Since both the Japanese in the New Guinea area and the Germans in the Mediterranean had lost numerous resupply vessels to Allied air power during daylight hours, each attempted to resupply their troop concentrations by using shallow draft barges at night in very shallow waters. Fr. The Higgins 76' (PT-70) and boats of the Elco 77' (PT-20 Class) developed structural failures even under moderate weather conditions prevailing. PT-596 was one of the last built, entering service in May 1945. She was sold several times, and moved to Kingston, NY for possible restoration. PT boats were also armed with numerous automatic weapons. After the war, American military interviews with captured veterans of the Imperial Japanese Navy, supplemented by the available partial Japanese war records, were unable to verify that all the PT boat sinking claims were valid. He named the boat Tarbaby VI, and used her through the 1950s. In spite of Bulkeley's claim that introduction of the Mark 13 torpedo to PT boats in mid-1943 all but eliminated the early problems that PT boats had with their obsolete Mark 8s,[23] difficulties remained. It was renewed for personal use after its noble history. Higgins built an additional PT-6 "Prime" redesigned by Andrew Higgins personally using his own methods. (Here are selected photos on this topic, but full relevance is not guaranteed.) The conference strongly recommended that no more Elco 77-footers be ordered until the tests had shown that they were indeed satisfactory.[8]. Carrollton: Squadron Signal, 2010. When these weapons were found to be successful, they were incorporated onto the PT boats as original armament. [3] Using his previous design from September 1914 and the previous unsuccessful bid for C-250, the new boat C-378 was completed and fully tested just in time to be cancelled by the Armistice. Also, the PT Boat speed is nearly 66 knots. By war's end, more of the Elco boats were built (326 in all) than any other type of motor torpedo boat. It's too bad they couldn't stick with the same scale as the 1:72 Elco boat. Space available for two 21" torpedo tubes and ten 300-pound (140kg) depth charges. The Board is of the opinion that certain changes in design are required to enable PT-69 and boats of the PT-20 Class to carry safely their military loads in rough weather. Elco PT Boat: 80 Feet of Wood and Weaponry Weapons & Gear Manual Elco PT Boat: 80 Feet of Wood and Weaponry Of the nearly 400 fast, light and heavily armed patrol boats Elco made for the U.S. Navy during World War II, a few achieved notoriety and one survives today as a museum ship. Measure 31/20L - This scheme combined Black, Green #2 and Green #3. Period Second World War. Lieutenant Kennedy was the first commanding officer of PT-59 after its conversion. PT-8 was stored in a yard for several decades in Baytown, TX, but has since moved. 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. The Board of Inspection and Survey, headed by Rear Admiral John W. Wilcox, Jr., conducted comparative service tests[9] off New London, 21 to 24 July 1941, using the following boats: Each member of the Board conducted an independent inspection of every boat class, evaluating them for structural sufficiency, habitability, access, arrangement for attack control, and communication facilities. The shallow depth meant Allied destroyers were unable to follow them due to the risk of running aground and the barges could be protected by an umbrella of shore batteries. U.S. Navy PTs were eventually fitted with Raytheon SO radar, which had about a 17nmi (20mi; 31km) range. The first three of the new design (PT-95 through PT-97) were initially kept in the Jacksonville area for testing, resulting in several important modifications to the overall design (these boats were later assigned to Squadron 4 in 1942). PT-658 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.[43]. The tour starts from Bow and works back to see entire boat with detail views of each weapon and piece of equipment. After the war, the ex-PT459 was cut down to 65ft (20m) and highly modified into a sightseeing boat and fishing trawler. In several engagements, the mere presence of PTs was sufficient to disrupt heavily escorted Japanese resupply activities at Guadalcanal. Very little tendency to pound in a seaway. PT-796 ("Tail Ender") is a 78-foot (24m) Higgins. Fittings and finish appropriate for a motor torpedo boat. 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. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images) During WWII the US realized their PT boats had more potential than just simple torpedo dispensers. 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. This Squadron saw action in the Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal, and Funafuti. [40] It was used in the training squadron MTBRON4 in Melville, Rhode Island, during World War II until it was placed out of service 16 January 1946. While serviceable naval vessels in their own right, the group lacked the performance and capabilities that the USN sought. Starting in mid-1943, the old Mark 18 torpedo tubes and Mark 8 torpedoes began to be replaced. [9], Boats were also evaluated under two conditions of armament loading: loaded and fully equipped with four 21in (53cm) torpedoes and sufficient fuel to operate 500 NM at 20 knots; and fully loaded with two 21in (53cm) torpedoes and ten 300lb (140kg) depth charges with sufficient fuel to operate 500nmi (930km; 580mi) at 20kn (37km/h; 23mph). Wooden-hulled, 80 feet long with a 20-foot, 8-inch beam, the Elco PT boats had three 12-cylinder Packard gasoline engines generating a total of 4,500 horsepower for a designed speed of 41. We promise fish will be wanting to jump aboard your boat! During the D-Day invasion, PTs patrolled the "Mason Line", forming a barrier against the German S-boats attacking the Allied landing forces. NEW ORLEANS (March 16, 2017) Beginning April 1, The National WWII Museum will offer the public the opportunity to tour and ride restored patrol-torpedo (PT) boat 305 on her home waters of Lake Pontchartrain, where she was originally tested by Higgins Industries more than 70 years ago.For the first time ever, visitors will be able to see and feel the PT boat experience, and learn about the . There PT-728 allows up to 49 tourists the chance to ride on a "PT boat". Five Elco Boats were manufactured in knock-down kit form and sent to Long Beach Boatworks for assembly on the West Coast as part of an experiment and as a proof of concept. 