Difference between revisions of "Fairmile A (ML100)"

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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British motor gun boat {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea"]] along with the British fleet.
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British motor gun boat {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea"]] as part of the British fleet closed beta test.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
The Fairmile A has little to no armour, therefore a few good shots to the engine and ammo rack will make quick work of the Fairmile A. The Fairmile A has a crew of 14, which is small compared to the Soviet [[OD-200]] and the German [[R-boot R-41]]. In terms of survivability, it is best to stay at a distance of about 1.40km from the enemy, so you're just out of reach. But you don't want be to far otherwise you wont be able to hit the target with the 3 pdr armament.
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<!--''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.''-->
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 +
Fairmile A (ML100) has the following armour layout:
 +
 
 +
* Hull: 28 mm, wood
 +
* Superstructure: 15 mm, wood
 +
 
 +
[[File:Fairmile_A_(ML100)_internals.png|thumb|Fairmile A (ML100) internals (starboard side). The aft ammunition storage is obscured by the fuel tanks here.]]
 +
 
 +
Any gun in the game will easily be able to penetrate anywhere on the boat at practically any range.
 +
 
 +
Fairmile A (ML100) can be hull-broken by any gun with a diameter greater than 4 inches (102 mm). Generally, hull-break triggers when a capable gun hits and destroys any hull compartment with HE, resulting in the instant destruction of the rest of the boat. At Fairmile A (ML100)'s battle rating, the only gun capable of hull-breaking her is the [[8cwt QF Mk I (114 mm)|8cwt QF Mk I]], found on {{Specs-Link|uk_dark_class}}. The ability to be hull-broken by guns larger than 4 inches is a trait that applies to the vast majority of boats in tier 1 and 2, so in that respect, Fairmile A (ML100) isn't better or worse than most other boats.
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 +
Fairmile A (ML100)'s hull is split into four compartments. The first compartment starts at the bow and ends just in the middle of the bridge, just in front of the pumps. The second starts at the pumps and ends between the radio station and the engines, around the area of the funnel. The third starts at the engines and ends at the fuel tanks, just in front of the aft [[3 pdr QF Hotchkiss (47 mm)|47 mm 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss]] mount. The fourth starts at the fuel tanks and ends at the stern. With a crew complement of 14, overall survivability is low.
 +
 
 +
Fairmile A (ML100) has two ammunition storages. One is located in the bow, below and in front of the fore twin [[Lewis 1916 (7.72 mm)|7.72 mm Lewis 1916 machinegun]] mount; it is emptied when the only ammunition left for the fore twin mount are in the guns themselves (the ammunition count for the other 7.72 mm machinegun mounts doesn't matter). The other ammunition storage is located in the aft behind the fuel tanks on the port side; it is emptied when there is only one round of ammunition left for the aft [[3 pdr QF Hotchkiss (47 mm)|47 mm 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss cannon]]. Destroying either ammunition storage will instantly destroy the rest of the boat.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
The Fairmile A has a top speed of around 37km/h. It is fairly slow at turning. Since the Fairmile A has a low top speed, it is hard to catch up to the more agile motor torpedo boats, but you should be able to catch up to similar ships such as the Soviet OD-200.
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<!--''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.''-->
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="6" | '''Mobility Characteristics'''
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" | Game Mode
 +
! rowspan="2" | Upgrade Status
 +
! colspan="2" | Maximum Speed (km/h)
 +
! rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Turn Time (s)|Time needed to complete a 360° turn at maximum speed}}
 +
! rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Turn Radius (m)|At maximum speed}}
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="1" | Forward
 +
! rowspan="1" | Reverse
 +
|-
 +
| rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|AB|Arcade Battles}}
 +
| {{Annotation|Stock|All modifications removed}} || 46 || 14 || ~40.88 || ~61.45
 +
|-
 +
| {{Annotation|Upgraded|All modifications installed}} || 63 || 19 || ~26.99 || ~39.38
 +
|-
 +
| rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|RB|Realistic Battles}}/{{Annotation|SB|Simulator Battles}}
 +
| {{Annotation|Stock|All modifications removed}} || 40 || 12 || ~47.12 || ~70.83
 +
|-
 +
| {{Annotation|Upgraded|All modifications installed}} || 47 || 14 || ~37.33 || ~56.11
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
Fairmile A (ML100) has a displacement of 57 tons.
  
