CSS TS-01 (TB-1936)

Back to Condfederate States List

By treaty ships under 600 tons were free of number or tonnage restrictions. Your country could build as many ships as it liked under 600 tons standard. The problem most countries had was that building a useful ship under 600 tons was an awkward proposition. Most countries tried and gave up. The CS Navy went at the problem from a different direction. What sort of ship under 600 tons did they most need around their coasts and harbours.

As part of its postwar reparations package the CS Navy had received 2 of the German A class torpedo boats. And while those ships were of little value to the navy a more modern, faster and larger type would be suitable. The area of operations that the CSN thought these ships would be most suitable for was in the narrow channels and small isles surrounding the Phillipines area. The Carribean was also a popular posting for these ships.

To get away from the 'PT' type designation the CSN terrmed these vessels 'Torpedo Ships' (TS) as they were full ships even if they were classed among the Mosquito Fleet. With five torpedo tubes (1 set of 3, and 2 singles in the bow), the bow tubes carried a reload torpedo, there was no doubt where its teeth were for attacking ships.

The first two suadrons had been laid down and the earliest models had been completed when it was found that when the ships were running in on their attack runs at full speed in anything but a dead calm the forward 40mm cannon was unable to be tended as the mounting was washed out. To cover this the 3rd squadron onwards were given a tub gun arrangement that raised the 40mm up one level.

High speed was necessary for its duties and while 34 knots was only equivalent to what a destroyer might make, the manouverability of these ships was better than a destroyers. 

With the outbreak of war for the CSN, the 6 squadrons of TS ships were situated 4 in the Philipines and 2 in the Carribean. The 2 squadrons in the Carribean were transferred to the United Kingdom and spent their time fighting E and A boats in the English Channel and escorting coastal convoys. The Philipines squadrons had a very hard time with the Japanese light forces and were forced further and further back with the remaining ships operating out of Darwin and the Solomons where they were joined by the first of the 49 type of new war built vessels. These ships did away with the 3" which had been found to be to slow firing at the speed of night action these ships mainly undertook. The single 40mm was also replaced with a twin 40mm which gave one twin fore and aft and 4 single 20mm on the broadside. The new ships also for the first time were fitted with half a dozen depth charges for use against surface and sub-surface targets.

The final version which started arriving in Pacific and European Theaters was the 63 type which replaced the single 20mm with a single 40mm each side and increased the engine power for a faster top speed.

Back to Condfederate States List