Quote:
Originally Posted by Missing Name
I actually think PT boats should have some form of ASW. The US often replaced the aft tubes with racks of depth charges. I am attempting to find more detailed info, but I'm at a loss...
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The British also designed and built anti-submarine versions of their fast attack craft, with the torpedo tubes removed and depth charge racks and launchers added in their place, they called them Motor Anti Submarine Boats. Some were fitted with full ASDIC sets, others used small portable listening devices which pretty much entailed a crew member lowering a microphone into the water.
I don't know much about them, or how successful they were in this role. Later in the war their weapon configuration was changed to focus on a much heavier gun armament, and their designation was changed to Motor Gun Boat. In this role they were primarily used to protect coastal shipping from German Schnellboots and rescue downed aircrew.
As for PT boats in the US Navy you could check this link out. Somebody has scanned the 'Motor Torpedo Boats Tactical Orders And Doctrine' US Navy manual of 1942 and put it up on Scribd. And from a quick glance through it it seems PT boats could fit depth charge racks and launchers in various configurations.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12980817/1...-Doctrine-134p
edit: Here is an interesting excerpt:
"1207. In harbors and shallow water areas, where specially small type enemy submarines have operated, motor torpedo boats have proved effective in combatting them. In this connection, motor torpedo boats are at present the only vessels which can launch depth charges in shallow water and successfully escape damage from their explosions."