 
== Armament ==
 
== Armament ==
 
=== Primary armament ===
 
=== Primary armament ===
 
{{main|3 pdr QF Hotchkiss (47 mm)}}
 
{{main|3 pdr QF Hotchkiss (47 mm)}}
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<!--''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.''
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''Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.''-->
  
The primary Gun is a 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss cannon. It is very slow at reloading and has a slow firing rate. It cannot fire towards the front of the ship, only from the sides or rear of the ship due to its positioning. However, the 3 pdr is capable of taking out motor torpedo boats and other ships. The 3 pdr has a high explosive (HE) shell, of which a single shot can destroy a motor torpedo boat at close range if you aim for the engine or ammo rack.
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For her primary armament, Fairmile A (ML100) has one 47 mm 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss cannon in a single mount, mounted centerline aft. It has 300 rounds of ammunition available for it. The mount can traverse horizontally at a rate of 40°/s and vertically at a rate of 25°/s. The gun is single-shot and has a nominal rate of fire of 30 rounds/min. With a stock crew, it can be reloaded in 2.6 seconds; with an aced crew, they can be reloaded in 2 seconds.
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="2" | '''Guidance for the Primary Gun Turret'''
 +
|-
 +
! Horizontal !! Vertical
 +
|-
 +
| ±180° || -5°/+25°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
There is only one choice of ammunition available:
 +
 
 +
* 3 pdr Mk.2 HE
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="8" | '''Penetration Statistics'''
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" | Type
 +
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
 +
|-
 +
! 100 m !! 1,000 !! 2,000 m !! 3,000 m !! 4,000 m !! 5,000 m
 +
|-
 +
| 3 pdr Mk.2 HE || {{Annotation|HE|High-explosive}} || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="12" | '''Shell Details'''
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" | Type
 +
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Type
 +
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (kg)
 +
! rowspan="2" | TNT Equivalent (kg)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Fuse Delay (m)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Fuse Sensitivity (mm)
 +
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
 +
|-
 +
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
 +
|-
 +
| 3 pdr Mk.2 HE || {{Annotation|HE|High-explosive}} || 1.5 || 517 || TNT || 0.217 || 0.217 || 0.15 || N/A || 79° || 80° || 81°
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
=== Secondary armament ===
 
=== Secondary armament ===
{{main|Lewis (7.7 mm)}}
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{{main|Lewis 1916 (7.72 mm)}}
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<!--''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. 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.''-->
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For her secondary armament, Fairmile A (ML100) has six 7.72 mm Lewis 1916 machineguns in three twin mounts, one in front of the bridge and one on either side amidships. For each mount, there are 3,880 rounds of ammunition available, 1,940 rounds per gun, for a total of 11,640 rounds. They can traverse horizontally at a rate of 75°/s and vertically at a rate of 75°/s. Each gun has a magazine capacity of 97 rounds and has a rate of fire of 550 rounds/min. With a stock crew, the guns can be reloaded in 14 seconds; with an aced crew, they can be reloaded in 7 seconds. Their maximum range against surface targets is roughly 1.6 km.
  
In addition to the 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss cannon, the Fairmile A (ML100) has three turrets with dual-mount 7.72mm Lewis machine guns. They are capable to destroy lightly armored motor torpedo boats and enemy planes.
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{{Notice|Turrets are named sequentially, clockwise, starting at the bow}}
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 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="65%"
 +
! colspan="8" | '''Guidance for the Secondary Gun Turrets'''
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="2" rowspan="1" | No.1 Turret
 +
! colspan="2" rowspan="1" | No.2 Turret
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! colspan="2" rowspan="1" | No.3 Turret
 +
|-
 +
! Horizontal !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Vertical
 +
|-
 +
| ±180° || -5°/+70° || ±80° || -5°/+70° || ±80° || -5°/+70°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
There are three choices of ammunition available:
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 +
* Universal: {{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}/{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}/{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}/{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}
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 +
* 7.7 mm AP belt: {{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}/{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}/{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}/{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}
 +
 
 +
* 7.7 mm API belt: {{Annotation|IT|Incendiary tracer}}/{{Annotation|IT|Incendiary tracer}}/{{Annotation|IT|Incendiary tracer}}/{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="7" | '''Penetration Statistics'''
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
 +
|-
 +
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
 +
|-
 +
| Universal || 20 || 19 || 16 || 13 || 11 || 10
 +
|-
 +
| 7.7 mm AP belt || 20 || 19 || 16 || 13 || 11 || 10
 +
|-
 +
| 7.7 mm API belt || 20 || 19 || 16 || 13 || 11 || 10
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
=== Special armament ===
 
=== Special armament ===
12 x Mk.VII depth charge
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{{main|Mk.VII depth charge}}
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<!--''Depth charges, mines, rocket launchers and missiles are also effective in skilled hands and can take an off-guard opponent by surprise. Evaluate the ammunition of this type of armament and rate its performance in combat. If there are no special armaments, remove this section.''-->
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 +
[[File:Fairmile_A_(ML100)_DCs.png|thumb|Mk.VII depth charges numbered 1-12 according to their drop order (click to expand).]]
 +
 
 +
Fairmile A (ML100) can carry 12 Mk.VII depth charges mounted amidships, 6 on each side facing outwards. The depth charges are dropped one at a time in this order (see the image):
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 +
Foremost to aftmost, alternating port and starboard starting on the port side:
 +
 
