The speedboat MTSMA (MTSMA = Motoscafo da Turismo Silurante Modificato Allargato) was a miniature speedboat produced in series for the Italian Navy , which was based on its larger predecessor, the boats of the MTSM type . The MTSMA was designed in such a way that it could be brought by tugs or speedboats into a target area beyond its range, which was 250 nm . Once there, it was supposed to attack and sink the enemy ship with a stern torpedo with rapid operational advances . Two depth charges, each weighing 70 kg, were used for self-protection and rolled into the wake of the boat in order to escape possible pursuers. The boat also had a fog system attached to the stern.
Development history
The planning for the MTSMA began in March / April 1942. In this new type, the Italian naval command included the war experience it had gained with the MTSM to date . In this case, all the demands made had proven themselves. The only significant difference between the MTSM and the new type MTSMA was the combination of the two previously separate control stations into one. In addition, the rod antenna in front of the steering position was increased because the old one was too short and therefore more prone to failure.
The two companies Baglietto in Varazze (hull) and CABI in Milan (engines) were once again commissioned to build the MTSMA . 100 boats were ordered in the spring of 1942. The almost routine construction delays, however, meant that the Royal Italian Navy should not receive a single boat. After the armistice of Cassibile , 23 boats had been completed by then, all boats, as these were stationed in the north of the country, were taken over by the fascist Italian Social Republic (RSI) and added to their navy. There the boats came under German control and were used by the small combat units of the Kriegsmarine for a wide variety of operations, mainly in the Adriatic , until spring 1945 . Both German and Italian or mixed crews were used. Little information is available about extraordinary successes or combat missions of the boats. In the main, the speedboats were no longer used for their original purpose of fighting ships, but were used for covert landing maneuvers in order to drop enemy agents behind enemy lines. After the war, the few remaining boats were used for training purposes for Italian combat swimmers until 1950 , after which they were decommissioned and scrapped.
↑ Harald Fock: Naval small weapons. Manned torpedoes, small submarines, small speedboats, explosives yesterday - today - tomorrow. Nikol, Hamburg 1996, ISBN 3-930656-34-5 , pp. 115-119.
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