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

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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 w ...

British Power Boat Company The British Power Boat Company was a British manufacturer of motor boats from 1927 to 1946, particularly racing boats and later military patrol boats in Hythe, Hampshire. History The company was formed on 30 September 1927 when Hubert Scott-P ...

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; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

and high-speed launches for the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) 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 environmental commands within the unified Can ...

to this design. The company was located on the

Lachine Canal The Lachine Canal (, ) 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 boroughs of Lachine (borough), L ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, 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 (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

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 naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

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, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the World War II, Second World War. Unusual in that its airframe 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