Fairmile C motor gun boat

	The Fairmile C motor gunboat MGB 314
Class overview
Name	Fairmile C motor gunboat
Preceded by	Fairmile B motor launch
Succeeded by	Fairmile D motor torpedo boat
Completed	24
General characteristics
Displacement	72 tons
Length	110 ft (34 m)
Beam	17 ft 5 in (5.31 m)
Draught	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Propulsion	Three 850 hp (630 kW) supercharged Hall-Scott petrol engines
Speed	26.5 knots (49.1 km/h; 30.5 mph)
Range	500 nmi (930 km; 580 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (Bunkerage: 1,800 gal + extra 2,600 gal)
Complement	2 officers + 14 crew
Armament	(As designed); 1 × QF 2-pounder (40mm) Mark IIC gun; 1 x Rolls Royce QF 2-pounder Mark XIV gun ; 4 × .50 (12.7mm) Vickers machine guns (2 × 2); 4 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers G.O. machine guns (2 × 2); (Later); 2 × 2-pounder (1 x Mk. IIC, 1 x Mk.XIV); 2-4 × 20 mm Oerlikon cannon (2 × 1/2 × 2); 1-2 × 20mm Oerlikon (1 × 1/1 × 2); 4 depth charges;

The Fairmile C motor gun boat was a type of motor gunboat designed by Norman Hart of Fairmile Marine for the Royal Navy. An intermediate design, twenty-four boats were built in 1941 receiving the designations MGB 312–335.

Design[]

The Fairmile type C was a reuse of the hull form of the type A but with the lessons learned from the type A incorporated in terms of steering and deck layout.

Service[]

Five boats of the twenty-four built were lost to enemy action.

The class was mainly involved in close escort work with east coast convoys, and some boats were engaged in clandestine operations. MGB 314 took part in Operation Chariot, the daring raid on the St Nazaire docks (the only facility on the axis-held Atlantic coast suitable to refit Bismarck-class battleships).

Only two survive to this day, one at Hayling Island and the other in Bembridge Harbour, Isle of Wight, although now sunk and due to be broken up 2018. A third survived in Shoreham until 2002.^{[citation needed]}

MGB 061
MGB 328 (nearest camera) and MGB 330 off the coast near Dover

MGB 316 at speed
MGB 316 at rest

Notes[]

References[]

John Lambert and Al Ross, Allied Coastal Forces of World War Two, Volume I : Fairmile designs and US Submarine Chasers 1990, Conway Maritime Press ISBN 978-0-85177-519-7

hide v t British and Commonwealth coastal forces of the Second World War
Forces	Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy Coastal Forces of the Royal Canadian Navy Coastal Forces of the Royal Australian Navy Coastal Forces of the Royal New Zealand Navy
Motor launches	Harbour Defence Motor Launch Fairmile A motor launch Fairmile B motor launch Canadian Fairmile B
Torpedo Boats	Coastal Motor Boat Motor Torpedo Boat (Fairmile D motor torpedo boat, Vosper 73 ft motor torpedo boat )
Gun boats	Motor Gun Boat ( Fairmile C motor gun boat ) Steam Gun Boat

Fairmile C motor gun boat

Contents

Design[]

Service[]

See also[]

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

Class overview
The Fairmile C motor gunboat MGB 314
Name	Fairmile C motor gunboat
Preceded by	Fairmile B motor launch
Succeeded by	Fairmile D motor torpedo boat
Completed	24
General characteristics
Displacement	72 tons
Length	110 ft (34 m)
Beam	17 ft 5 in (5.31 m)
Draught	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Propulsion	Three 850 hp (630 kW) supercharged Hall-Scott petrol engines
Speed	26.5 knots (49.1 km/h; 30.5 mph)
Range	500 nmi (930 km; 580 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (Bunkerage: 1,800 gal + extra 2,600 gal)
Complement	2 officers + 14 crew
Armament	(As designed) 1 × QF 2-pounder (40mm) Mark IIC gun 1 x Rolls Royce QF 2-pounder Mark XIV gun 4 × .50 (12.7mm) Vickers machine guns (2 × 2) 4 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers G.O. machine guns (2 × 2) (Later) 2 × 2-pounder (1 x Mk. IIC, 1 x Mk.XIV) 2-4 × 20 mm Oerlikon cannon (2 × 1/2 × 2) 1-2 × 20mm Oerlikon (1 × 1/1 × 2) 4 depth charges