GRN SRL-01 (SB-1937-44)
A fleet of small fast torpedo boats were felt to be the Galician Navies best way of providing an attack force for the Black and Adriatic Seas. Both seas shared similar characteristics being small bodies of water not hugely affected by tides and weather where small ships could be put to their full use. The Galician Navy watched with interest the German trials with their Schnellboote series and ordered a complete unit and the license to build more. The new ship arrived at Constanta in an unarmed state and was armed with Galician weapons.
The first series of 1 German built and 45 Galician built vessels were completed 1937 to 1943. The first of the new type 23 (24 total) were also received in 1940 with production proceeding till 1944. The first series was originally armed with a 13.2mm machine gun in the nose position, a 20mm cannon in the mid-boat mounting and a single 37mm mounting in a tub arrangement at the stern. The final boats of the type 01 were armed with a 20mm in the nose position, a 20mm mounting on either side of the boat at the mid section and a twin 37mm in the stern tub. The type 23 early models were as shown with a twin 20mm forward, two single mid-section mountings and an 88mm Flak36 at the stern. The size of the type 23 had been enlarged specifically to take the larger gun. Such a large gun was queried by the Navy personnel who felt that such a gun would be two slow firing and slow to maneuver in the close in actions that the SRL boats usually undertook. However a bit of training on the 88 showed how versatile the weapon was with a rate of fire of up to 16 rpm with one hit from an 88 usually taking care of an enemy MTB (we love explosions).
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SRL = Fast torpedo ship |
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| Displacement | S01 - 95 tons std 105 tons full load / S23 104 tons std 119 tons full load | |
| Length | S01 - 117 ft / S23 - 127 ft | |
| Breadth | S01 - 17 ft / S23 - 19 ft | |
| Draught | S01 - 5 ft / S23 - 6 ft | |
| Machinery | Both - 2 shaft DB Diesels, 6,000bhp | |
| Speed | S01 - 38 knots / S23 - 35 1/2 knots | |
| Range | 1500 miles at 22 knots (700 at 35 knots) | |
| Armour | nil | |
| Armament | S01 Type 1 or 2 x 37mm (1x2 or 1x1) 2 or 3 x 20mm (2/3x1) |
S23 Type 1 x 88mm (1x1) 4 x 20 mm (1x2 2x1) |
| Torpedoes | 2 x 21" (2x1) 1 reload per tube | |
| Complement | S01 - 21 / S23 - 24 | |
| Notes | GRN S01 to S70 | |
First version of RSL boats with mg forward and 37mm aft - note canvas down the side to hide spare torpedos and other details. Twin 20mm mounting from S23 type.
First of the new type 23's hits the water.