 +
# Port side, foremost
 +
# Starboard side, foremost
 +
# Port side, 2nd foremost
 +
# Starboard side, 2nd foremost
 +
# Port side, 3rd foremost
 +
# Starboard side, 3rd foremost
 +
# Port side, 3rd aftmost
 +
# Starboard side, 3rd aftmost
 +
# Port side, 2nd aftmost
 +
# Starboard side, 2nd aftmost
 +
# Port side, aftmost
 +
# Starboard side, aftmost
 +
 
 +
Before spawning, the detonation time delay can be set anywhere between 3 seconds and 10 seconds.
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="4" | '''Depth Charge Characteristics'''
 +
|-
 +
! Mass (kg)
 +
! Explosive Type
 +
! Explosive Mass (kg)
 +
! TNT Equivalent (kg)
 +
|-
 +
| 196 || TNT || 130 || 130
 +
|}
  
 
== Usage in the battles ==
 
== Usage in the battles ==
The best way to use this ship is to take out other slow moving ships with the 3 pdr gun. The main gun fires very slowly and is slow to reload, so its best to switch to the Lewis guns scattered around the ship to take out any approaching boats. Watch out for other motor torpedo boats that are approaching, as this boat is a bit slow so they will hit you with torpedoes if you don't shoot first.
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<!--''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).''-->
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 +
Fairmile A (ML100)'s secondary armament consists of the familiar 7.72 mm Lewis 1916 machinegun found on earlier boats in the British naval tech tree, and Fairmile A (ML100)'s guns suffer from the same drawbacks — low damage output, long reloads, and a small maximum range — making them very poor against both boats and aircraft. The low damage output is an even worse issue on Fairmile A (ML100), since a maximum of only four — often only two depending on the angle — out of the six guns can be brought to bear at once. This is essentially only half or worse of the firepower of {{Specs-Link|uk_mtb_1series}} whose armament wasn't the best to begin with.
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 +
Fortunately, Fairmile A (ML100) has a weapon earlier boats don't: the primary armament, a 47 mm 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss cannon. Unfortunately, the cannon isn't much better than the machineguns and suffers from its own set of problems. The 47 mm cannon is a single-shot weapon, and, while its reload is on par with similar calibre single-shot cannons, just like those other cannons, its damage output is abysmal and easily outclassed by any autocannon. The maximum range is also rather bad due to the cannon's low muzzle velocity and projectile mass. The accuracy isn't fantastic, and because of the reload in between each shot, correcting aim on targets further than 2 km, or even 1.5 km in many cases, can be quite the challenge. Like the machineguns, the cannon is also a poor anti-aircraft weapon due to its single-shot nature and lack of any airburst ammunition.
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Fairmile A (ML100) has below-average survivability for her size with a complement of only 14. Her lack of any really effective armament, though, is really the deciding factor of her survivability. A way to extend survivability is to simply take out enemies before they have a chance to deal back any significant damage. Because of her underwhelming armament, Fairmile A (ML100) will always be unable to take out enemies as quickly as her contemporaries, increasing the damage she takes in the meantime. This makes Fairmile A (ML100)'s survivability very bad. To compensate for this, Fairmile A (ML100) is best played behind cover with the aft cannon facing the enemy, leveraging the element of surprise to deal as much damage as possible to any enemy that might come around the corner. Perhaps unintuitively, the machineguns can penetrate much more armour than the cannon, so be prepared to switch to the machineguns (default: Alt + 2) to deal with any armoured targets. Of course, because of the long reload and small magazine capacity, always fire off any remaining ammunition after engagements when using the machineguns to guarantee full magazines for the next engagement.
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 +
;Ammunition Choices
 +
 
 +
For the 7.72 mm Lewis machinegun 1916, the best ammunition choice is the 7.7 mm AP belt since it has the highest ratio of AP to T rounds. While the 7.7 mm API belt may look tempting because of the incendiary tracer rounds, the IT rounds are actually stopped by most wooden hulls more often than not and rarely start fires, if ever. This belt is technically the best to use against aircraft, though with such a long reload to switch to it and with such a minuscule difference in damage anyway, there isn't much of a point in using it for that role either.
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 +
;Depth Charges
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 +
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 to some success by dropping them right next to a slower target, this is extremely 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.
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 +
There is no practical reason to use depth charges battle, especially since, if they're not dropped, they essentially become unarmoured ammo racks.
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 +
=== Modules ===
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Tier
 +
! colspan="1" | Seakeeping
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! colspan="2" | Unsinkability
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! colspan="3" | Firepower
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|-
 +
| I
 +
| Dry-Docking
 +
| Tool Set
 +
|
 +
| 7.7 mm AP belt
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| II
 +
| Rudder Replacement
 +
| Fire Protection System
 +
| Smokescreen
 +
| 7.7 mm API belt
 +
| Auxiliary Armament Targeting
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| III
 +
| Propeller Replacement
 +
|
 +
|
 +
| Depth Charges
 +
| Primary Armament Targeting
 +
| Improved Rangefinder
 +
|-
 +
| IV
 +
| Engine Maintenance
 +
| New Pumps
 +
|
 +
| Artillery Support
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
<!--''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''-->
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<!--''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:'''
 
