Canadian Power Boat Company was a manufacturer of motor torpedo boats and similar craft in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. A prototype 70-foot boat was built by

Hubert Scott-Paine Hubert Scott-Paine (11 March 1891 – 14 April 1954) was a British aircraft and boat designer, record-breaking power boat racer, entrepreneur, inventor, and sponsor of the winning entry in the 1922 Schneider Trophy. Early life Hubert Paine was ...

British Power Boat Company The British Power Boat Company was a British manufacturer of motor boats, particularly racing boats and later military patrol boats. History The company was formed on 30 September 1927 when Hubert Scott-Paine bought and renamed the Hythe Shipya ...

and shipped to Canada in 1940. Canadian Power Boat Company was set up by Scott-Paine to produce motor torpedo boats for the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

and high-speed launches for the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

to this design. The company was located on the

Lachine Canal The Lachine Canal ( in French (language), French) is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres (9 miles) from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroug ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, next to the Crane Company (makers of the popular plumbing fixtures). The company received orders from the Royal Canadian Navy for 12 motor torpedo boats, including the prototype, from the RCAF for 6 70-foot high-speed launches and 6 40-foot armoured target-towing boats, and from the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

for two batches of 8 70-foot motor torpedo boats. The second Dutch order was the last received by the company and was completed in the summer of 1942.Pritchard, p. 76-79. Four of these boats, were reverse Lend-Lease and became US PT 368-371 Of the 12 Royal Canadian Navy boats, only the prototype saw service in Canada, designated CMTB-1 before all twelve were transferred to the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in 1941 for service in the Mediterranean. Unable to persuade the Royal Canadian Navy to purchase more motor torpedo boats, the company retooled and spent the rest of the war using its factory (specialized for building plywood boats) to produce parts for

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...

bombers. Scott-Paine sold the company in 1946, the basin at the plant was filled in but the factory still stands today.

References

Sources

* MacPherson, Ken and Ron Barrie, ''The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-2002'', Third Edition. Vanwell Publishing, St. Cathrines, 2002. * Pritchard, James, ''A Bridge of Ships: Canadian Shipbuilding during the Second World War'', McGill-Queens University Press, 2011. * Rance, Adrian, Fast Boats and Flying Boats, (Ensign Publications, Southampton, England 1989) * Motor Boating, 1942 Manufacturing companies based in Montreal Shipbuilding companies of Canada Defunct manufacturing companies of Canada Former defence companies of Canada {{Canada-corp-stub