Motoscafo armato silurante, alternatively Motoscafo antisommergibili and commonly abbreviated as MAS, was a class of fast torpedo-armed vessels used by the Regia Marina during World War I and World War II. Originally, "MAS" referred to motobarca armata SVAN, Società Veneziana Automobili Navali.
Camouflaged World War II MAS in the Mediterranean Sea
An early MAS, from a magazine article published in January 1917
An Italian sailor manning a quick-firing gun, a 1-pounder (37 mm) Hotchkiss, on a MAS, 1917
The Italian torpedo boat MAS 528 on Lake Ladoga in June 1942, during the Siege of Leningrad
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes.
Confederate torpedo boat CSS David
HMS Lightning, the first modern torpedo boat, built in 1876
Chilean torpedo boats in Valparaíso, used during War of the Pacific
HMS Havock the first modern destroyer, commissioned in 1894