In April 1941, MTBRON1 reported enthusiasm over the 81-foot Higgins (PT-6), and with the Higgins showing such good seakeeping further purchase of Scott-Paine boats was unnecessary. PT boats were a variety of torpedo-armed fast attack craft used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. All boats suffered from some sort of structural failure: forward chine guards ripped away, bottom framing under bows broken, side planking cracked [indicating lack of longitudinal strength], and other weaknesses. You are interested in: Pt boats interior photos. Atglen: Schiffer Military, 1997. These first generation torpedo boats rode low in the water, displaced up to 300 tons, and had a top speed of 25 to 27kn (46 to 50km/h). [44] After the war ended PT-796 was used in the Key West/Miami area for experimental purposes. "), was named in honor of Frank Sinatra, with whom the boats' Commanding Officer met at a nightclub shortly before MTBRON 22 left New York for the Mediterranean Theatre. Ron 22 was part of Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France on August 15, 1944. This conprehensive reference covers, for the first time, PT Boat tactics, formations and seamanship. The Huckins boat experienced a high pressure oil failure and had to go "Dead in the Water" in order to effect the repair. Elco PT Boat Shaft and Rudder Detail. [23] They also performed lifesaving and anti-shipping mine destruction missions during the invasion. The Wild Places. In the August 1943 engagement in which PT-109 was lost, fifteen boats shipping 60 torpedoes fired over half without a single one hitting an enemy vessel. Length 78in. Date October 1981 In several engagements, the mere presence of PTs was sufficient to disrupt heavily escorted Japanese resupply activities at Guadalcanal. According to Robert McFarlane, the US Navy built the hulls of some PT boats partially from 3,000-year-old white cedar logs recovered from sphagnum bog in New Jersey.[10][11]. Ability to make a maximum sustained speed of 31.4 knots; maximum speed 34.3 knots with heavy ordnance load. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. [9], Boats would have their tactical parameters of each design determined by photographs from an airship. Her deck house was reconfigured to partially resemble an 80-foot (24m) Elco instead of its original Vosper 70ft configuration. Yacht Interior. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". Box Dim. Maintained by an all volunteer group, it is powered by the three Packard V12 5M-2500 gas engines[42] and includes all weapons, electronics, equipment and accessories restored to appear as they did the day the US Navy accepted the boat, 31 July 1945. The first class was for 54-foot (16m) boats, and the second class was for 70-foot (21m) boats. The Rear Mufflers. PT-305 fairly gleams, all fresh paint with nary a scuff on her gray deck. Their answer was found in the 37mm Oldsmobile M4 aircraft automatic cannon cannibalized from crashed P-39 Airacobra fighter planes on Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. During World War II, PT boats engaged enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans. by Thomas Fleming 2/22/2011. Ability to make a maximum sustained speed of 30.7 knots; maximum speed 33.9 knots with light ordnance load. U.S. Navy PTs were eventually fitted with Raytheon SO radar, which had about a 17nmi (20mi; 31km) range. The two Vosper boats in England were built by Vosper itself, and the first is in fairly good condition at Portsmouth. The quality of the restoration was extremely high, and the boat is on display inside a weatherproof building, on blocks out of the water. PT-305 was cut down to 65 feet (20m) for use as an oyster seed boat in Crisfield, Maryland. MTBRON30 saw action in the English Channel as part of the Invasion of Normandy. Additionally, a few PT boats were equipped to carry naval mines launched from mine racks, but these were not commonly used. INSTALL INTERIOR BOAT LIGHTS. PT 109 boat model. These were to be provided to the Dutch forces under Lend Lease but were re-requisitioned to the USN as PT 368371 after the fall of the Netherlands to German forces. Operating personnel reported extreme discomfort and fatigue. Maneuverability satisfactory with a turning circle of 368 yards. Be sure to check website at www.savetheptboatinc.com PT-658 was named to the. Higgins Industries of New Orleans, Louisiana later famed for developing The performance specification was to achieve 40 knots with an operating radius of 275 miles at top speed (550 miles at cruising speed). Holding all this together were thousands of bronze screws and copper rivets. The primary anti-ship armament was two to four Mark 8 torpedoes, which weighed 2,600 pounds (1,179kg) and contained a 466-pound (211kg) TNT warhead. Cost to the Government fully equipped $206,600. The Huckins withdrew due to bilge stringer failure. [9], Due to the problem with ingot loading, a 185nmi (343km; 213mi) trial with the PTs fully fitted out was conducted on 12 August 1941. Boat Building Plans . SKILL 5. Of the Elco boats, only three hulls (one restored) were known to exist as of 2016. That the ordnance installation of future motor torpedo boats consist of two torpedo tubes, machine guns and depth charges. USN ELCO PT Boat Deck Stern Chocks (x2 per PT Boat). PT-308 (Higgins) had her stern sheared off by a collision with PT-304 during a night mission in the Mediterranean on 9 March 1945 and yet returned to base for repairs. This boat is the only U.S. Coast Guard regulation-approved PT boat licensed to take passengers for hire, and the only surviving U.S.-built Vosper design. The "PT" in a PT boat is an abbreviation for patrol torpedo. Fuel consumption of any version of these engines was exceptionally heavy. The Mk13 torpedo had a range of 6,300 yards (5,800m) and a speed of 33.5 knots (62.0km/h; 38.6mph). Primary anti-ship armament on the standard PT boat was four 21-inch Mark 8 torpedoes, each had a 466-pound (211kg) TNT warhead and had a range of 16,000 yards (15,000m) at 36 knots (67km/h). After the initial competition, in late 1939, the Navy contracted Elco to build 11 copies of PT-9. Coincidentally, the PT-309 ("Oh Frankie! At the outbreak of war in August 1914, W. Albert Hickman devised the first procedures and tactics for employing fast maneuverable seaworthy torpedo motorboats against capital ships, and presented his proposal to Rear Admiral David W. Taylor, the Chief of the US Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair. [5] During this trial, boats faced heavier seas, as high as 16ft (4.9m). PT-796 is a Higgins class PT Boat. The 1938 United States Navy PT, which has been restored and adapted to Coast Guard Standards, is a durable boat that was originally used in the US fleet for a period of time. The 619 P Boat has been the star of many events. Squadron 22 was operating with the British Royal Navy Coastal Forces, and saw action along the northwest coast of Italy and southern coast of France. He also granted permission for Elco, Higgins, and the Philadelphia Navy Yard to use his patented laminated keel, which increased hull strength, although neither Elco nor Higgins ever chose to use it on their boats. Maneuverability unsatisfactory due to inability to reverse outboard engines with a large turning circle of 443 yards (405m). These rapid machines proved deadly as highly mobile machine . Lieutenant Kennedy was the first commanding officer of PT-59 after its conversion. [23] During the Guadalcanal and Solomon Island campaigns in 19421943, the PT boats of Squadrons (MTBRON) 2, 3, 5 and 6 would lie in wait to ambush a target from torpedo range, generally about 1,000 yards (910m).[23]. After the war, the ex-PT459 was cut down to 65ft (20m) and highly modified into a sightseeing boat and fishing trawler. Initially, only a few boats were issued primitive radar sets. She was preparing to leave her cozy berth inside the corrugated steel boathouse. PT-48 is today in need of major restoration, after having been cut down to 59 feet (18m) and used as a dinner cruise boat. Occasionally, some front line PT boats received ad hoc up-fits at forward bases, where they mounted such weapons as 37mm aircraft cannons, rocket launchers, or mortars. The first Higgins boats for the U.S. Navy were used in the battle for the Aleutian Islands (Attu and Kiska) as part of Squadrons 13 and 16, and others (MTBRON15 and MTBRON22) in the Mediterranean against the Germans. Of the nearly 400 small, fast, versatile wooden Patrol Torpedo boats which were built around WWII, only a handful survive to this day. PT Boat & Vietnam era Boat Plans The last of her type to be constructed, she was nicknamed Tail Ender. One captured Japanese soldier's diary described their fear of PT boats by describing them as "the monster that roars, flaps its wings, and shoots torpedoes in all directions."[27]. Although the American Mark 8 torpedo did have problems with porpoising and circular runs, it could and did have success against common classes of targets. The reality was his claims that PTs had sunk a Japanese cruiser, a troopship, and a plane tender in the Philippines were untrue.[24][25]. On 2 November 1943, PT-59 participated in the rescue of 40 to 50 Marines from Choiseul Island and a foundering landing craft (LCP(R)) which was under fire from Japanese soldiers on the beach.[19]. This conference, including representatives from BuShips, BuOrd, MTBRONs, Interior Control Board, and CNO, recommended a series of comparative tests to evaluate what turned out to be five new designs of motor torpedo boats. In 1938, the U.S. Navy renewed their investigation into the concept by requesting competitive bids for several different types of motor torpedo boats, but excluded Hickman's Sea Sled. The Navy would provide engines, and Huckins would build a PT boat at their own expense, with the caveat that the boat (upon completion) would be offered to the Navy for a later sum. Having radar gave Navy PTs a distinct advantage in intercepting enemy supply barges and ships at night. Designers are involved from the early stages of the design process, even on production boats. The MK VI patrol boats are designed and built by American boat manufacturer, Safe Boats International (SBI), to serve as the next-generation patrol boats for the US Navy. While serviceable naval vessels in their own right, the group lacked the performance and capabilities that the USN sought. Common to all US PT boats were the two twin M2 .50 cal (12.7mm) machine guns. Back problems stemming from the incident required . PT-728, a surviving Vosper boat built under license at the Annapolis Boat Yard in Maryland, was restored in Key West, Florida. PT-3 was designed by George Crouch and employed lightweight planing hull construction methods. Sometimes you just have to create a custom yacht to go with your custom Ferrari. By class, PT-20, an Elco 77-footer, came in first with an average speed of 39.72kn (73.56km/h; 45.71mph); followed by PT-31, with an average speed of 37.01kn (68.54km/h; 42.59mph); PT-69, the Huckins 72-foot (22m) boat, was third with an average speed of 33.83kn (62.65km/h; 38.93mph);[note 2] PT-6, the Higgins 81-footer, with an average speed of 31.4kn (58.2km/h; 36.1mph) was fifth; and PT-8, the Philadelphia Navy Yard boat, was last, at 30.75kn (56.95km/h; 35.39mph). Elco competed for the, Other PT boats gaining fame during the war were. Cost to the Government fully equipped $265,500. length would be sufficiently seaworthy", so Hickman built and launched his own privately financed 41-foot (12m) Sea Sled capable of carrying a single 18-inch Whitehead Mark 5 torpedo. Huckins ended up building just two squadrons of PT boats during World War II. The Saturnian Naval Dockyards Presents. These features made it highly desirable due to the PT boat's ever-increasing requirement for increased firepower to deal effectively with the Japanese Daihatsu-class barges, which were largely immune to torpedoes due to their shallow draft. The larger boat proposal was not to exceed 80 feet and was to carry at least two 21-inch torpedoes, four depth charges, and two .50-cal machine-guns. Seventy years ago, on 21 April 1944, PT-305 arrived in the Mediterranean. [14] Almost immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Dewandre turrets were replaced on the entire PT boat fleet with open ring twin mounts. Views of 20mm Oerlikon Cannon, 37mm Oldsmobile Cannon, Mk50 Spin Stabilized 5 Inch Rocket Launcher Mounts, Browning M2 twin 50 cal machineguns, Mk17 turret, Mk 13 Torpedo, Mk6 Depth Charge, 40mm Bofors Cannon, Raytheon SO Radar Mast, signal generator, waveguide and antenna dome, Helm Equipment, Compass, Throttle and EOT, Searchlight, Reflector Gunsight, Collins TCS-12 Radios, Radar PPI Scope, Chartroom, Navigators Chartboard, Galley, Stove, Sink, Refrigerator, Toaster, Drop Leaf crews mess table, Crews Bunks, Pinup Girls, Crews Dress Uniforms, Kapok Life Jackets, Crews Quarters, Wardroom, Officers Head, Foul Weather Jacket, Radar Power Supply, Officers Dress Uniform, Officers Pith Helmets, Captains Desk, Ammo Locker, Small arms gun rack, M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, 1903 Springfield Rifle, BAR, Thompson Sub-machinegun, Wardroom Fan, Fluxgate Gyro compass Amplifiyer and Power Inverter, Ammo passing hatch, Running Engine exhausting through bronze mufflers. USN ELCO PT Boat Deck Deck Ventilator duct (three per PT Boat) have their interior Damper Door as separate parts to glue them opened or closed. Shortly after her retirement from service, the PT-796 was used as a float during President John F. Kennedy's inaugural parade to represent PT-109, with the PT-109 hull number painted on the bow, and several of PT-109's surviving crew members manning the boat. These torpedoes and tubes were replaced in mid-1943 by four lightweight 22.5-inch-diameter (570mm) Mark 13 torpedoes, which weighed 2,216 pounds (1,005kg) and contained a 600-pound (270kg) Torpex-filled warhead. She was transferred back to the United States in April 1945. She was attached to Squadron 40 in the Philippines