MGB-61

MGB-61

Fairmile A (ML100)

Fairmile B (ML345)

MGB-61

Fairmile A (ML100)

Fairmile B (ML345)

Britain

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.7	1.7	1.7

Class:

Motor gun boat

Boat

Research:5 900

Purchase:6 300

Show in game

Description

The 70 ft MGB-61 is a rank I British motor gun boat with a battle rating of 1.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. 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

MGB-61 has the following armour layout:

• 2pdr Rolls Royce gunshield: 12.7 mm hardened armour
• Hull: 40 mm, wood
• Superstructure: 15 mm, wood

MGB-61 internals (starboard side). Note the ammo storages below the bridge and in front of the rear gun.

Any gun in the game will easily be able to penetrate anywhere on the boat, including the gunshield, at practically any range. MGB-61 can also be hull-broken by any gun larger than 4 inches (102 mm). At MGB-61's battle rating, the only gun that can hull-break it is the 8cwt QF Mk I, found on Dark Adventurer. Although they may seem like disadvantages at first, the lack of armour and the ability to be hull-broken are traits that apply to the vast majority of boats in tier 1 and tier 2. In this aspect, MGB-61 isn't better or worse off compared to any other boat.

MGB-61's hull is split into three compartments. The first compartment starts at the bow and ends just in front of the bridge. The second starts at the bridge and ends in front of the engines. The third starts at the engines and ends at the stern. Overall, with a crew complement of 12, survivability is average.

MGB-61 has 4 ammunition storages, one below each of the two Vickers Mk.V (12.7 mm) mounts and two in front of the rear 2pdr Rolls Royce (40 mm) mount. Destroying these will also destroy the rest of the boat. In practice, though, this almost never happens, since they are relatively small targets and because most guns at this battle rating are either machine guns or low-calibre autocannons which require many hits to destroy ammo storages. It's often both quicker and easier to target the hull compartments and knock out the crew.

Armament

Primary armament

In her primary armament group, MGB-61 has four 12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V guns in two twin mounts, mounted on either side of the bridge. Each mount as 4,000 rounds of ammunition available, 2,000 rounds per gun, for a total of 8,000 rounds. Each mount can traverse horizontally at a rate of 75°/s and vertically at a rate of 75°/s. Each gun has a belt capacity of 200 rounds with a stated rate of fire of 600 rounds/min, though in actuality, for both mounts, the gun on the gunner's left side fires faster, at around 685 rounds/min, firing all 200 of its rounds in the time it takes the right side gun to fire about 175 rounds. With a stock crew, the guns can be reloaded in 13 seconds; with an aced crew, they can be reloaded in 10 seconds. Their maximum range against surface targets is roughly 2 km.

Guidance for the Secondary Gun Turret
Horizontal	Vertical
±180°	-10°/+70°

There are three choices of ammunition available:

• Universal: T/AP/I

• 12.7 mm I: T/I/I/I/I

• 12.7 mm API: T/AP/I/AP

Penetration Statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Universal	27	26	23	20	18	16
12.7 mm I	22	21	18	16	14	12
12.7 mm API	27	26	23	20	18	16

Secondary armament

In her secondary armament group, MGB-61 has one 40 mm 2pdr Rolls Royce semi-automatic cannon in a single mount, mounted centerline on the stern. It has 1,200 rounds of ammunition available. The mount can traverse horizontally at a rate of 45°/s and vertically at a rate of 55°/s. The gun has a magazine capacity of 4 rounds and has a rate of fire of 231 rounds/min. With a stock crew, it can be reloaded in 1.7 seconds; with an aced crew, it can be reloaded in 0.85 seconds. Its maximum range against surface targets is roughly 3 km.

