Postby John110547 » Tue May 12, 2026 11:36 am
Hi
I hope the following information on MTB 375 is helpful.
Regards John
• MTB 375 was one of one hundred-six Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs 258 to 326 + 363 to 378 + 396 to 411 + 419 to 423) that the US Government agreed to supply under the Lean-Lease Agreement to Britain, which eight boatbuilders would build & On 22 July 1942, the Royal Navy ordered twelve Vosper-designed Motor Torpedo Boats via the USN with Annapolis Yacht Yard, Annapolis, Maryland, who would build these boats under license. The boat's length was 72ft 6ins, the beam was 19ft 3ins, the draught was 2ft 9ins (fwd)/ 5ft 6ins (aft) & its displacement was 47 tons. It was powered by three Packard V12 M2500 1,500bhp petrol engines, achieving a speed of 40 knots & armed with one twin 0.5"/62(12.7mm) Vickers Mk III Machine Guns, two twin 0.303"/78(7.7mm) Lewis Mk III Machine Guns, two 21" Mk X Torpedoes & two Mk XIII Depth Charges. This boat, designated BPT 65, was laid down on 3 March 1943 & launched on 15 June 1943. On completion, the boat was shipped directly from the USA to Malta via Oran, Algiers & Bizerte, where it was commissioned MTB 375 on 17 November 1943 & assigned to the 7th MTB Flotilla with a crew of two officers & eleven other ranks.
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378 (7th MTB Flotilla, 2nd Division) 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 (7th MTB Flotilla, 1st Division)on 20 December 1943 at Malta
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378 (7th MTB Flotilla) in early 1944 were rearmed with 1 x 2 & 1 x 1 20mm/70(0.79") Oerlikon Mk II Cannon + 1 x 2 .5"/62(12.7mm) Vickers Mk III MG
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378 (7th MTB Flotilla, 2nd Division) 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 (7th MTB Flotilla, 1st Division) from January to March 1944 were at Malta working up & carrying out exercises.
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378 (7th MTB Flotilla, 2nd Division) 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 (7th MTB Flotilla, 1st Division) in April 1944 departed Malta for Maddalena.
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378 (7th MTB Flotilla, 2nd Division) 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 (7th MTB Flotilla, 1st Division) in May 1944 departed Maddalena for Bastia with the USN 22nd MTBRon.
• MTBs 375 & (?) on 15 May 1944 (Operation Ashwater) was dispatched from Bastia for San Remo on behalf of OSS to land three agents.
• MTBs 375 & (?) on 16 May 1944 (Operation Ashwater) arrived at the landing anchorage at San Remo & launched their dinghy to land the three SOE agents. As the dinghy approached the beach (50yds), a German truck drew up on the beach road & disembarked German troops who deployed along the beach. The dinghy quickly proceeded back to MTB 376 & both MTBs withdrew. The MTBs then looked for another landing point near Alassio, but German coastal batteries turned on their searchlights & opened fire with star shells as they approached the beach. The operation was abandoned.
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 (7th MTB Flotilla) with PTBs on 25 May 1944 were north of Secche when they made an attack run on a convoy of MFP, which a group of S-boats & a corvette was escorting. As the MTBs approached, they were met by heavy gunfire & only MTB 421 managed to get within range & fired two torpedoes, but both missed their targets.
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 (7th MTB Flotilla) from 8 to 15 June 1944 (following the fall of Rome on 4 June 1944) carried out patrols off the Elbe every night to stop the Germans evacuating troops.
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 (7th MTB Flotilla) on 16 June 1944 departed Corsica as part of a combined Royal Navy & US Navy Task Force' N' on Operation Brassard, the invasion of Elba, which Allied Intelligence believed was occupied by 500 Italian fascists & 2,000 German soldiers. However, because of the shallow waters around Elba, large naval & transport ships could not be used in Operation Brassard. Therefore the Royal Navy provided the gunboats HMS APHIS, SCARAB & COCKCHAFER, five minesweepers, five Landing Craft Tank (Rocket), five Landing Craft Gun, five Landing Craft Flak, five Landing Craft Support (M) with machine-gun & mortars, four Landing Craft Assault armed 24 spigot-mortars instead of personnel & boats from the 3rd, 8th, 28th, 31st & 140th ML Flotillas, the 7th MTB Flotilla & the 56th MTB/MGB Flotilla. The US Navy provided seven destroyers, boats from the 15th & 22nd Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons, four Landing Ship Tanks, forty-one Landing Craft Tanks, forty-two Landing Craft Infantry (L), thirty-six Landing Craft Assault & twenty Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel. The land force was provided by the French Assault Force 225, which consisted of 11,667 French troops, with 86 guns, 250 mules & 481 vehicles. Air support was to be provided by the 87th Fighter Wing, the 57th Bombardment Group, the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force & the 63rd Fighter Wing of the Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force. The 7th MTB Flotilla with the 56th MTB/MGB Flotilla, the 15th & 22nd Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons, were part of Group 1, whose mission it was to land Commandos (the Bataillon de Choc & the Commandos d'Afrique) three hours before H-hour (04.00hrs) on the Northern side of Elba to silence the shore batteries & after landing the Commandoes their secondary task was to start diversionary operations on the northern side of Elba to draw attention away from the main landing on the southern side of Elba in the Bay of Golfop di Campo. Whilst en route to Elba, Group 1 & Group 2 (the main assault force) convoys were spotted by German reconnaissance aircraft, which also spotted Group 2 (the main assault convoy). However, the Germans concluded that these were merely the regular naval convoys operating between Naples & Bastia & took no action.
