History Articles

In the thick of the Second World War, while Britain bravely held off enemy invasions, a dire threat arose. Convoys of ships bringing essential supplies were falling prey to deadly torpedoes from German E-Boats. Enter Hubert Scott-Paine, a former powerboat racer and founder of the British Powerboat Company armed with an ingenious solution — the Motor Gun Boat 81.

This 70ft high-performance gun boat was equipped with a wooden hull designed for planing and three powerful Packard 1,250hp petrol engines. The result was a craft capable of an incredible 40 knots — a speed unheard of for boats of its size even in today’s standards, let alone nearly a century ago. For armament, it sported a two-pounder gun capable of firing over 100 rounds a minute at a range of over two miles, and depth charges that could strike underwater foes.