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Fairmile Type-B motor launch, ML 464
Vehicle Design:
Unlike the Type A design, that had been done entirely in house by Fairmile. the Type B design, came from the design office of Bill Holt of the Admiralty, based more along the lines of a destroyer hull, with only the more detailed design and production undertaken by Fairmile. The ship followed most of the design conventions Fairmile was known for including total prefabrication, so individual components could be subcontracted out to small factorys, to creat knockdown kits that could be assembled and fitted out by various boatyards, as demand dictated. Because of this ease of manufacture around 650 boats of this clas were built between 1940 and 1945 across the common wealth. Like the A type, the B was initially intended to soley be a submarine chaser, so the boats were fitted with ASDIC (sonar) as standard and their main armament reflected this anti submarine role, featuring . 12 depth charges, a single QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss gun aft, and one set of twin 0.303-in machine guns. Like most classes of small boat in british service though this original specification soon changed, and as the war moved on many vessels were adapted to serve in other roles and as such their armament was modified and upgraded accordingly. Common modifications included the removal of the ASDIC dome for more clearance in minesweepers, and the replacement of the long outdated 3-pounder with one or more 20mm oerlikons, as the boats were adapted into more fearsome MTBs as the war progressed.
Vehicle Service History:
ML 464 served in the royal navy between december of 1941 to 1949 when she was sold off and was configured into a escort role, hence her heavier armament compared to her peers, in order to fend off the E boats roving in the channel. she had two notable events in her career the first being when she escorted the O clas submarine HNMS O 9 (P 09) from the Firth of Forth to Dundee on the 15th of febuary 1943. Her other important escort role was to escort HMS Shakespeare from Sheerness to Portsmouth on the 6th of march 1943.
Vehicle Specification:
Displacement: 85 tons
Length: 112 ft (34 m)
Beam: 18 ft 3 in (5.56 m)
Draught: 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m)
Propulsion: Two 650 bhp (480 kW) Hall-Scott Defender petrol engines
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range: 1,500 mi (1,300 nmi; 2,400 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement: 16
Sensors and processing systems: ASDIC
Armament: 2 × 1 40mm rolls royce 2 pounder cannon
1 × 1 Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
14 x depth charges
2 x y gun depth charge launcher (6 depth charges)
Armour: Wheelhouse plated
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