Quote:
Originally Posted by David Dunlop
Nice find! A short production history for the MTB but just for the heck of it, let's kick the ball into Hanno's side of the field now.
A large part of the Royal Navy contract was concealed and then signed over to The Netherlands in 1942. Were these boats ever completed and delivered, and where were they operating out of for The Netherlands? and what happened to them at wars end?
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The Royal Netherlands Navy adopted the MTB-type of class shortly before WW2. At least one was effectively used in the defence of Rotterdam harbour during the May 1940 attack by Germany. After the capitulation of the Netherlands the RNN continued to operate out of the UK, as were other elements of the Netherlands armed forces. Read more about the exploits of the Dutch MTB's in the English channel here:
http://www.netherlandsnavy.nl/Special_mtb.htm
The above is only about the European part, this class of ship was effectively employed in the Netherlands East-Indies as well.
I did not realise we used Canadian-built MTB's, a quick search revealed it could have been the BPB 72 feet-type class of which 5 were taken into service by the RNN:
http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/class/648.html
HTH,
Hanno