Re: Philippine Motor Torpedo Boats of WW2
Posted by:
JAKW2 (IP Logged)
Date: November 24, 2018 01:07PM
Gents:
Regarding the extra orders for the Philippine Army:
On 10 April 1939 two additional 55 ft MTBs were ordered from Thornycroft, Hampton.
Norman Friedman (U.S. Small Combatants, Naval Institute Press, 1987, pp. 113 & 506/7) claims they were named Abray (Q-2) and Aguasan (Q-3).
I do not know where these names and numbers originate from but they do not seem correct to me.
These boats (yard numbers 2458-2459) were requisitioned by the Admiralty upon the outbreak of war with Germany in September 1939.
The boats were released in October 1939 and sold to Finland in January 1940 for use in the war against Russia.
However, on 12 March 1940 Finland signed a peace treaty with Russia.
The two boats had already been loaded aboard a freighter at Blyth that was ready to sail to Norway.
Upon the invasion of Norway by Germany on 9 April 1940, the British decided to requisition the two boats.
The boats were off-loaded and commissioned on 19 April 1940 in the Royal Navy as MTB-67 and MTB-68.
To replace the two requisitioned boats a new expanded order for 5 boats was placed at Thornycroft (yard numbers 2495 -2499).
These boats were completing in the summer 1940, but were taken over by the British government on 7 June 1940 for the RN and commissioned as MTB-213 to MTB-217.
Again 5 replacement boats were ordered for the Philippines on 12 June 1940 (yard numbers 2509-2513).
These boats were taken over by the British in August 1941, while still under construction.
They were completed between June and October 1941 and commissioned in the RN on 3 November 1941 as MTB-327 to MTB-331.
Jan