Fairmile D (697)

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Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
Fairmile D (697)
uk_fairmile_d_697_800.png
GarageImage Fairmile D (697).jpg
Fairmile D (697)
Research:75 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:250 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
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Description

The Fairmile D (697) is a rank IV British motor torpedo boat with a battle rating of 2.7 (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

Armourfront / side / back
Hull28 mm (wood)
Superstructure15 mm (wood)
Number of section5
Displacement120 t
Crew30 people

All around the Fairmile D (697) has same survivability as the other Fairmiles. The boat is protected with thin wooden structure and all HE shells 40 mm calibre upwards will wipe out the Fairmile D with ease. If you see even a small burst of shells heading to your way, you know the bottom awaits at that point.

Crew size of 30 doesn't help much either as most of them tend to get wiped from the first hits to the boat's wooden structure.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB75 / 29 km/h
RB54 / 21 km/h

Mobility is comparable to other Fairmiles. For such a streamlined build the Fairmile D (697) is rather slow and tends to be the last on the cap if compared to other similar boats such as the S-boats or PTs.

Like the other Fairmiles, the Fairmile D (697) is somewhat responsive when switching between reverse and forward. There is a delay like with all boats, so getting accustomed to this is recommended. Long build of the boat and sluggishness affects the turning with unfavourable results and it is recommended to not to end up in tight or narrow spaces.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode Upgrade Status Maximum Speed (km/h) Turn Time (s) Turn Radius (m)
Forward Reverse
AB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 75 29
RB/SB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 54 21

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB2 513 → 3 239 Sl icon.png
RB3 300 → 4 253 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications66 600 Rp icon.png
127 400 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 500 Ge icon.png
Crew training72 000 Sl icon.png
Experts250 000 Sl icon.png
Aces940 Ge icon.png
Research Aces480 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
130 / 220 / 100 % Sl icon.png
166 / 166 / 166 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Seakeeping Unsinkability Firepower
Mods new ship hull.png
Dry-Docking
Research:
3 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 400 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship rudder.png
Rudder Replacement
Research:
3 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
180 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship screw.png
Propeller Replacement
Research:
4 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 200 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship engine.png
Engine Maintenance
Research:
5 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
10 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods ship damage control crew.png
Damage Control Division
Research:
3 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 400 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods ship fire control crew.png
Fire Division
Research:
3 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
180 Ge icon.png
Mods engine smoke screen system.png
Smokescreen
Research:
3 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
180 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship pumps.png
New Pumps
Research:
5 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
10 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods new aa caliber turrets.png
Anti-Air Armament Targeting
Research:
3 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 400 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
20 mm HE magazines
Research:
3 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 400 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods new aux caliber turrets.png
Auxiliary Armament Targeting
Research:
3 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
180 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
20 mm AP magazines
Research:
3 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
180 Ge icon.png
Mods new main caliber turrets.png
Primary Armament Targeting
Research:
4 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 200 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png
Mods ship rangefinder.png
Improved Rangefinder
Research:
4 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 200 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png
Mods depth charge.png
Depth Charges
Research:
4 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 200 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png
Mods ship art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
5 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
10 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods torpedo.png
Torpedo Mode
Research:
5 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
10 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png

As the Fairmile D (697) sits at rank V, its RP cost for most of the modules is between 9,000 to 16,000 research points.

RP boosters, premium account or talisman wont make spading the vehicle any easier as gaining any points in match with this ship is really hard to due to the boat's awful survivability and subpar armament.

Armament

Primary armament

2 х Turret57 mm 6pdr 7cwt QF Mk IIA mounting
Ammunition140 rounds
Vertical guidance-10° / 12°

The Fairmile D (697) is armed with two 6pdr 7cwt QF Mk IIA (57 mm) guns, one on the front and one on the rear. These guns pose a mediocre fire rate with mediocre shell velocity and are far inferior to 40 mm Bofors for example. 57 mm guns are only capable of firing HE so dealing with armoured targets is out of its league, but can reliably hit larger vessels up to a 3.5 kilometres away.

Focus on lightly armoured and small wooden vessels with these guns.

Secondary armament

Turret2 x 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mark V autocannon
Ammunition3600 rounds
Belt capacity60 rounds
Fire rate450 shots/min

Positioned awkwardly in middle of the boat, the dual 20 mm Oerlikon is made to fend off small boats which might get too close for the 57 mm guns to be effective. Although this requires some manoeuvring and thinking your positioning. They can also work as extra AA armaments.

Anti-aircraft armament

2 х Turret2 x 12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V machine gun
Ammunition4000 rounds
Belt capacity200 rounds
Fire rate600 shots/min
2 х Turret2 x 7.7 mm Vickers GO No.5 machine gun
Ammunition4000 rounds
Belt capacity100 rounds
Fire rate949 shots/min

Marginally bad 7.7 mm Vickers AA guns have terrible horizontal traverse, so you can forget them as an anti-aircraft guns and also the damage dealt to enemy ships with them is quite minimal.

12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V heavy machine guns are excellent weapons for anti-aircraft purpose for planes that are in close proximity, but keep in mind that if the plane is already close, it means you are probably dead in few seconds. Fire rate and damage is decent enough to deal with smaller non-armoured boats with lower battle rating. Boats such as LS-3s and Pr.123s are still common sight, so taking control of your AA weaponry is recommended in naval CQB.

Additional armament

Setup 14 x 450 mm Mk XV torpedo
Setup 22 x Mk.VII depth charge
Setup 34 x 450 mm Mk XV torpedo
2 x Mk.VII depth charge

Like some of the Fairmiles, the Fairmile D is armed with the common British Four 18" Mark XV torpedoes. These torpedoes have slow speed of 54 km/h and range of only 5 km with the torpedo mode modification installed.

Mk.VII depth charge is a depth charge. You'll might get a kill with them in one game out of hundred if someone is foolish enough to sail too close of you, but due to the survivability of the Fairmile D, sailing close to the enemy and using the depth charges with purpose is not recommended.

Usage in battles

Try to find cover or a small island. Use your reverse and forward speed to peek. Unload a burst of 57 mm HE shells from range and reverse back to cover. Keep your eyes open for possible targets and avoid heavily armoured Russian patrol boats like the MBKs at all cost. Look for weak or half-dead opponents as they are the only prey you can feast upon with the Fairmile D's underwhelming armament.

If taking cover is not possible in the map: stay on the move and try to avoid fire and enemies as the Fairmile D tends to lose against everything due to its awful survivability. Try to hit enemies on the move with the 57 mm guns. Overall, avoid sharp turns and combat against multiple enemies in the same time.

Only engage in combat with Fairmile D (697) when you know that you have sure shot, upper hand or you are facing a weaker opponent.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 12.7 mm Vickers are decent against planes and smaller boats.


Cons:

  • Wooden structure and no reliable armour means that your survivability in all sorts of engagements is abysmal.
  • Armament is subpar when compared to other Fairmiles armed with 40 mm Bofors.
  • QF 57 mm are capable of firing only HE and can't deal with boats with armour.
  • 105 mm or larger HE shells will one-shot Fairmile D (697).

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

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

See also

  • Fairmile D (601) - Sister ship that is slightly faster with 57 mm armaments replaced with automatic 40 mm cannons and no torpedoes.
  • Fairmile D (617) - Sister ship that is slightly faster with Mk.VIII torpedoes.
  • Fairmile D (5001) - Sister ship available as a pack, armed with a pair of Mk.VIII and Mk XV torpedoes.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • encyclopedia page on ship;
  • other literature.


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