  
* Good 3pdr gun
+
'''Pros:'''
* Three turrets of dual-mounted Lewis guns
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* Primary armament: can rotate 360°; good firing arcs
* Access to 12 depth chargers
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* Large amount of depth charges
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
 +
* Very weak firepower
 +
* Inability to effectively deal with armoured targets
 +
* Primary armament: low muzzle velocity; low damage output; low accuracy
 +
* Secondary armament: can only bring 4 guns on target at once; very low damage output
 +
* Poor survivability
 +
* Poor top speed and manoeuvrability
 +
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== History ==
 +
<!--''Talk about the history of the creation and military application of the ship in greater detail than in the introduction. If there turns out to be too much historical information, put it in a separate article, taking the link to the vehicle article and adding the “/historical” block to it (e.g. https://wiki.warthunder.ru/Vehicle-name/historical) and add a link to it here using the main template. Links to sources must be provided at the end of the article.''-->
  
* 3 pdr gun is slow to fire and reload
+
In early 1939, Noel Macklin, a British industrialist, became aware of the Royal Navy's lack of anti-submarine boats through an article by Vice-Admiral Cecil Vivian Usborne. Macklin formulated a scheme in which prefabricated parts, built as near to completion as possible, would be sent in kit form ready for final assembly and fitting to the many minor boatbuilding companies throughout the country. This would allow parts and materials to be sourced from companies with no boatbuilding experience and assembled by unskilled labour at unutilized boatyards. Under this decentralized system, the boats could be manufactured quicker and cheaper than had they been manufactured at a single yard, all the while without straining major boatbuilding companies, such as Vospers, British Power Boat Co., White, or Thorycroft, which were needed to produce specialized, high-speed MTBs and MGBs. Macklin met with Vice-Admiral Usborne in May 1939, and immediately, they began assembling a team of naval engineers and designers and shortly thereafter formed the Fairmile Marine Company. Fairmile quickly produced a wooden motor launch design and proposed the idea to the Admiralty. Ultimately, the Admiralty declined to make an order. Nevertheless, convinced in the idea, Macklin and Fairmile proceeded to produce a prototype as a private venture.  
* Boat is a bit slow.
 
  
== History ==
+
The prototype was ordered from Woodnutt & Co. at St Helens, Isle of Wight, on 27th July 1939 and was laid down on 29th October 1939. It had a hard chine hull and had a length overall of 110 feet, a beam of 17 feet 5 inches, a draught of 4 feet 6 inches, and a displacement of around 57 tons. It was powered by three Hall-Scott Defender petrol engines, 600 bhp each, driving three shafts, allowing it to achieve a top speed of 25 knots. With the threat of war approaching ever closer, the Admiralty had no choice but to acknowledge the serious need for anti-submarine boats and reconsidered Macklin's proposal. While it was still under construction, the Admiralty ordered the prototype in the summer of 1939. This order was followed by another on 22nd September 1939 for an additional 24 boats, though this was later revised to 11 Fairmile designs — the Fairmile A type — and 13 boats of a new Admiralty design — the Fairmile B type. The twelve Fairmile A motor launches were built by ten different companies and were all be completed between May and June 1940, all twelve entering service shortly after completion as MLs 100-111.
 +
 
 +
Interestingly, the Fairmile A motor launches were ordered by the Admiralty without a specified armament. As such, the decks of the boats were not built to take heavy mounting equipment. As a stopgap measure, it was eventually decided that the armament would consist of a single aft QF 3-pdr Hotchkiss cannon and several twin Lewis gun pintle mounts, with one on the bow and a pair of mounts amidships. For hunting U-boats, the boats were given ASDIC equipment and depth charge racks, one on each side, capable of carrying up to 6 depth charges each. Early into service, the boats also received a Holman projector which was mounted amidships. For their first several months of service, the Fairmile A's hunted U-boats and protected convoys in British coastal waters.
 +
 
 +
Throughout their service, The Fairmile A's were plagued by their handling issues and short operating range. By 1941, with the superior Fairmile B motor launches already in service, any surviving Fairmile A's were converted into minelayers, their depth charge racks replaced with mine racks capable of carrying either 6 bottom mines or 9 moored mines. The 3-pdr Hotchkiss was relocated to the bow, and in its place, a twin 0.5 calibre Vickers machinegun Mark IV mount was added. As minelayers, their funnels were also removed, exhaust rerouted out the sides instead. In 1943, the Fairmile A's received an upgrade in the form of a single 20 mm Oerlikon cannon in place of the removed funnel and an aft twin 20 mm Oerlikon Mark IX mount. By 1945, the surviving Fairmile A's were converted once again, this time into anti-submarine escorts. As part of this conversion, they received depth charge racks, a Y-gun depth charge thrower, Type 291 radar, and two 2-inch rocket flare launchers. After the end of the war, the surviving Fairmile A's were put into reserve and were all eventually sold in 1947 and 1948.
  
