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Motor launches and other small craft question
Posted by: kapuhy ()
Date: March 17, 2019 10:49PM

Hello,

I've been learning an awful lot from this site - it's a wonderful source of knowledge about U-Boats. A few days ago I came across something that surprised me and I thought someone here maybe help me understand.

Looking at Allied Warships section, the most numerous Allied vessel designed specifically for anti-submarine operations was Fairmile B Motor Launch. Other similar ships - HDML, SC-497 etc. were also quite numerous. Yet when one looks at U-Boat losses page, there is hardly any of those ships mentioned. Out of curiosity, I browsed through the list checking all U-Boats sunk by warships, and noted what type of ships was credited for the sinking:

- I found destroyers mentioned in 109 cases
- frigates in 69
- corvettes in 50
- destroyer escorts - 35
- sloops in 43 (despite comparatively low number of those being built)
- submarines: 23 cases
- various patrol craft, cutters, sub chasers and armed yachts were mentioned in only 11 cases, not a single one attributed to most numerous Fairmile class.

On paper, Fairmile looks dangerous - ASDIC, depth charge launches, perhaps on the slow side but still faster than an U-Boat. Why would these (and similar) ships be apparently so ineffective?

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Motor launches and other small craft question kapuhy 03/17/2019 10:49PM


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