The famous Dog Boats and Vospers were the elite coastal craft, while Fairmile Bs and Cs appeared in much greater numbers. The Battle of Britain comparison is the Spitfire and Hurricane: the celebrated platform can obscure the workhorse carrying much of the load. A Fairmile B was easier and quicker to build than a Fairmile D, which mattered when coastal patrols required broad and persistent coverage. Elite firepower mattered at the point of contact, while routine capacity depended on what industry could produce and crews could operate widely. The Fairmile variants supplied complementary levels of combat power and availability.
Notable Point · 39:23-41:03
Mass-produced Fairmiles behind the elite boats
Dog Boats and Vospers were powerful specialists, but more numerous and quicker-to-build Fairmile Bs and Cs provided much of the everyday coastal-force capacity.