MAS 555

MAS 555

Saetta P-494

MS-53

MAS 555

Saetta P-494

MS-53

Italy

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Motor torpedo boat

Boat

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

Show in game

Description

The Velocissimo Classe 500, MAS 555 is a rank I Italian motor torpedo boat with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Starfighters".

General info

Survivability and armour

The MAS 555 has a wooden hull and superstructure and no steel protection, thus making it damageable by virtually everything, including small calibre machine gun fire. With its crew count of 13, it has slightly more survivability than most other reserve boats, but nothing too special and bearable noticeable.

Mobility

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	112	45
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	80	32

Armament

Primary armament

The primary armament, in fact the only armament, is an Italian 20 mm cannon. It has a firerate of 240 shots/min and a 12 shot magazine before reloading for a minimum of 1,8 seconds. The cannon is unable to shot in front of the ship, it is necessary to locate broadside or turn your ship 180 degrees.

The firing angles of the autocannon, unable to fire directly in front

Three different Belts containing two different shells are available: API-T (Armor-piercing incendiary tracer shell) and HEFI-T (High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer shell):

• The default belt with API-T/HEFI-T/API-T/HEFI-T
• An unlockable belt with HEFI-T/HEFI-T/HEFI-T/API-T
• An unlockable belt with API-T/API-T/API-T/HEFI-T

These belts are mostly the same, the HEFI-T belt is slightly more suitable against wooden boats, like PT-6 and the MTB 1, as well as low flying aircraft, where the API-T belt is slightly more suitable against component damage and steel boats, like the LS 3 and the G-5.

Torpedo armament

Two 450mm steam turbined Si 200 Torpedoes on the left and on the right of the ship are a useful tool for larger sub chasers and gunboats when being able to sneak up. They have a maximum speed 81km/h and a range of about 3 km and an explosive filler of 200kg, enoguh to destroy any ship in that battle rating range.

Special armament

The MAS is one of the reserve boats able to carry six B TG depth charges with an explosive filler of 50kg. These however are extremely situational and most of the time defensive in nature, as you have to drive in front of the enemy ship, or the enemy past you to utilize these weapons. Furthermore 50kg off explosives is very weak for a depth charge, where most others have around 100-140 kilogramms of TNT, limiting effective use even further.

But despite the drawbacks, making a kill with these is one if not the most satisfying way to destroy an enemy player and equally humiliating for those who are on the receiving end.

Usage in battles

The MAS 555 is a rather strange boat, despite being the reserve boat epuipped with the largest caliber, its slow firerate and small magazine, as well as the inability to fire directly forwards drastically limits its potential. However, it can still be a significant threat to other ships.

The best strategy  whilst using the cannon is not to drive forward into battle, but to turn your rear to the enemy, and driving in reverse. This way you can negate the limiting firing arcs at the front and still only reveal a small part of the hull, which extends you life expectancy by a few crucial seconds. The best way is to stay behind cover and move only rearwards when engaging and then back into cover. A one on one fight against almost any other PT boat will not go in your favour, therefore the element of surprise is most important.

Modules

Tier	Seakeeping	Unsinkability		Firepower
I	Dry-Docking	Tool Set		Granata mod.35
II	Rudder Replacement	Fire Protection System	Smokescreen	Perforante mod.35
III	Propeller Replacement			Depth Charges	Primary Armament Targeting
IV	Engine Maintenance	New Pumps		Artillery Support

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent speed forwards and in reverse

• High crew count increases survivability

Cons:

• No ability to fire directly forward

• Small 12 shot magazines, therefore low fire rate

History

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Media

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See also

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• reference to the series of the ship;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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• encyclopedia page on the ship;
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