Japanese "Dark"
Printed From: BMPT Forum
Category: Boats (In alphabetical order)
Forum Name: Dark Class
Forum Description: Discussion on Dark Class boats
URL: http://www.bmpt.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=25
Printed Date: 26 March 2026 at 7:57pm
Topic: Japanese "Dark"
Posted By: Pioneer
Subject: Japanese "Dark"
Date Posted: 07 February 2005 at 2:38pm
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The "Dark" class that was shipped to Japan has been identified as having the Pennant Number of "P.T.9". painted in quite broad figures (9ins at least) either side of the hull. A photo does exist of it being configured as an MTB with 2 tubes only. It was shipped out to Kokosuka Japanese naval base on the 29th July 1957 and accepted into the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force on the 2nd September. Struck off active list in 1972. ------------- Pioneer - Forum Moderator |
Replies:
Posted By: mprints
Date Posted: 26 November 2010 at 6:11pm
I guess this is the Saunders-Roe built MTB PT9 for Japan.
  ------------- Dave Mills |
Posted By: mprints
Date Posted: 21 February 2011 at 9:46pm
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I have discovered an article in SARO Progress magazine for 1957 no.4 on this fast patrol boat. The Japanese designated her Fast Torpedo Boat No9. The photos in the magazine show her without torpedo tubes or their mounting racks. She was described as being powered by the typical Dark Class twin Napier Deltic diesel engines of 2,500 HP each. This firmly contradicts a bizarre tale I heard last week that she was only fitted with one engine! It is believed that the hull was of traditional Dark Class timber on aluminium alloy frames with alluminium decks. Only Dark Scout and the Burmese Txxx series had all aluminium clad hulls (not forgetting experimental MTB539). The two Darks for Finland, Vassama 1 and 2 were also probably timber clad on alloy frames, but I need to get this confirmed. ------------- Dave Mills |
Posted By: Pioneer
Date Posted: 18 March 2011 at 11:35am
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Very interesting images of the Dark class and news of the Japenese craft have come to light on the Veteran's web site http://rn-coastalforcesveterans.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=215 - http://rn-coastalforcesveterans.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=215
courtesy of David Mills. ------------- Pioneer - Forum Moderator |
Posted By: johnk
Date Posted: 19 March 2011 at 9:21am
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Hi there,
Very interesting posts and photos on the veterans site,
Johnk
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Posted By: mprints
Date Posted: 18 September 2011 at 11:46pm
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A friend has just told me that he worked on the building of the Japanese Dark and that they cancelled the order for the twin Napier Deltics so she was shipped with an empty engine room! If anyone can confirm this I would be most intersted as I want to include fact about this boat in my next illustrated talk in the Saunders-Roe series I'm producing. ------------- Dave Mills |
Posted By: mprints
Date Posted: 20 November 2011 at 8:07pm
Since this post stating that no engines were fitted, I heard today that she may have been exported with just one engine. The Saunders-Roe Naval Architect who passed this story to a friend believed this was because the Japanese were only interested in the technology and that they probably had their own choice of engines awaiting her on arrival in Japan. It could have been that they wanted to copy the one Deltic engine for their own engine development work. It's all interesting speculation, so I'll keep digging around for definitive information from the few surviving local ex-employees from the old Saunders-Roe company here on Anglesey. ------------- Dave Mills |
mprints wrote: