| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Mimi / HMS Toutou |
| Builder | John I. Thornycroft & Company |
| Launched | 1915 |
| Commissioned | 1915 |
| Fate | Unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Motor Launch |
| Length | 40 ft (12 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 × 100 hp (75 kW) petrol engines, twin screws |
| Speed | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Armament |
|
HMS Mimi and HMS Toutou were motor launches of the Royal Navy. After undergoing an unusual journey from Britain to Lake Tanganyika in the interior of Africa, the ships played an important role in the African naval struggle between Britain and Germany during World War I. The names mean Meow and Fido in Parisian slang. They had originally been named Dog and Cat by their erstwhile commander, Geoffrey Spicer-Simson, only to have the names rejected by an apparently scandalized Admiralty.[1]
- ^ Miller, Battle for the Bundu p. 198