E-boat

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E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: Schnellboot, or S-Boot, meaning "fast boat"; plural Schnellboote) of the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II; E-boat could refer to a patrol craft from an armed motorboat to a large Torpedoboot. The name of E-boats was a British designation using the letter E for Enemy. The main wartime production boats, from S26 onwards (but often designated the S100 class), were very seaworthy, heavily armed and capable of sustaining 43.5 knots (80.6 km/h; 50.1 mph), briefly accelerating to 48 knots (89 km/h; 55 mph). These were armed with torpedoes and Flak guns; commonly one 37 mm at the stern, one 20 mm at the bow with a twin mount amidships, plus machine guns. Armament varied and some S26 class boats substituted a 40mm Bofors or, less commonly, a 20mm flakvierling (quadruple mount) for the aft 37mm cannon. The S26 class boats – which provided the bulk of the wartime deliveries – were 34.94 m (114 ft 8 in) long and 5.38 m (17 ft 8 in) in beam. Their diesel engines provided a range of 700 to 750 nmi (810–860 mi; 1,300–1,390 km), substantially greater than the gasoline-fueled American PT boats and British motor torpedo boats (MTBs). As a result of early war experience of combat against the fast and powerful S-boats, the Royal Navy created its motor gunboat (MGB) force and later developed better-matched MTBs, using the Fairmile 'D' hull design.