SGB Grey Goose
Contents
Description
The SGB Grey Goose (S309) is a premium gift rank III British motor gun boat
with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during Update 1.97 "Viking Fury" as a reward for the "Space Race" event.
General info
Survivability and armour
The Grey Goose has 6mm thick steel hull and 4mm thick steel superstructure, with barely any armour whatsoever. It has 12.7mm antifragmentation armour on the front guns and 8mm antifragmentation armour on the 76mm gun on the back, this combined with the profile of the guns result in the armaments only getting hit and disabled rarely. It also has 19mm thick antifragmentation armour located on both sides of the boat near the center, where the engine is located. This makes the engine protected against most low caliber weapons on its tier, and it can usually be only penetrated by higher caliber AP rounds. This armour however does not extend far enough to protect any of the ammo storages on the ship, and if the front is under heavy fire, it will usually result in the detonation of the quite large ammunition storage. The ship crew consists of only 34 people, making it the second most common cause of destruction.
Mobility
The ship has a maximum speed of 87 km/h in AB and 65 km/h in RB. Acceleration and deceleration is poor, but turning rate is excellent at high speeds compared to other ships of its size, comparable to PT boats, which it can mostly keep up with.
Displacement is 255 tons.
Armament
Primary armament
The main guns are located on the front of the ship, a 2pdr QF Mk.IIc (40 mm) automatic cannon and a 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm) autocannon. Both have 56 ammo in a clip, but the 20mm fires considerably faster, usually emptying multiple seconds before the 40mm. This can prove to be useful, as you can sustain fire with at least one of the guns at all times. They have 2240 and 1800 maximum total ammunition respectively, providing a generous pool for long engagements. The turrets can rotate almost all the way to the back, but the 20mm blocks the 40mm from firing directly to the front, so the ship needs to be angled slightly off target if both guns need to be fired on it. They are fit for close to medium range engagements, but quickly fall off at long ranges.
The available ammunition belts are as follows:
- 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)
All three belts contain the same AP-T (Armour-piercing tracer shell) and HEF (High-explosive fragmentation shell) ammunition, only in different ratios. This makes all belts viable,the selection should be only based on speculation of opponents or preferred targets, and eliminate the need to switch belt type mid-battle.
Secondary armament
The ship is armed with a OQF 3in 20cwt (76 mm) cannon, which has 150 total ammunition.
It can use 2 types of rounds:
- HE shell
- Mk.1 shrapnel shell
The HE shell should be used against other ships, but it only has 6mm of penetration, so it is only effectyve agains lightly armoured targets. The shrapnel round is effective against small boats, and thanks to its unique quality, it can also be used as a crude variable time fuze AA cannon. Due to the relatively low muzzle velocity and low caliber compared to proper flak cannons, it will usually only deterr enemy aircraft, with actual kills with it being rare. If both sea and air targets are set to be engaged, this turret will prefer air targets,usually supressing them through the course of the match.
Anti-aircraft armament
Two turrets outfitted each with two 12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V machine guns can be found on both sides of the boat, and they have 8000 total ammunition. They can aim to the sides of the ship, and all the way up, and thanks to the high rate of fire, usually kills smaller close flying aircraft and smaller PT-boats, but becoming ineffective at medium-long ranges.
Torpedo armament
The ship is outfitted with 2 Mk.VIII (533 mm) torpedo launcher tubes, pointing forward, but angled away considerably. This angle matches the usual engagement angle. The destructive power combined with high mobility can be deadly against larger craft, which would resist the smaller armaments on the ship otherwise.
Special armament
The ship can be equipped with 4 Type M Mark I mines, 2 on each side in the back. They are dropped individually, starting with the 2 on the left and then on the right. They can destroy almost any vessel on the same battle rating, mostly if deployed along high traffic, narrow routes, or near capture points.
Usage in battles
The Grey Goose is best played as a PT-boat hunter, but remains usable up to ships of the same size. The rapid-firing guns allow for quick adjustements, making it adaptable to quick range or speed changes of the target. The amount and type of armaments on the ship allow it to take up the position of an AA-ship for a while, if need be. It is best to avoid larger ships and long engagement ranges, as any hit from a larger caliber can destroy it, and the majority of the guns fall off at great distances.
Modules
| Tier | Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Dry-Docking | Tool Set | 40 mm HE | Anti-Air Armament Targeting | ||
| II | Rudder Replacement | Fire Protection System | Smokescreen | 40 mm AP | Auxiliary Armament Targeting | 76 mm Mk.I shrapnel |
| III | Propeller Replacement | Primary Armament Targeting | Improved Rangefinder | |||
| IV | Engine Maintenance | New Pumps | Artillery Support | Torpedo Mode | Mines | |
| This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase | ||||||
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High speed
- Manoeuvrability
- Rapid-firing, accurate armaments
- Option for a "primitive" flak cannon
Cons:
- Poor acceleration and deceleration
- No armour around some components and ammunition
- Short effective distance
- Weapons not fit to fight larger ships
History
The SGB series was designed due to the need of a hybrid of a motor gun boat and a motor torpedo boat by the Royal Navy. They were the only Coastal Forces ships to be made of steel. The Royal Navy originally wanted 52 of them, but only ordered 9. The series was marked SGB 1 to 9. 2 of them were destroyed during production, and only 6 of them survived the war. SGB9 was used as a trial vessel until 1956 by Vospers. The Grey Goose was sold in 1957, and is currently in Hoo St Werburgh used as a houseboat.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
- Related development
External links
| 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 |
| Britain premium ships | |
|---|---|
| Motor torpedo boats | MTB-1(2) · MTB-422 · Fairmile D (5001) · HMS Gay Archer |
| Motor gun boats | MGB-75 · SGB Grey Goose |
| Gunboats | HMS Spey |
| Sub-chasers | LÉ Orla |
| Frigates | HMS Whitby |
| Destroyers | HMS Montgomery · HMS Valhalla · HMS Verdun · ORP Garland · HMS Jervis · HMCS Haida · HMS Mohawk · HMS Cadiz · HMS Diamond |
| Light cruisers | HMS Belfast |
| Battleships | HMS Iron Duke |
