MFP F 433

Name: MFP F 433

Type: Naval ferry barge, type C2

Year of construction: July 10 1943

Shipyard: Ansaldo in Genoa

Dimensions: length47,04 m, beam: 6,53m

Displacement: 220 t

Engine: 3 Deutz Diesel sa 390HP

Crew: 0/17 to 0/21

Armament: anti-aircraft gun, fog throwers

Depth: 84m

The naval ferry barges (MFP) were the largest and the most powerful landing crafts of the German Navy. They had been developed since the autumn of 1940, based on the Campinas – a type of ship measuring 50 meters in length and 6.5 meters in width, that were used in the Dutch channels and were temporary for the converted for Seelöwe Company (invasion on England). For production reasons, the rounded surfaces of the ship were replaced by flat ones, which gave the barge a typical rectangular shape.

The central part of the ship became a rectangular cargo carrier. The storage space in the central part of the ship was given a roof, and a cover with removable corrugated sheet metal panels was installed in the front part. During World War II about 700 MFP were built in different versions. According to records, it is assumed that this is the MFP, type C2 with the identifier no. F433. The C2 is a modified form of the already reinforced type A1, in which, in order to be able to transport 52-ton tanks, the carrying capacity of the loading ramp could be increased to 65 tons, and the width of the ramp to 3.6 meters.

Capacity: Regular capacity: 85 t (2 tanks IV/ 1 tank VI/T-34(r)/200 crewmembers); Max. Capacity: 105 t (3 tanks IV/2 tanks T-34(r)/16 horses/200 crewmembers), possibility of embarking 52-ton tanks.

The MFP was built in June 1943 in the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa, launched to sea on July 10, 1943, and put in service as F433 within the 4th Transport Flotilla.

After sailing in the service of the 4th Transport Flotilla in the Tyrrhenian Sea during which time a crew member was killed in an air strikes and the ship was damaged, the MFP was handed over to the 10th Transport Flotilla on March 18 1944 in exchange for a F772. After a long berth at a shipyard in Venice, the F443 was declared ready to return to war on October 6, 1944. From October 17 to 19, October 6, the F433 sailed with three other MFPs to escort the destroyer TA 20 (ex- Audace) from Rijeka to Zadar. On October 18, October 6, the ships F433 and F554 temporarily ran aground on the island of Pag. On October 23, 1944, the ship F433 joined a coastal convoy. In the evening, the convoy was attacked by fast ships. During the fight, the F433 was hit serval times. The damaged MFP F 433 sailed to Rab, but sank on October 24, 1944 near the island of Rab, killing four crewmembers.

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