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Vessels Illustrated
CSS David - CSS H.L. Hunley - CSS Squib - USS Spuyten Duyvil - SMS TB S.33 - HM TB T.85 - USS Winslow - HM CMB.4 - Italian MAS.15 - USS Shearer - Russian Torpedo Cutter G.5 - US PT.34 - Italian MAS.451 - HM MGB.81 - HM MTB.234 - German S.100
plus the amazing German Type 5B
1863 - CSS David
The CSS David was the first vessel designed specifically from the keel up as a torpedo boat, and the first in naval history to explode a torpedo against the side of an enemy ship. On that night of October 5, 1863, the USS New Ironsides was placed out of action for almost two years.
1864 - CSS H.L. Hunley
The first successful sinking of an enemy vessel by a submarine was carried out on a cold and moonlit night in February, 1864. The craft accomplishing this extraordinary feat was the CSS H.L. Hunley. In just five minutes after the torpedo exploded against her side, the USS Housatonic, a 1,240 ton, 207 foot steam sloop of war, was resting on the ocean floor. Naval warfare would never be the same again.
1864 - CSS Squib
On the night of April 9, 1864 Lt. Hunter Davidson, CSN and a crew of six men in a small armored launch, successfully attacked the 265-foot, 47-gun, USS Minnesota in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The small 53-pound, soar mounted torpedo struck the Minnesota amidships creating havoc and despair among the Minnesota's crew. While the Minnesota was not severely damaged, the threat of small, fast boats with their deadly cargo of torpedoes was firmly established.
1864 - USS Spuyten Duyvil
The Spuyten Duyvil was a true armored warship unlike the smaller CSS David - the South's first torpedo boat. While the David could only be deployed for several hours at a time, the Spuyten Duyvil could go for eight days with adequate food and water for nine men. It could carry several torpedoes allowing for it to make multiple attacks. The most remarkable feature of the ship was the ability, by separately driven engine pumps, to raise and lower herself in the water. She could change her draft by a full 3? 5-1/2.? This design also ensured the complete sound proofing of the boat. Spuyten Duyvil?s only combat action was the battle of Trent?s Reach in the closing days of the Civil War.
1887 - SMS Torpedo Boat S.33
1889 - HM Torpedo Boat T.85
1897 - USS Winslow (Torpedo Boat No. 5)
USS Winslow was built at Baltimore, Maryland and commissioned on 29 December 1897 at the Norfolk Navy Yard. She was named in honor of John Ancrum Winslow, captain of USS Kearsarge during her battle with the Confederate raider Alabama. In 1898 the United States and Spain were at war. On 11 May, Winslow, patrolling the northern coast of Cuba, proceeded to Cardenas. There, the commanding officer of USS Wilmington took his ship--escorted by Winslow and the US revenue cutter Hudson--into the harbor in search of Spanish gunboats. Entering the harbor, Winslow was investigating a small Spanish steamer when a shot from the enemy's bow gun signaled the beginning of combat. Winslow responded with her 1-pounders, but enemy batteries ashore opened fire. The first shot to hit Winslow destroyed her steering gear. Another shot knocked the port main engine out of commission. She maneuvered with her remaining engine and maintained return fire. At this point, fire from Wilmington and Hudson put the Spanish gunboat out of action and quieted the shore batteries. Hudson towed the disabled Winslow out of harm's way. One of the last Spanish shells to strike the torpedo boat killed Ensign Worth Bagley - the first naval officer killed in the Spanish-American War. Winslow's commanding officer and a number of others in her crew were wounded. Winslow was placed out of commission at Boston in 1909.
1916 - HM Coastal Motor Boat CMB.4
1916 - Italian Navy Motorbarca Anti-Sommergibile MAS.15
The MAS 15 gave Italy one of its best known naval hero?s of the First World War. The MAS 15 and 21 made an attack on an Austrian anchorage near Premuda Island and sank the battleship Szent Istvan one of the largest battleships in the Austro-Hungarian fleet.
1918 - American-designed Shearer, one man torpedo boat
The Shearer torpedo boat was a one-of-a-kind design that showed little promise from its inception. It was an interesting idea but was impractical. It was to be of wood construction with a 35 hp petrol engine and carry one man and one torpedo. It was slow, the small engine did not promise success, and it came too late in the Great War for the U.S. Navy to seriously consider the boat for construction. Shearer also submitted designs in the 1930?s and in 1942.
1934 - Russian Navy Tupolev Torpedo Cutter G.5
The Soviet Tupolev G-5 torpedo boat was one of the most unique designs among ships of World War II. The father of the G-5 was eminent aircraft designer, Professor Andrey N. Tupolev. While smaller than any other torpedo boat in any navy, it attained a brilliant war record and the courage of its crew was legendary.
1941 - US Patrol Torpedo Boat PT.34
PT-34 of MTB Squadron 3 was one of six PT boats that represented the entire fighting American Navy in December 1941. The 84 officers and enlisted men of the PT boat squadron went to war against the Japanese Pacific forces. PT-34 met its end on April 9, 1942. After surviving an attack the day before against Japanese destroyers and a cruiser, she was again attacked by four Japanese floatplanes. All boats of MTB Squadron 3 were lost.
1941 - Italian Navy Motorbarca Anti-Sommergibile MAS.451
The Italian Navy line of fast attack torpedo boats (MAS) were perhaps the most well designed and thoroughly tested small boats of any navy. Their design was constantly refined from 1881-1941 giving the boat builders and crews decades of practical experience.
1942 - HM Motor Gun Boat MGB.81
1942 - HM Motor Torpedo Boat MTB.234, Vosper-type
The Vosper MTB crews had confidence in their boats, which were known for good sea keeping abilities, high speed and sound construction. As the war progressed, radar and heavier weapons made the Vosper boats even more formidable. The boats and crews had a sterling record while enduring incredible hardships.