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 (7th MTB Flotilla) on 17 June 1944 at 00.15hrs were off Capo Enfola, Elba when the PTBs launched rubber dinghies containing eighty-seven men from Bataillon de Choc, whilst the MTBs & MGBs provided a defence screen. Once the troops had successfully landed the MTBs, MGBs & PTBs moved off to initiate their diversionary missions north of Portoferraio, which were scheduled to commence at approximately 02.50hrs. The diversionary actions included laying a smokescreen, firing salvoes of rockets & landing craft approaching the beach area to simulate troops wading ashore by dropping dummies overboard. Fifty-five hours after landings commenced, Elba was in Allied hands. The French casualties were 201 men killed, 51 missing & 635 wounded. The British casualties were 103 men killed & 109 wounded. The Axis casualties were 672 killed & missing (507 German & 165 Italian) & 1995 troops were taken prisoner (1,383 German & 612 Italian). The French reported capturing 48 guns & howitzers, plus 100 machine-guns.
• MTBs 375, 378, 421 (7th MTB Flotilla) on 12 July 1944 with USN PT 308 were patrolling the Gulf of Genoa when they attacked four F-lighters & two R-boats in poor visibility. MTB 421 fired one torpedo, which hit a F-lighter that exploded & sank before heavy gunfire forced the MTBs/PTB to withdraw.
• MTBs 375, 378, 421 (7th MTB Flotilla) on 13 July 1944, with USN PT 310, were patrolling off La Spezia when they attacked four F-lighters, sinking one & badly damaging another.
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 (7th MTB Flotilla) from 20 July 1944, the flotilla moved its patrol area after the fall of Livorno to Genoa & the Ligurian coast.
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 (7th MTB Flotilla) on 13 August 1944 departed Bastia as part of Operation Dragoon (invasion of the South of France).
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 (7th MTB Flotilla) on 14 & 15 August 1944 took part in Operation Dragoon (invasion of South of France) & their role was to screen & protect the amphibious forces' right flank.
• MTBs 375, 377(2), 420, 421, 654, 667 on 15 August 1944 the following awards were Gazetted for their service during the offensive sweeps off the west coast of Italy in May 1944: MTBs 375, TLt Johnson was Mentioned in Dispatches; MTBs 377(2), TLt Aitchison was Mentioned in Dispatches; MTBs 420, LTel Phillps was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal & Lt Blomfield was Mentioned in Dispatches; MTBs 421, TLt Varvill was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross & Able Seaman Arnold was Mentioned in Dispatches; MTBs 654, Able Seaman McQuillan was Mentioned in Dispatches; MTBs 667, TSubLt Dean & Able Seaman Raybould were Mentioned in Dispatches.
• MTBs 375 & 423 (7th MTB Flotilla) on 28 August 1944, with a USN PTB 559, were patrolling the Gulf of Genoa when they intercepted three F-lighters. The MTBs fired two torpedoes, sinking one F-lighter & gravely damaging another.
• MTBs 375, 421, MGBs 647, 659, 662, MLs 449, 468 on 21 November 1944 on 21 November 1944 the following awards were Gazetted for their service during the actions off the west coast of Italy & the Dalmatia coast in June 1944: MTB 375, POMtMech Felton & Leading Seaman McVicar were Mentioned in Dispatches; MTB 421, SubLt Raper & Leading Seaman Maguire were Mentioned in Dispatches; MGB 647, TLt Mountstephens was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross & Seaman Matheson was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal; MGB 659 TLt Barlow, PO O’Hare & Able Seaman Love were Mentioned in Dispatches; MGB 662, TSLt Darracott was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, TALtCdr Bligh, Able Seamen McCartney, Walker & Whiteley were was Mentioned in Dispatches; ML 449, TLt Kelleher was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross & Able seaman Brown was Mentioned in Dispatches; ML 468, LMtMech Clark & Able Seaman Powell were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Able Seaman Bolton was Mentioned in Dispatches.
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378 on 13 December 1944 were at Leghorn, Tuscany
• MTBs 375, 376(2), 377(2), 378 (19th MTB Flotilla) with MTBs 419, 420, 421, 422 (7th MTB Flotilla) on 16 December 1944 were part of a USS Strike Force, which was split into three groups. Group 1, the main attacking force, which included the armed trawlers HMS AILSA CRAIG, GULLAND, HORNPIPE, MINUET & TWOSTEP, escorted by US NPTs 302, 304, 309, 313 & MTBs 376, 419, 420, 422. Group 2, the northern scout group, which included the USN PTs 306, MTBs 377 & 421. Group 3, the southern scout group, which included the USN PT 310 with MTBs 375 & 378. Air support was to be provided by Lockheed Ventura Bombers from the 17th Squadron (South African Air Force), who were to have illuminated the enemy by starting brush fires ashore with incendiary bombs. However, due to low visibility, air support was not provided. The northern scout group encountered a southbound F-lighter convoy during the operation, but lost sight of it in the darkness. Later, the northern scout group then found a northbound F-Lighter convoy & notified Group 1, who intercepted the convoy; Two of the trawlers illuminated the enemy convoy, while the rest of the armed trawlers opened fire with their 4” guns as the Germans replied with their 88mm guns, inflicting damage on some of the trawlers. MTB 420 laid down smoke so that the attacking force could withdraw. The armed trawlers claimed that they had sunk two F-lighters & one R-boat during the attack, but these claims were never verified.
• MTBs 375, 376, 377, 378 (19th MTB Flotilla) on 15 August 1945 were operating out of Leghorn, Italy.
• MTB 375 was returned to the United States Navy on 15 October 1945 & was transferred to the United States State Department, Foreign Liquidation in August 1946. It was then transferred to the Italian Navy in Palermo, Sicily & was reclassified as a Torpedo Recovery Craft, GIS 009, in February 1947. Later, the boat was cannibalised for spares & scrapped.