Of the 36 CRDA 60t torpedo boats, 16 were lost in action during the war. Some vessels of the type also served with the Kriegsmarine, particularly those which were captured by the Germans following the signing of the armistice in September of 1943. One of the most notable successes of their early service career was the fatal injuring of the British light cruiser HMS Manchester, followed by sinking by British ships, caused by MS 16 and MS 22 in August of 1942, also marking the largest target to be destroyed by any motor torpedo boat during WWII. The CRDA 60t torpedo boats first saw action during WW2 in summer of the same year. The first of the CRDA 60t torpedo boats were completed by April of 1942, of which a total of 36 would be built. The design, designated CRDA 60t, only differed in the powerplant choice as well as featuring Italian weaponry, while the rest remained virtually identical to the original. As such, the captured examples were taken back to Italy and a nigh identical design was derived from them by the shipbuilder CRDA. Having found older German-built Schnellboots of the Lürssen type, the Italians soon came to the conclusion that these vessels ideally fitted the current needs of the navy. The answer quickly came with the fall of Yugoslavia and the subsequent seizure of their limited naval force by the Italians. As a result, the Regia Marina began looking into procuring a vessel that would address this problem in the early 1940’s. Namely, the vessels of this type boasted excellent speeds, but had less than ideal seaworthiness. In the early years of WWII, the Italian Navy realized the drawbacks of the MAS series of torpedo boats.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |