Motoscafo Armato Silurante (Italian: "Torpedo Armed Motorboat"),
commonly abbreviated as MAS was a class of fast torpedo armed
vessel used by the Regia Marina (the Royal Navy of Italy) during
World War I and World War II. Originally, "MAS" referred to
Motobarca Armata SVAN ("Armed Motorboat SVAN"), where SVAN stood
for Società Veneziana Automobili Navali (Naval Automobiles
Society of Venice) MAS were essentially motorboats with
displacements of 20-30 tonnes (depending on the class), a 10 man
crew, and armament composed of two torpedoes, machine guns and
occasionally a light gun. World War I  MAS were widely employed
by Règia Marina during World War I in 1915-1918. Models used
were directly derived from compact civilian motorboats, provided
with petrol engines which were compact and reliable
(characteristics which were not common at the time) . They were
used not only in the anti-submarine patrol role, but also for
daring attacks against major units of the Austro-Hungarian Navy.
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