MT explosive motorboat

MT (Motoscafo da Turismo)
MT explosive motorboat
Type	Explosive motorboat
Place of origin	Italy
Service history
In service	1940–1949
Used by	Regia Marina  National Republican Navy  Israeli Navy
Wars	World War II 1948 Arab-Israeli War
Production history
No. built	approx. 20
Variants	MT MTM MTR
Specifications
Guidance system	Manually piloted with gyroscopic stabilisation and automatic running
Launch platform	Surface ship, submarine

The explosive motorboat MT (Motoscafo da Turismo) also known as barchino (Italian for "little boat"), was a series of small explosive motor boats developed by the Italian Royal Navy, which was based on its predecessors, the prototype boat MA (Motoscafo d'Assalto) and the MAT (Motoscafo Avio Trasportato), an airborne prototype. By the end of September 1938 the Navy Department ordered six explosive boats. The one-pilot vessels were built by the companies Baglietto of Varazze and CABI of Milan, which was also to supply the engines. The small vessels were used by the Italian Navy in at least two major operations in the Mediterranean theatre during World War II.

The first six boats were delivered in early 1939, immediately after which test trials were conducted off La Spezia. The MT explosive motorboat revealed some weaknesses. The deck was made of tarpaulins, which exposed the hull to leakage from splashing at high speed. The naval command demanded the addition of a solid wooden deck and a larger freeboard of 0.9 m (later enlarged to 1.1 m) and sent the boats and machine parts back to the manufacturer so that they could implement the requirements. In March 1939, the Navy Department ordered a further 12 explosive boats, increasing the total number to 18.

The 18 motor boats were not operational until November 1940, when a full trial was carried out with a reduced warhead against the old World War I scout cruiser Quarto. That was just six months after Italy's entry into World War II as an ally of Nazi Germany. More extensive testing before the official line-up showed once again that the boat's operational performance was limited. Therefore, an improved sea-going version was designed, the MTM (Motoscafo da Turismo Modificato), which also included a reverse gear.

The MTs had a length of 5.62 m and a beam of 1.62 m. They were propelled by a 95 horsepower Alfa Romeo AR 6cc outboard motor and developed a maximum speed of 33 knots at full load. The boats were specially equipped to be launched from a surface mother ship and then make their way through obstacles such as torpedo nets. The pilot would steer the assault craft on a collision course at his target ship, and then would jump from his boat before impact and warhead detonation. The pilot's cockpit was at the rear, in order to ensure an even distribution of weight with the 330 kg explosive charge inside the bow. The motor boat was designed to make a silent approach to a moored warship, set a collision course and run into full gear until the last 200 or 100 yards to the target, when the pilot would eject after blocking the rudder. At impact, the hull would be broken amidships by a small explosive charge, sinking the boat and the warhead, which was fitted with a water-pressure fuse set to go off at a depth of one metre.