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]. 153 Navy Pt Boat Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Editorial Video Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 153 Navy Pt Boat Premium High Res Photos Browse 153 navy pt boat stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. A 59-foot (18m) barrel-back (which provided increased strength to the sides and deck), a unique double longitudinal planked (mahogany outer planking and Port Orford cedar inner planking) lightweight hull on bent laminated oak framing, she was the "featherweight" of transportable PT boat design, but was later rejected by the Navy during trials in 1941 after being deemed too short to carry 4 torpedoes, as well as being able to only launch torpedoes stern first, which was a procedure considered too dangerous by BuOrd. Hundreds of boats were deliberately stripped of all useful equipment and then dragged up on the beach and burned. After the initial competition, in late 1939, the Navy contracted Elco to build 11 copies of PT-9. Doyle, David.. PT Boats in Action. She was reclassified as a harbor patrol boat (YP 110) for the duration of the war. Of plywood and mahogany construction, a PT is light yet strong, lightly armored yet strongly armed. From a design standpoint, boats are more challenging to design than . George C. Sinn of Wildwood Crest, NJ on 9 October 1951 for $1,015.00. Their answer was found in the 37mm Oldsmobile M4 aircraft automatic cannon cannibalized from crashed P-39 Airacobra fighter planes on Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. PT Boat PT-658 Deck Tour and Interior Tour shows details and closeups of all weapons and equipment on board. In the USN they were organized in Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons (MTBRONs).[1]. PT-309 is located at the National Museum of the Pacific War / Admiral Nimitz Museum[39] in Fredericksburg, Texas, and was restored by the (now defunct) Defenders of America Naval Museum (DOANM). 146 boats, armed with 18in (460mm) torpedoes, were built for Lend Lease, and exported to Allied powers such as Canada, Britain, Norway, and the Soviet Union. USN ELCO PT Boat Deck Stern Chocks (x2 per PT Boat). Its maximum top speed was also to be 40 knots but specified operating radius was to be 120 miles at top speed and 240 miles at cruising speed. This type of construction made it possible for damage to the wooden hulls of these boats to be easily repaired at the front lines by base force personnel. In 1922, the US Navy reconsidered using small internal combustion engine powered torpedo boats. 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]. After May-2017 repricing for Frosted Materials, these parts had to be sprued to reduce final price. RMKECG59 - Interior of JFK Library, Boston, USA. During World War II, PT boats engaged enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans. She was surplused in 1947 and used for various purposes until being purchased as a museum ship in 1979, finally going on display in 1985 after restoration. [3] In September 1914, Hickman completed plans for a 50-foot (15m) "Sea Sled" torpedo boat and submitted these to the Navy in hopes of obtaining a contract. At the same time, Henry R. Sutphen of Electric Launch Company (Elco) and his designers (Irwin Chase, Bill Fleming, and Glenville Tremaine) visited the United Kingdom in February 1939 at the Navy's request to see British motor torpedo boat designs with a view to obtaining one that could be used as a check on the Navy's efforts. After having demonstrated its value on board PT boats, the M4 (and later M9) cannon was installed at the factory. She is located in San Diego and is now named Malihini. 3 ' ' . In 1942, the scheme initially applied to the Elco 80 footers utilized Navy Gray (#5) and Dark Gray (5-D) The bottom paint for all of these schemes was Copperoyd. PT-309 is restored (but non-operational) in a static diorama display without engines installed. The design was enlarged and modified to meet the new requirements. Powered by three working 1,850-hp Packard V-12 gasoline engines, PT-658 . Boat ID: 36552. Measure 31/5P - This scheme utilized Navy Green and Ocean Green. So, putting this together, a PT boat is a patrol torpedo boat. Acid-resisting black Copperoyd bottom paint Canvas preservative dyes (blue, gray or green) Deck Blue (20-B) Deck Green (20-G) A common characteristic of this type of contoured hull is the "rooster tail" in the wake. ELCO 80' PT - 596 TORPEDO BOAT. During the war, Navy PT boats went against the enemy's barges, tankers, sampans, and warships. PT-9 off Washington DC (1940) PT-1: This very first 58ft Experimental MTB, laid down 12 July 1939 by Fogal Boat Yard in Miami, Florida to answer the USN called. The vessel was sold in 1952 to Otto Stocker who operated the "Sightseer" as an excursion vessel from Otten's Harbor in Wildwood, New Jersey. An accelerometer was installed in the pilot house of each boat to record "pounding". The squadron was operating under the British Coastal Forces, and saw action along the northwest coast of Italy and southern coast of France. [9], The average speed results from the 185nmi (343km; 213mi) course were: Elco 77-footer (PT-21), 27.5kn (50.9km/h; 31.6mph); Higgins 76-footer (PT-70), 27.2kn (50.4km/h; 31.3mph); Higgins MRB and Philadelphia Navy Yard boat (PT-8), 24.8kn (45.9km/h; 28.5mph). The larger punch of the 37mm round was desirable, but the crews looked for something that could fire faster than the single-shot army anti-tank weapon. 