The Fairmile A was a series of 12 ships designed prior to the start of WWII, with the British Admiralty purchasing all 12 at the start of hostilities. Intended to serve as a light coastal patrol craft the had a unique modular design that could be manufactured by light industry prior to final assembly at a second line port, such as the ones that fabricated pleasure craft.
+
The prototype, ML-100 was the first of the Fairmile A's to be built. She was ordered from Woodnutt & Co. at St Helens on 27th July 1939, laid down on 29th October 1939, and completed on 19th May 1940. From 1940 to 1941, ML-100 was based at HMS Midge at Great Yarmouth and performed anti-submarine escort duties around Grisby. In either late 1941 or early 1942, ML-100 was converted for minelaying operations and was transferred to the 51st ML Flotilla based at HMS Beehive at Felixstowe. She was commanded by the following:
  
The ships were originally intended for coastal escort duties, being rigged with sonar and depth charges. However, as the war progressed and due to the lightweight design of the Fairmile A the ships would see selective service restricted to British coastal waters much more so than the later variations of the same vessel.
+
* T/Lt. F.E.R. Merritt, RNZNVR: October 1942 to December 1943
 +
* T/Lt. G.A. Wright, RCNVR: February 1944 to April 1944
 +
* T/S.Lt. J.E. Branch, RNVR: June 1944 to October 1944
 +
* T/Lt. E.C. Mercer, RNVR: March 1945 to July 1945
  
''Talk about the history of the creation and military application of the ship in greater detail than in the introduction. If there turns out to be too much historical information, put it in a separate article, taking the link to the vehicle article and adding the “/historical” block to it (e.g. https://wiki.warthunder.ru/Vehicle-name/historical) and add a link to it here using the main template. Links to sources must be provided at the end of the article.''
+
ML-100 survived the war and was sold in October 1947.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
<!--''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''-->
  
== Read also ==
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<div class="portale" align="center">
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''
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{| class="catlist" frame="box" style="background: #efefef;" align="center"
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|<span style="white-space:nowrap;">[[File:GEN_LIVE_WT_1_HPL.jpg|510px|link=https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=ship&vehicleClass=gun_boat&vehicle=uk_fairmile_a_ml100|]]</span> ||
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== See also ==
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<!--''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;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''-->
  
''ETC.''
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* {{Specs-Link|uk_fairmile_b_ml345}}
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* {{Specs-Link|uk_mtb_1series}}
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* {{Specs-Link|uk_70ft_mgb}}
  
== Sources ==
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== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
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* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* ''encyclopedia page on the ship;''
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* ''other literature.''-->
  
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* [http://cfv.org.uk/research/boat/database Coastal Forces Veterans - Boat Database]
* ''page on ship encyclopedia;''
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* [https://www.unithistories.com/units_british/RN_CoastalForces.html#ML%20Boats unithistories.com - Royal Navy Coastal Forces 1940-1945]
* ''other literature.''
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* [http://www.naval-history.net/WW2BritishLosses3Coastal.htm 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
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===Bibliography===
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* Gaumont British News. (Producer). & White, W. B. (Director). (1941). ''THE STORY OF THE FAIRMILE PATROL BOAT'' [Film]. England: Gaumont British News.
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* Konstam, A. (2010). ''British Motor Gun Boat 1939–45'' (pp. 12-15, 40-41). Oxford, England: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-077-4.
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* Lambert, J., & Ross A. (1990). ''Allied Coastal Forces of World War II Volume 1: Fairmile Designs and U.S. Submarine Chasers'' (pp. 9-28). London, England: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-519-5.
  
 
{{Britain boats}}
 
{{Britain boats}}

Revision as of 16:21, 13 July 2020

Rank IV USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Tu-1 Pack
Fairmile A (ML100)
uk_fairmile_a_ml100.png
Fairmile A (ML100)
AB RB SB
1.0 1.0 1.0
Research:2 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:700 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage Fairmile A (ML100).jpg


The Fairmile A (ML100) is a rank I British motor gun boat with a battle rating of 1.0 (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

Fairmile A (ML100) has the following armour layout:

  • Hull: 28 mm, wood
  • Superstructure: 15 mm, wood
Fairmile A (ML100) internals (starboard side). The aft ammunition storage is obscured by the fuel tanks here.

Any gun in the game will easily be able to penetrate anywhere on the boat at practically any range.

