The failure of MAS?

[Dili]

I am checking the MAS successes and seldom they have been efficient where it appear they should in Sicilian channel.

- MAS 532 hits Sydney Star in Operation Substance July 41

- some eventual success in operation Pedestal.

I know that Italians considered MAS a bad sea boat hence the reason they adopted the German build hull of Yugoslav torpedo boats that originated the MS boat.

 

[1089maul]

Afternoon Dili,
If you get a chance the read the book The Regia Marina’s MAS Boats 1915-1945 by T Garth Connelly. It gives a concise history and development of the boats including their operational deployment. Unfortunately I cannot attach a photo of the book!
Their success can be considered sporadic not due to the bravery of their crews but more to their standard and deployment. You may know that they had successes as far away as the Black Sea against the Russian Navy!
Regards to all,
Bob

 

[Dili]

Hi Bob,

What do you mean by standard and deployment?

For example i think as to be expected some success at time of Crete with boats from Dodecanese.

 

[1089maul]

Dili,
Sorry for the confusion. By standard I mean their quality. Similar to the submarines, there are many classes of MAS, some good and some not so. When deployed aggressively on the offensive they achieved success but appear to have been utilised for local patrols and on occasions as escorts.
Bob

 

[Dili]

Ok thanks Bob.

 

[Wargames]

MAS boats were effective only a few months out of the year (generally from June to the end of October). They were also limited to doing their hunting off of lighthouses by which to see by. Although equipped with electric motors and hydrophones to listen for British transports, if they heard one and started the pursuit engines, it drowned out the hydrophones which then became useless. Finally, MAS boats operated in squadrons of four able to launch 8 torpedoes. My studies show they needed 10 torpedoes for a hit. Close, but no cigar.

 

[Wargames]

I have a question 1089maul or someone else might be able to answer. MAS boats could reach Grand Harbor, Malta. There, British transport convoys would arrive at about midnight to avoid being bombed. Then they would enter the harbor one at a time, requiring about an hour each. During this period, they turned their searchlights on against MAS. However, British ship searchlight range on MAS was as little as 800 yards while MAS torpedo range was 2,000 yards.

Malta's radar could detect an MAS at 2,200 yards and turn on its searchlights, yet still not see the boat and so did not open fire. MAS under Malta searchlights could close to 2,000 yards (torpedo range) and still not be fired on. Yet I find no indication the MAS ever attacked (beyond an explosive boat attack).

It seems the MAS boats could put the British transports between themselves and Malta's radar (at least in 1940-41) to block detection, then used the transports own searchlights to target them at under 2,000 yard range.

So why didn't this happen?

 

[1089maul]

Wargames. From what I have read, the MAS were aggressively deployed against the French, in the Red Sea, the Black Sea, against convoys in The Med, and in the Aegean and Dodecanese areas. When it comes to Malta, it would appear they operated from Augusta with a brief of carrying out scouting missions and landing agents. Why I am not sure. It may be from ill fated mission against the Grand Harbour??? Regards, Bob

 

[Wargames]

Your info is correct. It seems they operated successfully everywhere but Malta. My research shows British ships and convoys traveled at night with lights off. MAS boats used the lights of lighthouses to find them. If the British passed between an MAS boat and a lighthouse, they would block the light and the Italians knew where they were. They could also get a hydrophone fix (At least until they started their own engines.). However, once they reached Malta at night, they turned their searchlights on before entering the harbor, looking for MAS boats. British searchlights were far more effective than American, using a "pointer" system. While better, Italian tests showed British searchlights still could not pick up an MAS boat at 2,000 yards (They did not try any closer in the tests because MAS boats were within torpedo attack range already at 2,000 yards.). Yet it is a fact Italian MAS boats did not like the quality of British pointer searchlights keeping them at 2,000 yards even though it was safe to attack. One attack was planned to get the British to turn off their lights by night bombing Malta (The British ships did turn off their searchlights under night bombing) allowing MAS boats to close to 800 yards and then use Malta's A/A searchlights to act as lighthouses for them to find their targets by. This was tried once but the timing between the MAS boats and bombers was off, and never tried again.

So it sounds like they could have attacked at 2,000 yards but never did. The new Italian submarine website states that attacking British merchant ships was a low priority. This is supported by the lack of attacks on empty British transports returning from Malta. However, this countered by their plan to attack a convoy in conjunction with a night bombing of Malta.

On average, British convoys arrived at Malta between 11:30 PM and 1:00 AM. Sunset was normally 8:00 PM and sunrise 5:00 AM. This allowed MAS boats operating out of Augusta, Sicily at 28 knots to arrive at 11:30 PM, or earlier, but would have to leave by 3:00 AM (and perhaps earlier) to reach the southern tip of Sicily by 5:00 AM. Time does not appear to have been an MAS boat problem. Hence, I am left asking my original question. If I had to guess why they didn't I'd say because they'd need two MAS squadrons (8 boats) to get one hit at 2,000 yards. One hit by a 450mm torpedo would not sink anything bigger than a destroyer. Hence, the need to get closer.