MBK pr.186

MBK pr.186

Pr.191M

MBK-161 late

MBK pr.186

Pr.191M

MBK-161 late

USSR

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.3	3.3	3.3

Class:

Armored gun boat

Heavy boat

Boat

Research:75 000

Purchase:250 000

Description

The MBK pr.186 is a rank IV Soviet armoured gun boat with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during Update 1.79 "Project X" when the Soviet fleet was implemented into the game.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Citadel4 / 30 / 20 mm

Main fire tower90 / 75 / 52 mm

Hull5 mm (steel)

Superstructure4 mm (steel)

Number of section4

Displacement166 t

Crew42 people

The MBK pr. 186 has significantly more armour than its predecessors all-around, and can take a fair beating as a result. The middle portion of this ship has 30 mm of rolled homogeneous armour, while the front and back have protection of 8-12 mm. This defence makes death by machine gun fire much less likely, almost a relic of the past. However, this additional armour makes this ship much heavier, and detrimentally effects the speed, as elaborated in the next section.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB35 / 13 km/h

RB26 / 10 km/h

The MBK pr. 186 has an abysmal top speed of 26.3 km/h with stock equipment, and around 33 km/h fully upgraded. The turning speed is also terrible, and it will take more than a dozen seconds to completely turn around. Due to this fact, the MBK pr. 186 must be played with very strategically chosen movements, as becoming exposed with no quick way out is one of the most common ways to be destroyed in this ship.

The vessel responds quickly to steering inputs, so evading torpedoes is easier than might be expected from the slow speed.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	35	13
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	26	10

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 743 → 3 447

RB3 518 → 4 422

Total cost of modifications67 300

130 000

Talisman cost1 500

Crew training72 000

Experts250 000

Aces940

Research Aces480 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

110 / 180 / 100 %

166 / 166 / 166 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 2 700 Cost: 5 200 145 Rudder Replacement Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 800 160 Propeller Replacement Research: 5 600 Cost: 11 000 300 Engine Maintenance Research: 11 000 Cost: 21 000 580	Damage Control Division Research: 2 700 Cost: 5 200 145 Fire Division Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 800 160 Smokescreen Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 800 160 New Pumps Research: 11 000 Cost: 21 000 580	Anti-Air Armament Targeting Research: 2 700 Cost: 5 200 145 85mm_ussr_navy_AP_ammo_pack Research: 2 700 Cost: 5 200 145 37 mm HE clips Research: 2 700 Cost: 5 200 145 Auxiliary Armament Targeting Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 800 160 37 mm AP clips Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 800 160 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 5 600 Cost: 11 000 300 Improved Rangefinder Research: 5 600 Cost: 11 000 300

Armament

Primary armament

2 х Turret85 mm/54.6 ZIS-C-53 cannon

Ammunition180 rounds

Vertical guidance-5° / 25°

The MBK pr. 186 has two T-34-85 turrets as its main guns. These guns fare fairly well against medium sized ships due to their reasonable calibre, and can sometimes hull-break small ships, although small enough ships are seldom encountered at this BR. Up until this point, HE shells were the indisputably best shell for naval combat due to the lack of armour anywhere. However, at this BR you will fight destroyers, which have a fair amount of armour and may require APHE shells to fight.

Secondary armament

Turret37 mm/67 70-K automatic cannon

Ammunition2000 rounds

Belt capacity5 rounds

Fire rate180 shots/min

In addition to the two 85 mm cannons, there is a 37 mm autocannon, the same model as the one used on the Pr.1124 (1945) and the BMO as well as the MPK-163. This gun is a fairly good secondary gun due to its calibre and good rate-of-fire, and can tackle both small to medium sized ships and most air targets.

Anti-aircraft armament

2 х Turret2 x 12.7 mm DShK machine gun

Ammunition4000 rounds

Belt capacity50 rounds

Fire rate600 shots/min

The MBK pr. 186 has two twin-mount 12.7 mm DShK turrets that are mounted on both sides of the command bridge at the center of the ship. As such, only one turret can engage a target at a time due to the interrupted arc of fire unless the target is directly in front or behind the ship. This is not the most desirable positioning but it will work most of the time deterring air attacks, with the help of the 37 mm autocannon.

Usage in battles

The MBK Pr. 186 is quite an interesting ship to play, due to its unique set of characteristics - heavy armament, good armour, and rediculously bad manoeuvrability. Essentially a pair of T-34-85s (seriously, two T-34-85 turrets) slapped on a hull with some anti-aircraft armament, this ship is very well suited for a certain set of playstyles and can excel in a variety of situations if used correctly.

