Dark class fast patrol boat

Class overview
Name:	Dark class fast patrol boat
Builders:	Saunders-Roe Vosper & Company Taylor, Chertsey McGruer & Co Ltd, Clynder Miller, St.Monance Thornycroft Morgan Giles, Teignmouth
Operators:	Royal Navy  Burma Navy  Finnish Navy  Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Preceded by:	Gay-class fast patrol boat
Succeeded by:	Brave-class fast patrol boat
Built:	1954–1958
In commission:	1954–1971
Planned:	35
Completed:	26
Cancelled:	9
Active:	0
Retired:	26
General characteristics
Type:	Fast patrol boat
Displacement:	50 long tons (51 t) (standard) 64 long tons (65 t) (deep)
Length:	71 ft 8 in (21.84 m)
Beam:	19 ft 5 in (5.92 m)
Draught:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Propulsion:	2 shafts, Napier Deltic 18 cylinder two-stroke opposed-piston diesels
Speed:	40 knots (46 mph; 74 km/h)
Complement:	15
Armament:	Either: 1 x 40mm guns 4 x 21-inch torpedoes Or: 1 x 40mm gun 1 x 4.5-inch gun

The Dark class, or Admiralty "Type A", were a class of eighteen fast patrol boats that served with the United Kingdom's Royal Navy starting in 1954.^[1] All were named with a prefix of 'Dark'. The class could be fitted as either motor gun boats or motor torpedo boats, depending on the type of armament carried. They were the only diesel engined fast patrol boats in the Royal Navy.^[2][3] The class was fitted (along with the Nasty class) with the Napier Deltic two-stroke diesel engine.^[1] This was of unique layout, an opposed-piston engine with a triangular layout of three banks, 18 cylinders in total.

Construction

The boats were made of alloy framing with wooden decks and skin. The exception was Dark Scout which had all aluminium decks, skins and frames.^[2] Originally 27 units were ordered by the admiralty from seven builders. Nine were eventually cancelled in 1955, including Dark Horseman which at the time was partially completed and on the stocks in the builders yard.^[4]

The all-aluminium version was exported to Burma (five units), Finland (two units), and Japan (one unit) by builders Saunders-Roe.^[4]

Design

Having not used diesel engines on a boat of this type before, it wasn't known during construction just how dirty the boats would get because of the exhaust fumes. Originally launched in the normal Royal Navy grey, they eventually had to have their hulls painted completely black in order to cover up the staining by the emissions from the exhaust.^[2] However for a short while they tested a half grey/half black combination.^[5]

Fate

An Admiralty decision in 1957 took nearly all fast patrol boats out of commission, with nine of the new Dark-class to be laid up. On 20 December 1960, the Admiralty state that the Coastal Forces would not be completely abandoned in case it needed to be expanded in the future. A special boat squadron was nominated, however it did not include any of the Dark-class.^[6]

Several of the ships were sold to Wessex Power Units for sale onto the Italian Customs Service in February 1966. Two were used for target practice, with Dark Gladiator sunk by HMS Amazon and HMS Naiad off Portland in December 1975.^[7] At least two, Dark Clipper and Dark Fighter, managed to survive up to as recently as June 2001 when they were broken up in Malta.^[8][9]

Legacy

The Dark-class would be the final commission of this quantity for patrol boats of this size and speed. The following classes had greatly reduced numbers with the Brave-class numbering only two vessels and Scimitar-class numbering only three.

A similar hull design was used by Saunders-Roe in a prototype, the R-103, which led to the development of the experimental hydrofoil, HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400), for the Royal Canadian Navy.^[10][11]

Ships

Operator	Name	Pennant	Builder	Launched	Fate
Royal Navy	Saunders-Roe	28 October 1954	Sold January 1970
Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Vosper & Company	30 September 1954	Sold February 1966
Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Thornycroft	16 May 1957	Sold February 1966
Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Burma Navy		T201	Saunders-Roe
Burma Navy		T202	Saunders-Roe
Burma Navy		T203	Saunders-Roe
Burma Navy		T204	Saunders-Roe
Burma Navy		T205	Saunders-Roe
Finnish Navy	Vasama I		Saunders-Roe
Finnish Navy	Vasama II		Saunders-Roe
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force		PT9	Saunders-Roe

Cancelled ships

Operator	Name	Builder
Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	Royal Navy	edit] Notes ^ a b c Here and There. "A 2,500 hp Two-stroke" (PDF). Flight: 392. 2 April 1954. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954%20-%200870.html. Retrieved 23 December 2009. "POWERING H.M. fast patrol boat Dark Hunter, launched on March 18th, is a Napier Deltic engine. An opposed-piston two-stroke diesel, it develops 2,500 s.h.p.; its power/weight ratio (4.2 lb/h.p.) is said to be the highest ever achieved in a marine diesel."  ^ a b c Olver, Jeremy. "Dark Class Fast Patrol Boats". http://www.btinternet.com/~warship/Postwar/Patrol/dark.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  ^ "Naval Review Vol.67 No.2 April 1979". p. Page 113, Paragraph 2. http://www.naval-review.org/pasp/..%5Cissues%5C1979-2.pdf. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  ^ a b Simons, Philip. "Dark Class". British Military Powerboat Trust. http://www.bmpt.org.uk/boat%20histories/Dark%20Class/. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  ^ Else, Ted. "Dark Class Page 2". British Military Powerboat Trust. http://www.bmpt.org.uk/boat%20histories/Dark%20Class/index2.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  ^ "Coastal Forces of World War II". Coastal Forces Heritage Trust. http://www.dameland.org.uk/history.html. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  ^ "HMS Dark Gladiator". Oldships.org.uk. http://www.oldships.org.uk/SHIPS/SHIP_DETAILS/DARK-GLADIATOR_DETAIL.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  ^ "HMS Dark Clipper". Oldships.org.uk. http://www.oldships.org.uk/SHIPS/SHIP_DETAILS/DARK-CLIPPER_DETAIL.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  ^ "BMPT Forum: Dark Identity". British Military Powerboat Trust. http://www.bmpt.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=11&PN=1. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  ^ "Canada Science and Technology Museum". http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/collection/innovation02.cfm. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  ^ Else, Ted. "Dark Class Page 3". British Military Powerboat Trust. http://www.bmpt.org.uk/boat%20histories/Dark%20Class/index3.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  References Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.  "Hansard, 11 March 1977 - Disposal list of RN ships from 1967 to 1976". http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1977/mar/11/warships. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  "Dark Class". Oldships.org.uk. http://www.oldships.org.uk/SHIPS/TYPE_LIST/SMALL_SHIPS/Dark_Class.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-09.  Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат? 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