The 73-footer was a highly flexible type that could exchange some torpedo tubes for a six-pounder and 20 mm weapons. Builders completed 41 boats after an initial plan for 32, divided between Type I and Type II fits. A six-pounder was far more threatening to an unarmoured fast boat than a purely torpedo-armed opponent. Constant modification made individual boats difficult to describe with one fixed armament list. The same flexibility let crews tailor a mixed gun-and-torpedo threat around available weapons and local needs.
Notable Point · 1:49:57-1:57:16
Vosper 73-footers: a mixed gun-and-torpedo threat
Vosper’s 73-foot boats could combine high speed and torpedoes with a six-pounder gun, making them dangerous to enemy coastal craft as well as larger targets.