For other types of "Launch" see Launch (boat)

A Motor Launch (ML) is a small military vessel in British navy service. They were designed for harbour defence and submarine chasing or for armed high speed air-sea rescue.

Although small by Naval standards they were larger than the preceding Coastal Motor Boats of 40 and 55 ft length. The first Motor Launches entered service in the First World War. These were 550 80-foot-long (24 m) vessels built by the US Elco company for the Admiralty receiving the designations ML-1 to ML-550. They served between 1916 and the end of the war with the Royal Navy defending the coast from German submarines. Type Length Weight Speed Built Total Lost Designed for Fairmile A motor launch 110 ft 57 tons 25 knots (46 km/h) 1939 12 Fairmile B Motor Launch 112 ft (34 m) 85 tons 20 knots (37 km/h) 1940-45 1284 Submarine chasing. Later adapted for Air Sea Rescue Harbour Defence Motor Launch 72 ft (22 m) 54 tons 12 knots (22 km/h) 1940-45 486 47 Defending harbours; anti-submarine RAF Type 2 Whaleback 63 ft (19 m) 21.5 tons 36 knots (67 km/h) 1940-42 70 Rescuing downed aircrew particularly in the English Channel

Post war many motor launches were taken on as pleasure boats and a number of them are on the National Register of Historic Vessels. References This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008)

See also Motor Gun Boat Motor Torpedo Boat Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy R boat - German WWII equivalent Dark class fast patrol boat River class fast launch External links UK National Register of Historic Vessels Naval Museum of Manitoba Juno Beach website A Short History of HMS St Christopher. Royal Navy Coastal Forces training base mainly for MLs Stoker Harold Siddall Royal Navy his service in ML.1030 and capture in Crete 1941