Tactics:

The MBK Pr. 186 can work very well in certain situations, particularly longer-range engagements. This is because of its great weapons load, namely two 85 mm cannons. While they don't fire particularly fast, they hit very hard and can do a lot of damage to naval targets. Assuming you have decent accuracy, you can easily sink any ships at the Pr. 186's BR with a couple of shots. However, note that the Pr. 186 does also have access to a powerful Soviet 37 mm 70-K cannon mounted behind the bridge - this weapon is much more suited for dealing with fast vessels and aircraft, as it can fire continuously against any targets that the 85 mm guns cannot hit as easily. Finally, the Pr. 186 has access to four 12.7 mm machine guns in two twin turrets, which can serve as an effective anti-aircraft armament alongside the aforementioned 37 mm cannon.

The MBK Pr. 186 is quite survivable, with 42 crew members and armour up to 30 mm on the hull. As well, note that the original armour of the 85 mm turrets has been retained, meaning that the turrets are almost impervious to any gunfire at the MBK Pr. 186's BR, save for some SAP shells carried by larger destroyers. This armour provides the Pr. 186 with extensive protection which makes it impervious to most small-arms fire, meaning that it could potentially be used as a brawler against smaller PT boats and coastal vessels. However, the ship's survivability should not be relied upon exclusively, as the ship will easily be destroyed by the larger coastal ships and destroyers that it faces often. Instead, captains should rely extensively on available island cover to protect their ship. In the case of an open map (the conquest maps), try to stay further away from enemy bluewater vessels to maximize survivability.

Finally, the MBK Pr. 186 suffers from a rather terrible manoeuvrability, with a poor turning circle and a rather disappointing top speed of 26 km/h in RB. Thus, the ship cannot be relied upon to capture zones, as it will take ages just to get to the capture point. In general, this ship should be played as a longer-range sniper, maximising the use of its powerful armament.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 2 x 85 mm cannons (same ones as mounted on the T-34-85) provide plenty of firepower to destroy boats
• Secondary and AA armament is on a par with the main armament of most other PT boats
  • Good crew count for its size, 42 crew members
• Armour provides significant protection against machine-guns and small calibre cannon HE ammunition
• Low silhouette, making it rather difficult to hit at longer ranges

Cons:

• Slow, with a top speed of just 26 km/h in RB spaded
• Secondary armament is located in a weird position, limiting firing arcs for the 37 mm and 12.7 mm guns
• Faces early destroyers very often, where it has a significant survivability disadvantage
• Part of the bow and the entire stern is unprotected, leaving a large part of the ship's crew vulnerable

History

The MBK pr. 186 was a class of 38 armoured gun boats built for the Soviet navy during the latter part of the Second World War. Designed as sea-going armoured boats, the ships were fitted with a heavy armament. Upon commissioning, the ships of the class supplemented the prior pr. 161 in service and saw extensive service during the war. The ships served after the end of the war until their eventual retirement in the late 1950s.

The pr. 186 class of MBKs (armoured gun boats) were designed as large but slow armoured boats as a supplement to the pr. 161 class. The ships displaced 156.5 tons and were 36.2 m long. The ships had a relatively modest top speed of 14 knots (26 km/h) and a range of 750 miles, being powered by a pair of 500 hp piston engines. The ships had a crew of 42 officers and men.

In terms of armament, the pr. 186 was equipped with two 85 mm ZiS-C-53 cannons on S-53 cannon mounts. These weapons were unique to the early production pr. 186 ships, with later-production vessels equipped with the newer MK 85 turrets. This feature is found on the in-game MBK pr. 186 (MK 85). The ships carried a secondary armament of a single 37 mm 70-K dual purpose autocannon and two dual DShK machine gun turrets. Some ships were also fitted with a mortar.

A total of 38 pr. 186 ships were built between 1944 to 1947; however, only early-production vessels carried the S-53 cannons. The vessels constructed during the Second World War saw brief service in the Baltic sea, where they provided fire support for Soviet land forces. Overall, the Soviet MBKs, including the MBK-161, Pr. 1124 and Pr. 1125, played an important role in the Great Patriotic War. Loss rates were also high, as 90 boats were lost for roughly 300 boats of all classes built. The MBK pr. 186s stayed in the fleet until the late 1950s, when they were retired.

Media

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See also

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• reference to the series of the ship;
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