What do we think of the idea of Australia and New Zealand investing in a torpedo/gun boat design to be mass produced if needed?
I like it. Something like the larger 80+ foot long American boats for longer ranged work and a smaller -60Foot long craft for things like harbor defense. Ideally make it structurally in such a way that it can take multiple different armament packages. Even better if you can modularly swap out the armament packages in existing craft. I was thinking it could come in three main packages. One a Sub chaser equipped with depth charges (or preferably one of the anti submarine mortar designs that later popped up). Another a TP boat equipped with torpedo tubes and a couple of heavy machine guns/light auto cannon. And a third version as a designated gunboat without depth charges or torpedo tubes. Instead the armament is a mix and match of machine guns, auto cannon, mortars, rocket launchers, and some sort of larger modified AT gun. Something like a 6 Pounder AT gun in the front (similar to the US 37mm AT guns located on some torpedo boats.).
For a typical package I'm thinking something like the OTL US PT 658.
|
Patrol torpedo boat PT-658 - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
That would be the "Mixed Model". The "Battleship" version would skip the depth charges and torpedo tubes for more guns similarly the torpedo version would skip the depth charges. The Sub Chaser version would have something like the Limbo or another anti submarine mortar in front instead of the gun.
Preferably build (or at least prepare to modify) a couple of medium/ large merchant ships designed to act as PT boat tenders in isolated areas. They don't have to be particularly fast or new but should have the capability to house extra crew, fuel stores, spare parts, munitions stores, machine shops and the like. Preferably have the ship be capable of carrying at least a couple as cargo either on davits on the side or on the deck which can be lifted by cranes. Similarly the cranes can lift damaged PT boats onto the tender to allow them to be repaired. Arm the tenders with a couple of auto cannon and machine guns and perhaps something like an old 3 Inch AA gun for basic AA defense.
Do we want to know how Syphilis spread to camels?
Random but for some reason you can actually catch Leprosy from Armadillo's. They're the only other species that carry it. So they recommend to never touch a live or dead one without wearing gloves.