Fairmile A (ML100) can be hull-broken by any gun with a diameter greater than 4 inches (102 mm). Generally, hull-break triggers when a capable gun hits and destroys any hull compartment with HE, resulting in the instant destruction of the rest of the boat. At Fairmile A (ML100)'s battle rating, the only gun capable of hull-breaking her is the 8cwt QF Mk I, found on Dark Adventurer. The ability to be hull-broken by guns larger than 4 inches is a trait that applies to the vast majority of boats in tier 1 and 2, so in that respect, Fairmile A (ML100) isn't better or worse than most other boats.

Fairmile A (ML100)'s hull is split into four compartments. The first compartment starts at the bow and ends just in the middle of the bridge, just in front of the pumps. The second starts at the pumps and ends between the radio station and the engines, around the area of the funnel. The third starts at the engines and ends at the fuel tanks, just in front of the aft 47 mm 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss mount. The fourth starts at the fuel tanks and ends at the stern. With a crew complement of 14, overall survivability is low.

Fairmile A (ML100) has two ammunition storages. One is located in the bow, below and in front of the fore twin 7.72 mm Lewis 1916 machinegun mount; it is emptied when the only ammunition left for the fore twin mount are in the guns themselves (the ammunition count for the other 7.72 mm machinegun mounts doesn't matter). The other ammunition storage is located in the aft behind the fuel tanks on the port side; it is emptied when there is only one round of ammunition left for the aft 47 mm 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss cannon. Destroying either ammunition storage will instantly destroy the rest of the boat.

Mobility

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode Upgrade Status Maximum Speed (km/h) Turn Time (s) Turn Radius (m)
Forward Reverse
AB Stock 46 14 ~40.88 ~61.45
Upgraded 63 19 ~26.99 ~39.38
RB/SB Stock 40 12 ~47.12 ~70.83
Upgraded 47 14 ~37.33 ~56.11

Fairmile A (ML100) has a displacement of 57 tons.

Armament

Primary armament

For her primary armament, Fairmile A (ML100) has one 47 mm 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss cannon in a single mount, mounted centerline aft. It has 300 rounds of ammunition available for it. The mount can traverse horizontally at a rate of 40°/s and vertically at a rate of 25°/s. The gun is single-shot and has a nominal rate of fire of 30 rounds/min. With a stock crew, it can be reloaded in 2.6 seconds; with an aced crew, they can be reloaded in 2 seconds.

Guidance for the Primary Gun Turret
Horizontal Vertical
±180° -5°/+25°

There is only one choice of ammunition available:

  • 3 pdr Mk.2 HE
Penetration Statistics
Ammunition Type Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
100 m 1,000 2,000 m 3,000 m 4,000 m 5,000 m
3 pdr Mk.2 HE HE 6 6 6 6 6 6
Shell Details
Ammunition Type Projectile Mass (kg) Velocity (m/s) Explosive Type Explosive Mass (kg) TNT Equivalent (kg) Fuse Delay (m) Fuse Sensitivity (mm) Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
3 pdr Mk.2 HE HE 1.5 517 TNT 0.217 0.217 0.15 N/A 79° 80° 81°

Secondary armament

Main article: Lewis 1916 (7.72 mm)

For her secondary armament, Fairmile A (ML100) has six 7.72 mm Lewis 1916 machineguns in three twin mounts, one in front of the bridge and one on either side amidships. For each mount, there are 3,880 rounds of ammunition available, 1,940 rounds per gun, for a total of 11,640 rounds. They can traverse horizontally at a rate of 75°/s and vertically at a rate of 75°/s. Each gun has a magazine capacity of 97 rounds and has a rate of fire of 550 rounds/min. With a stock crew, the guns can be reloaded in 14 seconds; with an aced crew, they can be reloaded in 7 seconds. Their maximum range against surface targets is roughly 1.6 km.

Msg-info.png Turrets are named sequentially, clockwise, starting at the bow
Guidance for the Secondary Gun Turrets
No.1 Turret No.2 Turret No.3 Turret
Horizontal Vertical Horizontal Vertical Horizontal Vertical
±180° -5°/+70° ±80° -5°/+70° ±80° -5°/+70°

There are three choices of ammunition available:

  • Universal: AP/T/AP/T
  • 7.7 mm AP belt: AP/AP/AP/T
  • 7.7 mm API belt: IT/IT/IT/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 20 19 16 13 11 10
7.7 mm AP belt 20 19 16 13 11 10
7.7 mm API belt 20 19 16 13 11 10

Special armament

Main article: Mk.VII depth charge
Mk.VII depth charges numbered 1-12 according to their drop order (click to expand).

