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). Charles Schumann in the 1980s. 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. 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. PT-105, an 80' Elco boat, under way. PT boats operated in the southern, western, and northern Pacific, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea and the English Channel. JKF was then a young Navy lieutenant, commanding the now famous PT 109, which as PT boats go, was something of a heap. The use of PT boat torpedoes was ineffective against these sometimes heavily armed barges, since the minimum depth setting of the torpedo was about 10 feet (3 m) and the barges drew only 5 feet (1.5 m). When these weapons were found to be successful, they were incorporated onto the PT boats as original armament. Length 78in. , 2 1939 12 13 6. They were assigned to specific outposts in the Panama Canal Zone, Miami, Florida, the Hawaiian Sea Frontier at Pearl Harbor and Midway, and a training center in Melville, Rhode Island. 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. Additionally, a few PT boats were equipped to carry naval mines launched from mine racks, but these were not commonly used. Though often said to be made of plywood, they were actually made of two diagonal layered 1in (25mm) thick mahogany planks, with a glue-impregnated layer of canvas in between. Equipped armament for the smaller proposal was to be either two torpedoes and two depth charges, or .50-cal machine-guns and a smokescreen generator. Placed in service too late to take part in World War II, PT-796 saw temporary . Starting in mid-1943, the old Mark 18 torpedo tubes and Mark 8 torpedoes began to be replaced. The efficiency of the PT boats at sinking the Japanese supply barges was considered a key reason that the Japanese had severe food, ammunition, and replacement problems during the New Guinea and Solomon Island campaigns, and made the PT boats prime targets for enemy aircraft. Most of my experience as an interior designer of ships for the Indonesian government, BUMN, and private boats. In March 1941, during a heavy weather run from Key West to New York by Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 2 (MTBRON2), Elco 70-footers pounded heavily in 8-to-10-foot (2.4 to 3.0m) waves even at moderate speeds, and seas continuously broke high over the bows. PT-323 (Elco) was cut in half by a kamikaze aircraft on 10 December 1944 off Leyte, yet remained floating for several hours. 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. [3] In the summer of 1915, Lieutenants Hampden, Bremner, and Anson approached John I. Thornycroft & Company about developing a small high speed torpedo boat, and this effort eventually led to the Coastal Motor Boat which first went into service in April 1916. 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). A PT boat carried 3,000 US gallons (11,400L) of 100 octane aviation fuel, enough for a 4M-2500 equipped boat to conduct a maximum 12-hour patrol. Plans are for restoring the vessel to recreate the World War II appearance. The two boats were paired for night patrol near the . The Sea Sled did not surface again as a torpedo boat topic until 1939, but continued to be used by both the Army and Navy as rescue boats and seaplane tenders during the 20s and 30s. Two of the experimental PT-Boats also still survive, PT-3 (built by Fisher Boat Works) in New Jersey and PT-8. The accelerometers ranked the boats as follows: first was the Philadelphia Navy Yard PT-8 with the least pounding, second was the Huckins PT-69, third was the Higgins PT-6, and last were the Elco 77-footers. The Rear Mufflers. 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. "PT" is the US hull classification symbol for "Patrol Torpedo". It has been released as PT 207 and PT 212 and maybe others. [note 1] Six boats completed the trial, while three withdrew: PT-33 suffered structural damage off Block Island; PT-70 was damaged by loose copper ingots; and MRB developed engine trouble at the start of the run.[9]. After obtaining excellent testing results at the Plywood Derby, the Navy awarded Huckins Yacht Corporation a contract in 1941 for 8 boats, and later added 10 more. Diy Boat. The Japanese called them "Devil Boats". by Jon Guttman 5/1/2013 By the war's end, most PTs had these weapons. Sometimes you just have to create a custom yacht to go with your custom Ferrari. Along with PT-557, the vessel was purchased from BFM Industries (Brooklyn, NY) by Capt. During World War II, PT boats engaged enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans. PT-3 was designed by George Crouch and employed lightweight planing hull construction methods. She is available for public viewing, and has portions of her hull cut away to display the cramped interior of the crew's quarters. And that's exactly what one owner has done with a brand new 94-footer that has interiors inspired by his . In 1944, several Higgins 78-foot (24m) boats (PT222, PT-283, PT-284, PT-285, and PT-282) were converted, releasing PT-59, PT-60, and PT-61 for transfer back home to the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Training Center in Melville, Rhode Island, for use in training in hull repair techniques. [16][17] Another automatic weapon commonly mounted on PT boats was the 20mm Oerlikon cannon. Some PT boats served during the Battle of Normandy. Of plywood and mahogany construction, a PT is light yet strong, lightly armored yet strongly armed. 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. PT-8 was stored in a yard for several decades in Baytown, TX, but has since moved. PT 48 is the only remaining 77' Elco PT Boat and a member of the heroic WWII "Mosquito Fleet". We promise fish will be wanting to jump aboard your boat! 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. She was retired from service in the late 1950s. The business was later sold to Capt. During this trial, boats faced heavier seas, as high as 16ft (4.9m). "[9], The Board results provided very important benchmarks in the infancy of PT boat development. This is the PT Boat listing page, here you can download the plan, article and see the main thumbnail and extra images. That the Elco 77-foot design be considered acceptable for future construction provided changes in the lines are made to reduce the tendency to pound in a seaway, and the structure be strengthened in a manner acceptable to the Bureau of Ships. They dominated a specific part of naval warfare, that of night warfare in coastal waters, but in that part they were essential because neither other vessels nor aircraft could perform as they did. Of the more than 500 small, fast, versatile wooden Patrol Torpedo boats which were built during WWII, only a handful survive today. The 619 P Boat has been the star of many events. Originally conceived as anti-ship weapons, PT boats were publicly credited with sinking several Japanese warships during the period between December 1941 and the fall of the Philippines in May 1942[23] even though the Navy knew the claims were all false. It was subsequently upgraded in stages to 1,500hp (1,100kW), allowing a designed speed of 41 knots (76km/h). Cost to the Government fully equipped $265,500. [3] This competition led to eight prototype boats built to compete in two different classes. [6] These last two boats were constructed mainly out of aluminum and had 4 engines. Some were converted into gunboats, which could be effective against enemy small craft, especially armored barges used by the Japanese for inter-island transport. This resulted in severe conditions for several of the boats during the trial and accounted for the transverse failure in PT-70's deck and subsequent hull failure as the copper fell into the hull. 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