Holt combined a destroyer style bow with a Fairmile style stern, working with Fairmile from 1940 to develop a structure suitable for pre-fabrication. There was a supply of Packard engines due to lend-Lease and these were arranged as two pairs in the engine room expected to give a top speed of 31 knots.
1941 Original Programme The first twelve boats were ordered on 15 March 1941, becoming
MGB 601 to
MGB 612. Six weeks later, another 28 boats were ordered on 27 April 1941, as
MGB 613 to
MGB 616, and
ML 617 to
ML 640, although these MLs were quickly reclassed as MGBs. The prefix for all boats (except early losses 622, 631 and 639) was reclassed from "MGB" to "MTB" in September 1943. Eight of these boats (nos.
618,
619,
620,
623,
625,
626,
627 and
631) were handed over to the
Royal Norwegian Navy in 1942, manned by free Norwegian personnel and formed into the 30th MTB Flotilla under Lt. Ragnvald Tamber. After being worked up at HMS
Bee shore base at Weymouth, they were based at Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, and deployed for numerous operations along the Norwegian coast.
MTB 631 was captured by the Germans in March 1943 and replaced by
MTB 653. The last eight of the programme (boats nos.
633 to
640) were chosen for Mediterranean operations; they were worked up at HMS
Bee at Weymouth before proceeding to Milford Haven, where they were formed into a new 32nd MTB Flotilla under the command of Lt. P. E. Stewart Gould; they were fitted with extra temporary fuel tanks bolted to the upper deck (raising their fuel capacity by 3,000 gallons to 8,000 gallons of 100 octane petrol for the long passage to the Mediterranean), and proceeded in groups to Gibraltar in March/April 1943.
1941 Supplemental Programme A further 60 boats were ordered in November 1941, numbered from 641 up to 700, of which 16 ordered on 18 November had the prefix of "MGB" (numbers 641 to 648, 657 to 663, and 674), and 44 ordered on 28 November originally had the prefix of "ML" (numbers 649 to 656, 664 to 673, and 675 to 700), although the MLs were quickly reclassed as MGBs. All of these (except early losses) were reclassed as "MTB" in September 1943. However, from No. 697 onwards, the boats were classified as combined "MTB"/"MGB"s. As with the final eight boats of the preceding programme, 24 boats were chosen for Mediterranean operations; they were worked up at HMS
Bee at Weymouth before proceeding to Milford Haven, where they were formed into three new flotillas as follows (with initial flotilla commanders in parentheses): • 19th MGB Flotilla (under Lt E.M. ("Mickey") Thorpe): boats nos.
641 to
648 inclusive. • 33rd MTB Flotilla (under Lt-Cmdr Ronald R. W. Ashby): boats nos.
649,
651,
654,
655,
656,
665,
667 and
670. • 20th MGB Flotilla (under Lt-Cmdr Norman H. Hughes): boats nos.
657 to
663 inclusive, plus
674 (although
674 only joined later). As before, they were fitted with extra temporary fuel tanks bolted to the upper deck (raising their fuel capacity by 3,000 gallons to 8,000 gallons of 100 octane petrol for the long passage to the Mediterranean), and proceeded in groups to Gibraltar in March/April 1943. Note: (a) 674 was the final boat ordered as a MGB, and is thus shown out of numerical sequence.
1942 Original Programme Another 23 boats were ordered on 7 April 1942 as
MTB 701 to
MTB 723.
1942 Supplemental Programme Another 48 boats were ordered on 30 August 1942 as
MTB 724 to
MTB 771.
1943 Programme Finally, 58 more were ordered on 26 March 1943 as
MTB 772 to
MTB 800, and
MTB 5001 to
MTB 5029 (although
MTB 5027 was cancelled, the only Fairmile order not to be built). ==History==