Fairmile A (ML100) can carry 12 Mk.VII depth charges mounted amidships, 6 on each side facing outwards. The depth charges are dropped one at a time in this order (see the image):

Foremost to aftmost, alternating port and starboard starting on the port side:

  1. Port side, foremost
  2. Starboard side, foremost
  3. Port side, 2nd foremost
  4. Starboard side, 2nd foremost
  5. Port side, 3rd foremost
  6. Starboard side, 3rd foremost
  7. Port side, 3rd aftmost
  8. Starboard side, 3rd aftmost
  9. Port side, 2nd aftmost
  10. Starboard side, 2nd aftmost
  11. Port side, aftmost
  12. Starboard side, aftmost

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 the battles

Fairmile A (ML100)'s secondary armament consists of the familiar 7.72 mm Lewis 1916 machinegun found on earlier boats in the British naval tech tree, and Fairmile A (ML100)'s guns suffer from the same drawbacks — low damage output, long reloads, and a small maximum range — making them very poor against both boats and aircraft. The low damage output is an even worse issue on Fairmile A (ML100), since a maximum of only four — often only two depending on the angle — out of the six guns can be brought to bear at once. This is essentially only half or worse of the firepower of MTB-1(1) whose armament wasn't the best to begin with.

Fortunately, Fairmile A (ML100) has a weapon earlier boats don't: the primary armament, a 47 mm 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss cannon. Unfortunately, the cannon isn't much better than the machineguns and suffers from its own set of problems. The 47 mm cannon is a single-shot weapon, and, while its reload is on par with similar calibre single-shot cannons, just like those other cannons, its damage output is abysmal and easily outclassed by any autocannon. The maximum range is also rather bad due to the cannon's low muzzle velocity and projectile mass. The accuracy isn't fantastic, and because of the reload in between each shot, correcting aim on targets further than 2 km, or even 1.5 km in many cases, can be quite the challenge. Like the machineguns, the cannon is also a poor anti-aircraft weapon due to its single-shot nature and lack of any airburst ammunition.

Fairmile A (ML100) has below-average survivability for her size with a complement of only 14. Her lack of any really effective armament, though, is really the deciding factor of her survivability. A way to extend survivability is to simply take out enemies before they have a chance to deal back any significant damage. Because of her underwhelming armament, Fairmile A (ML100) will always be unable to take out enemies as quickly as her contemporaries, increasing the damage she takes in the meantime. This makes Fairmile A (ML100)'s survivability very bad. To compensate for this, Fairmile A (ML100) is best played behind cover with the aft cannon facing the enemy, leveraging the element of surprise to deal as much damage as possible to any enemy that might come around the corner. Perhaps unintuitively, the machineguns can penetrate much more armour than the cannon, so be prepared to switch to the machineguns (default: Alt + 2) to deal with any armoured targets. Of course, because of the long reload and small magazine capacity, always fire off any remaining ammunition after engagements when using the machineguns to guarantee full magazines for the next engagement.

Ammunition Choices

For the 7.72 mm Lewis machinegun 1916, the best ammunition choice is the 7.7 mm AP belt since it has the highest ratio of AP to T rounds. While the 7.7 mm API belt may look tempting because of the incendiary tracer rounds, the IT rounds are actually stopped by most wooden hulls more often than not and rarely start fires, if ever. This belt is technically the best to use against aircraft, though with such a long reload to switch to it and with such a minuscule difference in damage anyway, there isn't much of a point in using it for that role either.

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 to some success by dropping them right next to a slower target, this is extremely 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 use depth charges battle, especially since, if they're not dropped, they essentially become unarmoured ammo racks.

Modules

Tier Seakeeping Unsinkability Firepower
I Dry-Docking Tool Set 7.7 mm AP belt
II Rudder Replacement Fire Protection System Smokescreen 7.7 mm API belt Auxiliary Armament Targeting
III Propeller Replacement Depth Charges Primary Armament Targeting Improved Rangefinder
IV Engine Maintenance New Pumps Artillery Support

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Primary armament: can rotate 360°; good firing arcs
  • Large amount of depth charges

Cons:

  • Very weak firepower
  • Inability to effectively deal with armoured targets
  • Primary armament: low muzzle velocity; low damage output; low accuracy
  • Secondary armament: can only bring 4 guns on target at once; very low damage output
  • Poor survivability
  • Poor top speed and manoeuvrability

History

In early 1939, Noel Macklin, a British industrialist, became aware of the Royal Navy's lack of anti-submarine boats through an article by Vice-Admiral Cecil Vivian Usborne. Macklin formulated a scheme in which prefabricated parts, built as near to completion as possible, would be sent in kit form ready for final assembly and fitting to the many minor boatbuilding companies throughout the country. This would allow parts and materials to be sourced from companies with no boatbuilding experience and assembled by unskilled labour at unutilized boatyards. Under this decentralized system, the boats could be manufactured quicker and cheaper than had they been manufactured at a single yard, all the while without straining major boatbuilding companies, such as Vospers, British Power Boat Co., White, or Thorycroft, which were needed to produce specialized, high-speed MTBs and MGBs. Macklin met with Vice-Admiral Usborne in May 1939, and immediately, they began assembling a team of naval engineers and designers and shortly thereafter formed the Fairmile Marine Company. Fairmile quickly produced a wooden motor launch design and proposed the idea to the Admiralty. Ultimately, the Admiralty declined to make an order. Nevertheless, convinced in the idea, Macklin and Fairmile proceeded to produce a prototype as a private venture.