but arrived too late to see action. In the Solomon Islands in 1943, three 77-foot (23m) PT boats, PT-59, PT-60, and PT-61, were converted into "PT gunboats" by stripping them of all original armament except the two twin .50 cal (12.7mm) gun mounts, then adding two 40mm and four twin .50 cal (12.7mm) mounts. As PT boats were usually located near the end of the supply chain, their crews proved resourceful in bartering with nearby ships or military units for supplies and using munitions to harvest their own fish. On early series of boats, this cannon was mounted on the stern. Direct hits from Japanese guns could and did result in catastrophic gasoline explosions with near-total crew loss. Space available for two 21" torpedo tubes and ten 300-pound (140kg) depth charges. The boat was serviced and stored by Elco. by Jon Guttman 5/1/2013 The winning design proposals would each receive a prize of $15,000 with $1500 for designs that reached the final part of the competition each to be given out on 30 March 1939. Even though the Elco 77-footers posted the fastest speeds, all seven Elcos suffered from structural damage and severe pounding causing the Board to recommend a redesign to correct these deficiencies. PT boats were also armed with numerous automatic weapons. American PT Boats in World War II. Higgins developed the small and fast 70-foot (21m) Higgins Hellcat, which was a slight variation on their original hull form, but the Navy rejected them for full production due to increased fuel consumption and other considerations. Some were converted into gunboats, which could be effective against enemy small craft, especially armored barges used by the Japanese for inter-island transport. Doyle, David.. PT Boats in Action. As a result, the Navy ordered further investigation and refinement of the existing designs until a satisfactory working design could be obtained. While comparable in size to many wooden sailing ships in history, these 20ft 8in (6.30m) beam wooden-hulled craft were classified as boats in comparison with much larger steel-hulled destroyers, destroyer escorts, and corvettes. In my humble opinion US PT-Boats and crews operating before and during WWII around Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and many other Pacific island groups, did more damage to the Japanese military supply chain than anything else to save Australia from probable invasion and there is almost zero history of those events recorded Growing up in Rhode Island at a young age I knew what a PT Boat was; especially famous one's like Kennedy's PT 109. Listed in order from bow to stern, they are: Forepeak (Chainlocker), Forward Crew's Quarters/Galley, Officers Wardroom, Forward Tank Room/Head, Engine Room, Aft Tank Room/Head, Aft Crews Quarters and Lazarette . Although their primary mission continued to be attack on surface ships and craft, PT boats were also used effectively to lay mines and smoke screens, coordinate in air-sea rescue operations, rescue shipwreck survivors, destroy Japanese suicide boats, destroy floating mines, and carry out intelligence or raider operations. If you are in doubt as to the purpose or usage of a piece of equipment, don't hesitate to ask. Improvements upon Packard's World War I Liberty L-12 2A engine, the successive "M" for "marine" designated 3M-2500, 4M-2500, and 5M-2500 generations all featured slight changes and more power. Diy Boat. The nucleus of this collection are PT Boats 617 and 796, the world's only restored pair of PTs on public exhibition. In John Ford's 1945 war film, They Were Expendable, two 80-foot (24m) Elcos were used during filming along with four former MTBRON 14 78-foot Huckins.[50]. The PT boat was very different from the first generation of torpedo boat, which had been developed at the end of the 19th century and featured a displacement hull form. PT-796's specifications are: Length: 78 feet Beam: 20 feet 8 inches Draught: 4 feet Crew: Two officers and nine crewmen Displacement: 43 tons empty, 48 tons fully loaded Max Speed: 41 knots (46mph) Fuel Capacity: 3,000 gallons of 100 octane avgas Range: 358 miles at 35 knots, 1050 miles on one engine, 11 knots Because of this boat's extensive combat history, having survived 22 months in the combat zone at Guadalcanal (more time in combat than any other surviving PT boat), a preservation group, "Fleet Obsolete" of Kingston, New York, acquired and transported it to Rondout Creek in 2009 for eventual repair. This is only a few miles from the much larger Newport, Naval Station also in Rhode Island best known for the Naval War College and the site of . She was retired from service in the late 1950s. 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