Ahoy Shipmates

What is it that you love about Military Small Craft?

Whats your favourite type and why?

Personally I just love German WW2 E-Boats early and late.

They have beautiful lines and look ever so menacing.

From an engineering point of view I love how a craft so large & heavy etc.can go so fast through water.

Here is a couple of my all time favourite photos:





Regards

Sean

The one thing I see in my mind's eye whenever I think about small craft like this is an image of the boat up on the step with a bone in her teeth going full out. That is true of any type, US PT, British MTB/MGB, or German S boote.

Hi Sean,

For me it's build-ability in 1/35 scale.

For excitement it would have to be British MTBs, MGBs.

For a link to my main interest in the British Army then the LCMs, LCAs and LCVPs and other small craft are ideal as I get the best of both worlds.

That said if they was a Spitfire or Hurrican in 1/35 I'd build thoses too , as anything British in 1/35 interests me.

I'm still toying with the idea of an X Craft for Ppier 51 to replace one of the Americam boats but my mind hasn't rationalised the cost - yet lol,lol.

Al

Hi Sean, I love these small boats almost as much as cruisers, but for me the boat that does it for me out of all the MTB's of all nations were the 'Dog boats' Fairmile D's

Although this picture is of a post war Dog boat, minus the 2 x twin 0.50 cal mg's flanking the bridge area and change of penant number.
I do also like the lightly armed but very fast MAS boats as seen here with a type 552, 2 torpedos 1 or 2 20mm cannons and 43Knots.


Ciao
Luciano

Well, I'm partial to Higgins boats myself (maybe the Louisiana connection ) But the sight of an ELCO cutting across the water stirs the blood in this ol' gator.

I'm partial to the early elco. That clean front deck and when she kicks in ....I love those old war movies PT 109, In Harm's Way, They Were Expendable

I like the USN PCFs. My father in law served on two, the 41 and 36 boats out of Cam Rahn Bay. I have a great photo of the 36 boat coming into port.

Well hello there, Mr. Arthur!
Glad to see that yer still out there, mate, hope to see you around more (I know you're busy), take care!
~Mark

Hey Mark!

Things are starting to wind down for the start of winter, so maybe I can haunt the docks here at MSW.

Hey all for the small boats my all time fav would have to be the S-100


See that coming at you and there is no way you can't feel intimidated.

This is my father in law's boat PCF 36 Cam Ranh Bay 1968-69. He also served on the 44 boat.

Very cool Steve. I'm working on one of these for the Riverine campaign.

I saw that you were. I was going to mention, that they painted over the galley windows on purpose. ( but you probably know that) During Operation Market Time, they also added black paint to the haze gray to make it much darker. John said that when they painted theirs, they were fairly drunk and they added to much black and they just shot the paint over all the fittings, including the life preserver and raft. However, he said in the S.E.Asian sun, it didn't take it long to fade.