Cuba - Torpedo Raft

[tbrandon517]

DB Selector

DB3K

Baseline

N/A

Hypothetical

No

Name

Improvised Torpedo Raft

Class

Improvised Torpedo Raft

Country

Cuba

Service

Navy

In Commission

2005 - Present

Length (m)

9

Beam (m)

3.5

Draft (m)

.5

Standard Displacement (t)

not stated

Full Displacement (t)

not stated

Empty Displacement (t)

2.3

Complement

1

Max Sea State

Not Stated

Primary Propulsion Type

Diesel

Propulsion

1-2x Marine Outboard Motor(s)

Fuel Capacity (kg)

314

Flank Speed (kt)

16

Range (nm) at Speed (kt)

250nm at 16kts

Sensors

mk 1 eyeball

Mounts

1x 533cm TT

Aircraft & Docking Facilities

None

Comms/Datalinks

Basic radio

Ship Codes

Catamaran/Trimaran Multihull, All Aluminum Construction, Built to Mercantile Standards, Low Construction Standards

Comments

At the other end of the spectrum the Cuban Navy has figured out the smallest boat possible to carry a torpedo. Taking leftover torpedo tubes from scrapped Cold War era boats, they have combined them with a pontoon raft. Basically it uses two steel tubes as floats with a torpedo tube mounted between them. The pilot perches on the back controlling both the outboard motor and the firing mechanism. Several of these were built around 15 years ago and they appear to still be in service. They might be the smallest warships in the world.

Sources

https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2020/03/15/5-unique-weapons-of-cubas-garage-built-navy/?sh=6d7b2a372acc https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/cuban-naval-projects-post-1959.38623/

[PygmalionOfCyprus]

lmao, this made my day. Added 495.

[tbrandon517]

lmao, this made my day. Added 495.

Strapping a TT on a party barge pontoon. Half my high school class is jealous for this feat of DIY garage engineering.

[tbrandon517]

I must say I was inspired by the "sea technical" comment.

[PygmalionOfCyprus]

Well, if you should ever find any export customers for your own homemade naval abominations, do make sure to put in a new platform request. 😛