Coastal motor boats : Thornycroft and the origins of fast attack craft /Martin Kelly, David Griffiths.

"In this detailed account of their development the authors analyse the original role for which these boats were designed ? an attack on the German High Seas Fleet in its protected anchorages ? and why such an operation never took place. Indeed, by the end of the war, despite an important contribution in the Zeebrugge and Ostend raids, many regarded the CMB as a disappointment. This changed dramatically in 1919 with the Royal Navy's intervention against the Bolsheviks when CMBs spectacularly raided the Kronstad naval base. However, following what was seen as a great success in the Baltic, the Royal Navy lost interest in CMBs though the Thornycroft design continued to be built and operated by navies as far apart as those of Finland and China."--