Fairmile B (ML345)

Fairmile B (ML345)

MGB-61

Dark Adventurer

Fairmile B (ML345)

MGB-61

Dark Adventurer

Britain

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.0	2.0	2.0

Class:

Motor gun boat

Boat

Research:9 200

Purchase:16 000

Show in game

Description

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

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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

History

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Media

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See also

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External links

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