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. The cockpits of PT boats were protected by armor plate against small arms fire and splinters. 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. During World War I Italy, the US, and UK developed the first high-performance gasoline-powered motor torpedo boats (often with top speeds over 40kn (74km/h)) and corresponding torpedo tactics, but these projects were all quickly disbanded after the Armistice. This is the definitive source on US PT Boats and impact they had on history. Beginning in mid-1943, some boats were fitted with one or two .30 cal Browning machine guns on the forward torpedo racks on pedestal mounts. PT-486, an 80-foot (24m) Elco boat, was placed in service on 2 December 1943. He named the vessel Schumann's "Big Blue" and ran the business until 2002. Crews varied from 12 to 17, depending upon the number and type of weapons installed. 2008. p. False claims in Fleming, Thomas, "War of Revenge", Spring 2011, At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the United States Navy by Captain Robert J. Bulkley, Jr. USNR (Retired), Learn how and when to remove this template message, escape from Corregidor Island, Philippines, "Motor Torpedo Squadron ONE, Report for Pearl Harbor Attack, "Damned by Faint Praise: The life and hard times of Albert Hickman", "Navy Acquires Small Speedy Torpedo Boats", Giant Killers, The Elco PT Boat Construction, "DESCRIPTION AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE DEWANDRE-ELCO POWER-OPERATED MACHINE GUN TURRET", "Twin .50 Cal Browning Navy Aircraft Mount MK9", "WAR DEPARTMENT TECHNICAL MANUAL TM 9-252", PT Boats, Inc.- Action Report Into Action, Southwest Pacific Return to the Philippines, "JFK's WWII boat may be at the bottom of the Harlem River", PT Boat burning November & December 1945 Samar, Philippines PT Boats Inc, "The decade-long, $6M effort to put a 74-year-old WWII boat back to water", National Museum of the Pacific War official site, "PT-658, last remaining operable PT boat from World War II, named to National Register of Historic Places", "Motor Torpedo Boat Photo Archive: PT-694", At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the United States Navy. Structural weaknesses caused failures in transverse bottom framing, separation of side planking from framing and extensive failures of deck fastenings. Perhaps the most effective use of PTs was as "barge busters." [23] Enemy forces would use searchlights or seaplane-dropped flares to illuminate fleeing PT boats. Holding all this together were thousands of bronze screws and copper rivets. 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. The only main-stream plastic kit of a Higgins PT boat is by Revell. PT-305 was cut down to 65 feet (20m) for use as an oyster seed boat in Crisfield, Maryland. [9], At the time, only the Elco 77-footers were loaded with armament. Compounding the difficulty with the early torpedoes, attacking at night PT boat crews may have sometimes failed to note a possible torpedo failure. They were powered by aviation fuel and three powerful engines. She was retired from service in the late 1950s. SKILL 5. 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. Not invited to participate in the original design competition, by late 1940, Huckins had a meeting with Captain James M. Irish, Chief of Design of BuShips, and offered to build a "planing seagoing hull" PT boat, on the condition the Navy loan Huckins engines and agree to look at the Huckins boat. This was done to minimize the amount of upkeep the Navy would have to do, since wooden boats require much continuous maintenance, and they were not considered worth the effort. [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]. Fittings and finish unnecessarily refined. Although not used in any other PT boat design, Huckins licensed the use of his patented Quadraconic hull in his PT boat construction. She was obtained from the backwaters of Florida and moved to its current location by JM "Boats" Newberry, the founder of PT Boats Inc. "Boats" along with the team at Battleship Cove Museum restored her during 198489, inside and out, at a cost of US$1 million. PT-615, an 80-foot (24m) Elco originally assigned to MTBRON 42, was commissioned after the war ended. PT Boat Interior Layout. Further, many of those taken were beyond the normal range of the instruments and were considered inaccurate. While favorably received, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels rejected the proposal since the US was not at war, but Hickman was advised to submit his plans and proposal to the British Admiralty, which was done the following month. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. PT-724, a surviving Vosper built at the Annapolis Boat yard in Maryland, has been used as a yacht, and has since been acquired by the Liberty Aviation Museum to be restored back to original Vosper configuration. 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. 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. Earlier when Sea Sleds were specifically excluded, Crouch had informed the Bureau of Ships that the Sea Sled was the best type of vessel for the job. 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