Torpedo boats of the MAS 551 type are a type of torpedo boats of the Royal Italian Navy launched in 1941. They were the development of torpedo boats of the MAS 526 type. Sometimes they are assigned to the 3rd series of torpedo boats of the “500th” class.
| Torpedo boats type MAS 551 | |
|---|---|
| Motoscafo armato silurante (MAS) | |
 The scheme of the boat MAS 551, in the bow are submersible hydrophones. | |
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| A country |
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| Preceding type | MAS 526 |
| Subsequent type | MAS 555 |
| Years of construction | 1941 |
| Built | four |
| Main characteristics | |
| Displacement | Standard - 27.8 t |
| Length | 18.7 m |
| Width | 4.6 m |
| Draft | 1.4 m |
| Engines | 2 Isotta-Fraschini gasoline engines, 2 Alfa Romeo gasoline engines for economical running; 1.25 tons of gasoline. |
| Power | 2 × 1150 l. from. 2 × 70 l. from. (engines of an economic course) |
| Mover | 2 screws |
| Speed | 43 knots (79 km / h ) |
| Sailing range | 395 nautical miles at 43 knots |
| Crew | 13 people |
| Armament | |
| Flak | 1 × 1 20 mm / 65 gun |
| Anti-submarine weapons | 10 GB |
| Mine torpedo armament | 2 × 1 - 450 mm TA |
A total of 4 boats were built, all of them had a metal hull. The armament of the boats included two 450-mm torpedoes, 10 depth charges for fighting submarines and one 20-mm / 65 anti-aircraft gun. On the boats there were submersible hydrophones (on special poles), with the help of which it was possible to detect the target by the noise of the propellers in conditions of poor visibility or at a great distance.
Torpedo boats of this type participated in hostilities in the Mediterranean during World War II . MAS 552 was sunk by British aviation on April 30, 1943. Boats MAS 551, 553 and 554 were captured by the Germans after the surrender of Italy in September 1943 and renamed S-510, 512 and 513.
Sources
- Bragadin M.A. The Battle of the Mediterranean. The look of the vanquished. - M .: AST, 2001. - 624 p. - 8000 copies. - ISBN 5-17-002636-6 .
- Dashyan A.V., Patyanin S.V., Mityukov N.V., Drum M.S. Fleets of the Second World War. - M .: “Yauza”, “Collection”, “Eksmo”, 2009. - 608 p. - 2500 copies. - ISBN 978-5-699-33872-6 .