MTB 74 entered Operation Chariot as a backup to the main demolition plan and fired its delayed-action weapons at the old entrance lock gates. Limited endurance meant Hunt-class destroyers had to tow the motor torpedo boat and motor gun boat during the passage before the small craft made their final approach. Fairmile Bs formed assault columns to carry commandos, while torpedo-armed and gun-armed boats screened the formation around Campbeltown. Under intense river fire, several craft were destroyed, some troops could not land, and surviving boats tried to recover wounded men and destroyer crew. MTB 74 was hit after stopping for survivors, and its commanding officer survived to become a prisoner. Of the 611 men who sailed, 169 were killed and five Victoria Crosses were awarded. The losses show how many roles coastal forces took on during the raid and what it cost to use them in a defended estuary.
Chapter · 34:56-39:04
Coastal craft in the St Nazaire raid
The St Nazaire raid shows motor torpedo boats and motor gun boats carrying torpedoes, troops, survivors, and supporting fire in an operation where range and losses constrained every decision.