The discussion begins with British coastal motor boats and Italian experimentation in the Adriatic, including highly specialized Italian craft for shallow-water approaches. Italian experiments even included track-equipped boats intended to cross shallow banks and reach Austro-Hungarian anchorages. Their appeal was asymmetry: a small boat was cheaper in people and money than a major warship, yet its torpedoes could inflict disproportionate damage. That logic made fast craft a continuing deterrent even before their later gun-boat evolution.
Chapter · 15:51-18:10
World War I origins of the fast coastal boat
The World War I background shows why small torpedo craft appealed despite limited headline successes: they were cheap, numerous, and could carry weapons dangerous to much larger ships.