1943 - German Schnellboot S.100
German S-boats of World War II were among the best small combatant vessels ever produced. The armament carried by the S-boats gave them almost the same firepower as that of a destroyer and specially developed paint schemes rendered them almost impossible to see at night. The S-boat had a cruising range of 700-750 miles with speeds from 39-43.5 knots.
1945 - planned German Type 5B
(click images for enlargements)
Germany started hydrofoil designs in 1909, continued through to 1945, and was the only country to have hydrofoil boats in operation in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas. Officially known as Hydrofoil Klein-Schnellboot, designed by Schiffbau-Ingenieur F.H. Wendel, his line of boats all proved successful. His design was finally tested in 1952 when it gave an outstanding performance.
Type 5B Specifications:
Dimensions - length 45.93ft; beam 9.84ft, 18.37ft over jets; draft 10.17ft floating, 2.95ft suspended
Engines: cruising, maneuvering 2-600hp, fighting 2-800 hp, jets: 2-1450kgp static thrust
Speed - cruising 25 knots, all engines except jets 53 knots, maximum with all engines 65 knots
Range - 600nm
Armament - 2 torpedoes and 10 depth charges OR 3 torpedoes, 5-8.6cm rockets (3-forward firing, 2-rearward), 1-1.3cm MG, 1-1.2cm Quad MG.
Crew - 6/8
Joe continues:
The Type 5b project was just getting started when the war ended. The designer of the boat ran a small replica (enclosed 4 passenger) that hit 50 knots in the 50's and could have gone faster if desired. The American Navy Hydrofoil program came from all of the technology we took as war prizes from Germany. The big problem was that little worked for us as it did for the Germans. This includes the S-boots that the U.S. Navy tried to recreate, but they could never get the Lurseen Effect Rudders to work, so the American boats were always slower. The Type 5B would have been a devastating attack boat with a great deal of armament and a speed of 60+knots. (See http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/TR.htm.)
The Germans also built a model that was a submersible complete with periscope but not a true submarine. It was designed to lay and wait in shallow water and strike once enemy surface vessels came within range. (See http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/VS 5.htm)
ABOUT JOE HINDS
(click images for enlargements)
Joe Hinds has been illustrating works of military interest for more than 40 years. His current project, The Ship Killers, is a history of the torpedo boat from its earliest development to the fulfillment of its potential in World War II.
Mr. Hinds served as an illustrator in the United States Marines and the United States Navy from 1965 to 1980 and again in the Naval Reserves from 1990 to 1996 in support of Operations of Desert Shield and Desert Storm. During his military career he served on the aircraft carriers USS Coral Sea and USS Enterprise and later at the Naval Weapons Test Center, Port Hueneme, California. He also worked on the first cruise missile tests in what would become the Tomahawk program.
Mr. Hinds grew up in Needles, California. In this desert river town he was greatly influenced by the National Speed Boat Races. These events featured small, fast boats that were civilian echoes of the torpedo boats of the world?s navies. Here in Needles Joe also began to draw at any early age as he grew up admiring the celebrities of the time like Elvis Presley, James Dean and Steve McQueen.
Mr. Hinds has been involved in both technical and editorial illustration. His career includes working in the business community as an independent graphics project manager, illustrator and designer for American Honda Motor Company, British Petroleum/HITCO, Martin Marietta, Grey Advertising, BBDO Los Angeles and others. His art has appeared in magazines such as Private Pilot, Plane and Pilot, Cycle World, White Mane Publishing, Civil War Times Illustrated, America In WWII and others.
In pursuit of historical accuracy, he has been fortunate to work with distinguished authors and historians such as, Dana Wegner, Chip Marshall, Al Ross, John Lambert, R. Thomas Campbell, Donald Barnhart and Bob Holcombe. Mr. Hinds has also worked closely with Jeff Johnston, Program Specialist and Dr. John Broadwater, Manager of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary-NOAA. This collaborative effort led to illustrations of the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (ex-Merrimack). These illustration, sold as prints, show numerous details of these two historic vessels that have never been shown before. It is believed by all associated with Mr. Hinds that these are the most historically correct renderings to this date. Mr. Hinds will start work on a project for John Broadwater. NOAA/USS Monitor Museum, in producing archival illustrations, of some of the 2,000 artifacts recovered from the Monitor wreck site off South Carolina, for Mr. Broadwaters book on the history of the Monitors resurrection. and preservation.
Mr. Hinds? illustrations of several Civil War vessels appeared In Civil War Times magazine from 1999 to 2006. At that same time he began work with the Discovery Channel to produce an accurate illustration of the US Navy Civil War submarine Alligator. This art was used in their TV special, ?Hunt for the USS Alligator?. This illustration was produced with the aid of master model builders and submarine historians, a necessity since no contemporary plans or photographs of the Alligator exist. The final product produced by Mr. Hinds was used in television productions, posters and other products.
Most recently, Mr. Hinds had the pleasure of seeing his illustration of the US Navy TB-5 Winslow, 1887, permanently installed in the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. This will accompany the four other illustration of his illustrations that the museum owns.
Mr. Hinds is well underway in producing the first comprehensive treatment of torpedo boats. This monumental research effort on the development of the torpedo boat in the world?s navies has produced a series of illustrations and narrative accounts, as well as voluminous research files. One part of the effort, the story of PT-34, recently appeared in the magazine America in World War II.
By combining his avocation for naval history with his vocation in illustrating, Mr. Hinds continues to make lasting contributions to the history of the world?s navies.
Most of these prints plus others can be purchased from HistoryNetShop
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