NEW BUILD FOR 2008
Thornycroft Ltd 75ft 6in MTB 49-56
Builders:
Thornycroft Ltd 1939/41
Machinery: 4 x Thornycroft RY/12 , high-octane petrol engines
Maximum speed: 29 knots
Length: 75 ft 6in LOA
Beam: 16ft
Draft: 2ft 9in ~ 5tf 5ins
Crew: 12, 2 Officers and 10 ratings
Armament: 2 x 21inch torpedo, two .500 Vickers MG’s in a
power turret, four/six depth-charges or
four 18in x 9 - 1/4 ft type "A" mines
Displacement: 52 tons
Admiralty No’s:
49-56
MTB 49 was ordered on the 27th September 1939 and was completed on 10th April 1941 at Thornycroft's Hampton-on-Thames yard.
MTB 49's first Commanding Officer was, Lt. K. A Cradock-Hartopp, RN from April 1941
In addition to its early-war CMB's, Thornycroft produced it's own own design of MTB for the Royal Navy. Eight 75ft 6in boats were designed in 1939 and built by 1941. These particular MTB's lacked the speed of the more widely built Vosper MTB, there displacement being 52 ton compared with 40 tons of the Vosper 72ft 6in build. With the heaver wooden construction, armoured wheelhouse and bridge made the particularly good for absorbing damage. All MTB's were equipped with radar and ASDIC, this intern made then a valuable launch
All eight boats formed the 11th MTB flotilla operating out of Portsmouth, Dover and Portland during 1941-42. In late 1942 all eight MTB's were converted into Target-Towing Launches for the War Office.
29th November 2006
The photos below show how far we have built this model on a GRP hull built for us by Christian Sheppard - Capurro in Gibraltar. We have gone for a single motor (Graupner 600 ECO) and single shaft, 35mm standard prop and a 8.4 volt or 9.6 volt Ni-Cad battery pack. A single rudder just behind the prop and 2 transom hung rudders as per the actual MTB.
New fittings for this hull are being made over this next few weeks, to include new moulds for air boxes, torpedo rails, Vac form wheelhouse and hatches.
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December 27th 2006
Some of the new fittings made for this model.
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January 28th 2007
These are two views of the new Vac-Formed Wheels house made for this model.
The second hull is almost ready for moulding, this will also include the deck rubbing strake and front and rear bulges.
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February 11th 2007
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January 2008
Photos below show the new GRP Hull and Vac-formed wheelhouse
A new vac-form wheelhouse has be made along with all new fittings for this model, price will be £75.00 to include hull, vac-form full size plane and instructions. Fittings will be an extra charge.