The Royal Navy had begun developing motor torpedo craft around 1910, and its 15-ton coastal motor boats entered World War I as extremely small weapons. Their daring operations created a reputation for speed, torpedoes, personal courage, and attacks bold enough to earn Victoria Crosses. Their ability to threaten much larger warships made the type appear to be a naval giant killer. Britain nevertheless retained the maritime industrial capacity to rebuild such boats later and saw little need to preserve a large peacetime force. Italy's Regia Marina kept the idea more visibly alive through the MAS, whose 20-ton predecessors sank the Austro-Hungarian dreadnought Szent István.
Chapter · 9:00-12:47
World War I coastal motor boats as giant killers
World War I coastal motor boats established the tiny torpedo craft's giant-killer reputation, but Britain chose not to retain a large peacetime force.