor Torpedo Boat 1939-45 by Angus Konstam, page 19
• Jane's Fighting Ships 1953-1954, page 246
• Jane's Fighting Ships 1957-1958, page 251
• Jane's Fighting Ships 1970-1971, page 185

Higgins Industries Ships
Patrol Torpedo Boats (PT)
81' PT Prototype	PT-6
78' PT	PT-71 · PT-200 · PT-658 · MTB-422* · MS 444**
	*PT-92 in UK service
	**PT-94 in Italian service

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