The motor gunboat (MGB) was a small, high-speed British military vessel of the Second World War, which was armed with a mix of guns, in contrast to the physically similar motor torpedo boat (MTB), whose main offensive weapon were torpedoes.

MGB 81 had a chine hull form using double-diagonal mahogany sides and a triple diagonal mahogany bottom. Although ordered on 27 November 1940, MGB 81 was not laid down until 16 December 1941. She was launched on 26 June 1942 and was by then virtually complete, for she was on trials on 8 July and achieved a speed of 38.63 knots on Southampton Water.

Motor Gun Boat (MGB) 81 was commissioned and accepted on the 11th July 1942; she first worked up at HMS Bee, the Coastal Forces base at Weymouth, and in August 1942 joined the 8th MGB Flotilla at Dartmouth.

Commissioned in 1942, 81 saw action off Guernsey and Hook of Holland during the Second World War. She was also in action off Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6th June 1944. She is the only operational MGB in the world.

MGB 81 is unique as she is the only restored and operational example of a Royal Navy Coastal Forces MGB which saw active service in WW2. As a result of the restoration techniques used, she retains most of her original performance capabilities but is …

The MG 81 is a German belt fed 7.92×57mm Mauser machine gun which was used in flexible installations in World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, in which capacity it replaced the older drum magazine-fed MG 15. The MG 81 was developed by Mauser as a derivative of their successful MG 34 general-purpose machine gun. Development focus was to reduce ...

Dec 4, 2024 · Originally built by the British Powerboat Company to defend against German e-boats, the MGB 81 has undergone extensive restoration. While the original Packard engines—each capable of 1,500 hp—were removed, the boat is now powered by three FBTC 13 diesel engines, each producing 850 hp.

Motor Gun Boat 81. MGB 81, constructed in 1942, can reach speeds of over 40 knots. She participated in numerous actions during the Second World War, including the Normandy landings.

MGB-81 - 71½ FT MOTOR GUN BOAT. This boat was sold to the PNBPT, and handed over in Portsmouth, on the 28th October 2009

Jan 17, 2019 · Built out of wood and powered by triple 1,250hp petrol engines, giving it a top speed of more than 40 knots, it would be able intercept and sink marauding E-Boats far more effectively than cumbersome steel ships.