Guidance for the Secondary Gun Turret
Horizontal	Vertical
±151°	-12°/+60°

There are three choices of ammunition available:

• Universal: HEF/AP-T/HEF/AP-T

• 40 mm HE: HEF/HEF/HEF/AP-T

• 40 mm AP: AP-T/AP-T/AP-T/HEF

Penetration Statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Universal	60	57	50	43	38	34
40 mm HE	60	57	50	43	38	34
40 mm AP	60	57	50	43	38	34

Special armament

Mk.VII depth charges numbered 1-2 according to the order in which they're dropped (click to expand).

MGB-61 can carry two Mk.VII depth charges mounted amidships, one on each side facing outwards. The depth charges are dropped one at a time and drop in this order (see the image):

1. Starboard side
2. Portside

Before spawning, the detonation time delay can be set anywhere between 3 seconds and 10 seconds.

Depth Charge Characteristics
Mass (kg)	Explosive Type	Explosive Mass (kg)	TNT Equivalent (kg)
196	TNT	130	130

Usage in battles

Ammunition Choices

For the 12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V, the 12.7 mm I belt is slightly better against both aircraft and surface targets compared to the 12.7 mm API belt. Though the AP rounds penetrate 5 mm more armour at point-blank than the I rounds, with such a small difference, the AP rounds won't be able to penetrate any armour that the I rounds can't. That said, the damage output difference between the I and API belt is so little that it's largely down to preference which to use.

For the 40 mm 2pdr Rolls Royce cannon, the best ammunition choice is the 40 mm HE because it has the highest ratio of HE rounds to AP rounds, meaning that it will be the most effective against both aircraft and surface targets. The 40 mm HE belt should be the main ammunition choice, but a few of the 40 mm AP belt should also be taken into battle for use against armoured targets. The AP belt is also useful against enemies heading directly bow-in. In this situation, HE rounds will only damage the bow compartment and, if that compartment is already destroyed, will deal only minimal damage. AP rounds can pass through the bow compartment and deal damage to the rest of the vessel.

Depth Charges

Being anti-submarine weapons and with the present lack of submarines in the game, there is practically no reason to use them. While they can be used against surface targets, this is extremely situational. Sailing up right next to a slower target and dropping a depth charge can lead to some success, though again, this is very situational. If attempting this, remember the order in which the depth charges drop and that there is no reason to use any depth charge activation time setting above the minimum 3 seconds, since higher delay times means the depth charge will sink further, and thus away, from the target. Again, it should be reiterated that this is very situational.

There is no practical reason to take them into battle, especially since, if they're not dropped, they essentially become unarmoured ammo racks.

Modules

Tier	Seakeeping	Unsinkability		Firepower
I	Dry-Docking	Tool Set		40 mm HE	12.7 mm I
II	Rudder Replacement	Fire Protection System	Smokescreen	40 mm AP	12.7 mm API	Auxiliary Armament Targeting
III	Propeller Replacement			Improved Rangefinder	Depth Charges	Primary Armament Targeting
IV	Engine Maintenance	New Pumps		Artillery Support

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V: high rate of fire, large belt capacity, good damage output, can rotate 360°
• 40 mm 2pdr Rolls Royce: very quick reload, high penetration with AP rounds
• Good firing arcs for both primary and secondary armament

Cons:

• Blind spot directly in front of the boat when moving at high speeds
• 12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V: long reload
• 40 mm 2pdr Rolls Royce: cannot fire directly forwards, small magazine capacity, cannot rotate 360°

Media

See also

• Fairmile A (ML100)
• Dark Adventurer

External links

• unithistories.com - Royal Navy Coastal Forces 1940-1945
• naval-history.net - British vessels lost at sea in World War 2 - MGB, MTB, SGB, ML, etc - originally published in British Vessels Lost at Sea, 1935-45, His Majesty's Stationary Office, 1947
• NAVYPEDIA - MGB6 motor gun boats (35, 1939 - 1941)
• yalumba.co.uk - British Power Boat Co Page 4
• Coastal Forces Heritage Trust - Boats

References

Bibliography

• Konstam, Angus (2010). British Motor Gun Boat 1939–45. Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84908-077-4.