Gunboats and Monitors

"Husimi(2)" Class GunBoats

 

PG53 Vixen

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Shown here are five of the armed yachts together, at Sydney, N.S. IN 1941. From left to right: HMCS Husky, Caribou, Reindeer, Raccoon, taken from Elk.​

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There are a couple common systems for transliterating Japanese into Latin characters. The one that looks most familiar to most of us is the Hepburn system, but in 1937 the Japanese backed a different system, Kunrei, which prompted a change of spelling in naval literature. Kunrei remained the primary system only until 1945-ish. So when you look at a Jane's or similar guide for the war years, you'll find odd entries like the battleships Huso and Mutu or the cruisers Tokai and Hurutaka. In this case, Husimi is the wartime spelling that equals the Hepburn system's Fushimi.

 

Thanks for that info Tiornu.

 

U-441 as a U-Flak boat

 

Japanese Army SB-C type




length: 10,6 m
width: 2,44 m
weight: 3,75 t
loading capacity: 3 t or 30 soldiers
engine: 1 X gasoline, later diesel with 60 hp
maximum speed: 10 kts
armament (IJN only): 1 X Type L 7,7 mm MG, later type 92 7,7 mm MG on the bow

It had a steel motorboat-type hull with a freeboard of 1,2 m and a spiral screw, which was useful to avoid the obstacles in the water. It was a reliable vessel and good in mobility. Shohatsu was widely used in China and in the early Pacific War. Some 1000 were built until 1943 and mainly used by IJA (IJN only bought 20).

 

Finnish VMV class patrol boat

 

World War II and the USS Asheville

During WWII, Asheville’s tragedy and pride came in the form of a small but brave patrol gunboat, the USS Asheville PG-21. Commissioned in 1920, she spent the larger part of her service as part of the Asiatic Fleet at the outbreak of WWII. She was on patrol in the Philippines when Pearl Harbor was attacked on the 8th of December 1941, and escaped early destruction by making a 12 day, 2000 mile voyage to the south coast of Java. The Japanese victory in the Battle of the Java Sea hastened her retreat, but hampered with engine troubles and sailing alone, impending disaster surely became her fate. The USS Asheville try as she might, strained to reach the safety of Australia but on March 3, 1942 a Japanese Squadron sunk the poor USS gunboat. One sole survivor, Fred Brown from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, suffered the end of his days as a P.O.W. For her bravery and service the USS Asheville received one battle star and was one of the few American surface ships lost with no known survivors at the end of the war.

1940-1980 Asheville History - World War II (WWII), the Grove Arcade, and the Appalachian Trail

 

A lot of these gunboats have a larger displacement, length and beam then did the Flower class corvettes used by the RCN on Atlantic convoy duty, compairing these 2 for instanceFinnish coastal defence ship Väinämöinen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia the PG-53 Vixen in displacement was almost 3 times that of a corvettehttp://www.navsource.org/archives/12/09053.htm
and a Flower class corvette - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The Gruno class gunboat HNMS Gruno.
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Gruno and her sisters were designed to keep the coastline free from raiding destroyers, but by the time of WWII, they couldn't challenge a destroyer in speed or in firepower. Cute ships though.

 

I have to say so too

"HrMs Gruno managed to escape to the U.K. in May 1940. She served on local defence duties until 16 May 1944 when she was decommissioned for the final time and was laid up as an accommodation ship. She was sold for scrap in 1950."

 

HrMs Brinio (Lt.Cdr. Johannes Arnoldus Rauws) was damaged by German aircraft on 12 May 1940 and scuttled by her own crew in the IJselmeer on 14 May 1940.

and

HrMs Friso (Lt.Cdr. Johan Hendrik Philip van Rosevelt) was sunk on the IJsselmeer off Enkhuizen by German aircraft.

 

Armored Boat "AB-Tei"

Introduced Year : 1927 Weight : 30 ton Dimensions: 17.1 x 3.5 m Speed (max) : 13 knots Engine : Diesel Engine 350PS Crews : 13 men Production Qty :
AB-Tei is a fire-support vessel for the landing operation. It has three turret and each turret is equipped with one 57mm tank gun or one twin 7.7mm MG. Turrets and a steering house are covered with 6mm-thick armor.

AB-Tei was used for the landing operation and patrol in China and in the Pacific War.

AB-Tei

 

The Roberts class monitor HMS Roberts.

 

For some reason the HMS Roberts just looks so cluttered. So much on such a little ship.

 

I love the big-gun monitors. If you get an end-on photo, you can see how pudgy they were.

 

Yeah they always look to me like they were just big gun turrets with a ship attached LOL.