Video
An introduction to the ‘Littleships’ of the big war Part 1 of 2
Study An introduction to the ‘Littleships’ of the big war Part 1 of 2, a Dr. Alex Clarke video from 4 Jun 2020, with 11 time notes. Topics include Gunboats, Minesweepers, Motor Torpedo Boats.
Time notes
- 1:27How the London Naval Treaty defined little shipsChapter
The 1930 London Naval Treaty shows how tonnage, speed, guns, and torpedo equipment separated exempt small vessels from destroyers and cruisers.
- 5:45Abdiel-class cruisers beat distance with speed and minesNotable Point
The Abdiel class used 40-knot speed to reach distant passages, lay mines before heavy opposition arrived, and withdraw quickly.
- 8:43HMS Bassett as an ocean-going trawler prototypeChapter
HMS Bassett gave the Royal Navy and its partners a compact prewar model for armed trawlers, minesweeping, and anti-submarine duties.
- 12:15Admirable-class minesweepers packed escort weapons into a small hullNotable Point
The Admirable class combined minesweeping gear, anti-aircraft guns, Hedgehog, and depth charges in a hull whose reported complement of about 104 may be erroneous.
- 14:41Italy's RD-class minesweepers carried an old fleet through another warChapter
The small RD class formed the Regia Marina's most coherent minesweeping group despite interwar age and inconsistent light armament.
- 19:28Vosper 73-foot boats and the Admiralty fight over coastal strike craftChapter
The Vosper Type I and II pair compact torpedo armament with a procurement struggle over whether small attack craft threatened capital-ship budgets.
- 23:14Elco 80-foot PT boats worked best as ambush predatorsNotable Point
PT-109 illustrates how speed, torpedoes, and crew-added weapons made Elco boats dangerous in ambush but vulnerable in a fleet action.
- 26:29Schnellboots brought greater size and firepower to the torpedo-boat fightNotable Point
The German Schnellboot combined high speed, reload torpedoes, and multiple cannon in a hull roughly twice the displacement of a Vosper boat.
- 28:05Fairmile D dog boats hunted Schnellboots with guns and depth chargesChapter
The heavily armed Fairmile D answered the E-boat threat and even used depth-charge blasts to disrupt fast surface targets.
- 32:51Elco S-class gunboats traded torpedoes for concentrated automatic fireNotable Point
John F. Kennedy's later Elco command shows a Pacific gunboat layout built around machine guns and 40 mm cannon rather than torpedoes.
- 34:17Spica-class torpedo boats sustained Italy's convoy warChapter
The Spica class combined torpedoes, mines, and strong gun armament in an escort that the Regia Marina depended on for Mediterranean convoys.