Overview
This describes the Fairmile B Motor Launch in-game, its historical significance, and its optimal setup.
The Real Life Vessel
The Fairmile B Motor Launch was a class of Motor Launch vessels designed and built by the British boatbuilders Fairmile Marine during World War II for the British navy for coastal operations. The vessel was designed in unison by both the Fairmile Marine and Bill Holt of the Admiralty which was based on a line of destroyer hulls. The design was also entirely made to be prefabricated allowing the separate parts to be built in civilian factories and then to be assembled in the shipyards.
Between 1940 to 1945 an approximate 650 were completed but they were very different from what we see in game. Instead of being focused on anti-air defense the vessels in reality were mainly built as submarine chasers armed with the QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss gun on the front deck, a single twin 0.303 inch machine gun, and 12 depth charges. While there were many, many more variations due to how easy it was to modify this vessel that was the dominate type.
Other types were torpedo boats, what we have in-game, hospital boats, and some purely built for anti-air with the 3-pounder removed.
Unlike we have in-game this vessel was only used by the Commonwealth, specifically the British (around 517), the Canadians (80), New Zealanders (12), Australians (35), and South Africans (6). The only non-Commonwealth members to have used this vessel were the Japanese (2) who acquired it after salvaging the hulls and the Italians (14) post-war.
The In-Game Vessel
In the game the Fairmale B Motor Launch, as it is called, is an patrol and anti-air vessel. It is a rare sight as are any naval battles and is thus largely an obscure vehicle to the common player. The weapons it has is a QF 3-pounder Vickers Gun on the front deck (47mm for non-British), a 20mm Oerlikon Light-Anti Aircraft Gun on the rear deck in the frontal position, a twin 20mm Oerlikon Light Anti-Aircraft Gun on the rear deck in the rear position, and two 0.303 Vickers Medium Machine Guns that flank the bridge of the vessel (7.7mm for non-British). In total there are eight possible crew positions to man including the five gunners positions and the three crew positions on the bridge.
Even though it is a smaller vessel than the destroyer it is slower than it by nearly half, obtaining only 25 knots compared to the 40 knots of the J-K class Destroyer and the 20 knots of the freighter further made less obvious by it weighing only 35.3 tons compared to the destroyer’s 1,811 tons.
This makes it a less than ideal raider and more prove to being hit by shore-based fire.
Optimal Setup
At the least two crewmembers would be required to man this vessel effectively with one driving and the other manning the guns. These positions should take priority ordered from most important to least:
- Commander (Driver)
- Forward Gunner (3-inch)
- Rear Rear Gunner (Twin 20mm)
- Rear Forward Gunner (Single 20mm)
- Left/Right Spotter (Other Bridge Position)
- Right/Left Spotter (Other Bridge Position)
- Left/Right Vickers Gunner (0.303 Vickers)
- Right/Left Vickers Gunner (0.303 Vickers)
The responsibilities are listed below:
- Commander: The Commander is reponsible for driving the vessel and being the one to spawn it. He has the final say in where the vessel goes and when and where the gunners shoot. He takes advice from his spotters when needed and let them find the vessels and advise him on the whereabouts of friendly and enemy vessels. To turn the boat on you press ‘E’. To switch between a ‘break’ and ‘ahead’ movement the ‘[‘ and ‘]’ keys are pressed like the gears of a land vehicle. After it is put in ‘ahead’ then the ‘W’ and ‘S’ keys are used to move the boat forward and to stop the boat respectfully. To fully stop the boat it is recommended to press ‘S’, ‘[‘ and ‘E’. This position is selected by pressing ‘1’.
- Forward Gunner: The Forward Gunner mans the QF 3-inch Vickers Gun and is the only defense against armoured targets, land-based targets, and other seafaring vessels which requires great precision in the handling of the gun. By default the gun carries 30 AP rounds and 70 HE rounds requiring the gunner to spare the AP rounds for the necessary targets and practicing restraint as to what he fires at. To go in sights press ‘Del’ or ‘.’ on your NumPad. This position is selected by pressing ‘3’.
- Rear Rear Gunner: The Rear Rear Gunner mans the Twin 20mm Oerlikon Light Anti-Aircraft Gun and is the greatest defense against air targets. The gun carries 18 drums of 40 rounds each, consuming 2 rounds each time the gun is fired off. The 2x20mm rounds are flak rounds that automatically detonate at a certain distance and are extremely effective against aircraft. To go in sights press ‘Del’ or ‘.’ on your NumPad. This position is selected by pressing ‘6’.
- Rear Forward Gunner: The Rear Forward Gunner mans te Single 20mm Oerlikon Light Anti-Aircraft Gun and is the second defense against air targets. While not as effective as the Twin, when used in unison the two guns would make short work of any aircraft.The gun carries 18 drums of 40 rounds each, consuming 1 round each time the gun is fired off. The 2x20mm rounds are flak rounds that automatically detonate at a certain distance and are extremely effective against aircraft. To go into sights press ‘Del’ or ‘.’ on your NumPad. This position is selected by pressing ‘4’.
- Spotter: The Spotter (of which there are two) look for enemy and friendly units. They are the greatest aid in spotting and are the only ones on the vessel equipped with binoculars. They advise Commander and the Gunners on where to pay attention and where to shoot. To go into scope press ‘Del’ or ‘.’ on your Numpad. This position is selected by pressing ‘2’ or ‘5’.
- Vickers Gunner: Arguably the most pointless position but effective if used right, the Vickers Gunner (of which there are two) man the 0.303 Vickers Medium Machine Guns. They are the greatest defense against any close-ranged raids by other Motor Launches taking down the crewmembers and also aid in assaulting infantry on the shore and air targets. The gun carries 14 drums of 100 rounds each. To go into sights press ‘Del’ or ‘.’ on your NumPad. This position is selected by pressing ‘7’ or ‘8’.