The prototype was ordered from Woodnutt & Co. at St Helens, Isle of Wight, on 27th July 1939 and was laid down on 29th October 1939. It had a hard chine hull and had a length overall of 110 feet, a beam of 17 feet 5 inches, a draught of 4 feet 6 inches, and a displacement of around 57 tons. It was powered by three Hall-Scott Defender petrol engines, 600 bhp each, driving three shafts, allowing it to achieve a top speed of 25 knots. With the threat of war approaching ever closer, the Admiralty had no choice but to acknowledge the serious need for anti-submarine boats and reconsidered Macklin's proposal. While it was still under construction, the Admiralty ordered the prototype in the summer of 1939. This order was followed by another on 22nd September 1939 for an additional 24 boats, though this was later revised to 11 Fairmile designs — the Fairmile A type — and 13 boats of a new Admiralty design — the Fairmile B type. The twelve Fairmile A motor launches were built by ten different companies and were all be completed between May and June 1940, all twelve entering service shortly after completion as MLs 100-111.

Interestingly, the Fairmile A motor launches were ordered by the Admiralty without a specified armament. As such, the decks of the boats were not built to take heavy mounting equipment. As a stopgap measure, it was eventually decided that the armament would consist of a single aft QF 3-pdr Hotchkiss cannon and several twin Lewis gun pintle mounts, with one on the bow and a pair of mounts amidships. For hunting U-boats, the boats were given ASDIC equipment and depth charge racks, one on each side, capable of carrying up to 6 depth charges each. Early into service, the boats also received a Holman projector which was mounted amidships. For their first several months of service, the Fairmile A's hunted U-boats and protected convoys in British coastal waters.

Throughout their service, The Fairmile A's were plagued by their handling issues and short operating range. By 1941, with the superior Fairmile B motor launches already in service, any surviving Fairmile A's were converted into minelayers, their depth charge racks replaced with mine racks capable of carrying either 6 bottom mines or 9 moored mines. The 3-pdr Hotchkiss was relocated to the bow, and in its place, a twin 0.5 calibre Vickers machinegun Mark IV mount was added. As minelayers, their funnels were also removed, exhaust rerouted out the sides instead. In 1943, the Fairmile A's received an upgrade in the form of a single 20 mm Oerlikon cannon in place of the removed funnel and an aft twin 20 mm Oerlikon Mark IX mount. By 1945, the surviving Fairmile A's were converted once again, this time into anti-submarine escorts. As part of this conversion, they received depth charge racks, a Y-gun depth charge thrower, Type 291 radar, and two 2-inch rocket flare launchers. After the end of the war, the surviving Fairmile A's were put into reserve and were all eventually sold in 1947 and 1948.

The prototype, ML-100 was the first of the Fairmile A's to be built. She was ordered from Woodnutt & Co. at St Helens on 27th July 1939, laid down on 29th October 1939, and completed on 19th May 1940. From 1940 to 1941, ML-100 was based at HMS Midge at Great Yarmouth and performed anti-submarine escort duties around Grisby. In either late 1941 or early 1942, ML-100 was converted for minelaying operations and was transferred to the 51st ML Flotilla based at HMS Beehive at Felixstowe. She was commanded by the following:

  • T/Lt. F.E.R. Merritt, RNZNVR: October 1942 to December 1943
  • T/Lt. G.A. Wright, RCNVR: February 1944 to April 1944
  • T/S.Lt. J.E. Branch, RNVR: June 1944 to October 1944
  • T/Lt. E.C. Mercer, RNVR: March 1945 to July 1945

ML-100 survived the war and was sold in October 1947.

Media

GEN LIVE WT 1 HPL.jpg

See also

External links

Bibliography

  • Gaumont British News. (Producer). & White, W. B. (Director). (1941). THE STORY OF THE FAIRMILE PATROL BOAT [Film]. England: Gaumont British News.
  • Konstam, A. (2010). British Motor Gun Boat 1939–45 (pp. 12-15, 40-41). Oxford, England: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-077-4.
  • Lambert, J., & Ross A. (1990). Allied Coastal Forces of World War II Volume 1: Fairmile Designs and U.S. Submarine Chasers (pp. 9-28). London, England: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-519-5.


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 · MGB-61 · MGB-75 · ML 1383 · SGB Grey Fox · SGB Grey Goose
Gunboats  HMS Spey