PT-658 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.[43]. The Higgins boats had the same beam, full load displacement, engines, generators, shaft horsepower, trial speed, armament, and crew accommodation as the 80ft (24m) Elco boats. After having demonstrated its value on board PT boats, the M4 (and later M9) cannon was installed at the factory. 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. Testor Elco PT boat 1:160 scale For other similar vessels, see, United States naval ship classes of World War II, Board of Inspection and Survey's findings. Johnson, Frank D. United States PT Boats of . Structural weaknesses resulting in transverse fractures of deck planking. 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. 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. 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. was assigned during the war to MTBRON 22, and saw action against the Germans in the Mediterranean Sea. The newly designed 80ft (24m) Elco Naval Division boats were the longest of the three types of PT boats built for the Navy used during World War II. 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. In early 1941 the U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships (BuShips) lent Packard engines to both Huckins and Higgins, which wanted to build competitive boats at their own expense. The interior of PT-658 is divided below deck into eight watertight compartments separated by built-up plywood bulkheads (walls). PT boats also commonly carried between two and eight U.S. Navy Mark 6 depth charges in roll-off racks. "), 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. While serviceable naval vessels in their own right, the group lacked the performance and capabilities that the USN sought. 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. Designer Art Bauer. PT-796 ("Tail Ender") is a 78-foot (24m) Higgins. PT-658 is now fully functional and afloat, and is one of the two restored US Navy PT Boat that is operational today. [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]. But his fury and grief at the loss of two men sent him on a dangerous quest to get even. This 72-foot (22m) boat (designated MT-72) later became PT-69. 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. Lt. [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. 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. Two twin .50-inch (12.7mm) M2 Browning heavy machine guns were mounted for anti-aircraft defense and general fire support. 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. This was done in thin material, easy to cut. In 1943, an inquiry was held by the Navy to discuss planing, hull design, and fuel consumption issues. "[9], The Board results provided very important benchmarks in the infancy of PT boat development. All PTs prior to the 77ft (23m) Elcos had been found defective, and it was probable the extended 70ft (21m) Elco would not be an improvement. 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. [9], Boats would have their tactical parameters of each design determined by photographs from an airship. Unlike the actual "planing hull" Huckins, which planed at 10-11 knots, the Elco and Higgins PT boats were intended to plane at higher speeds (PT 71 and PT-103 classes at around 27 knots, and the PT-265 and 625 classes at around 23 knots). They each had butterfly flap valves fitted in the main exhaust pipes after the muffler take off which were operated by a lever system to allow straight through exhaust at speed or to direct the exhaust down through the mufflers to silence the boat at low speed. 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. Mark 8 torpedoes had a range of 16,000 yards (14,630m) at 36 knots (67km/h; 41mph). He named the vessel Schumann's "Big Blue" and ran the business until 2002. Ability to make a maximum sustained speed of 39.7 knots; maximum speed 44.1 knots with heavy ordnance load. In several engagements, the mere presence of PTs was sufficient to disrupt heavily escorted Japanese resupply activities at Guadalcanal. The smaller boat proposal was to weigh no more than 20 tons so that it could be easily transported by larger cargo ships. Forward of the chart house of some early Elco 77-foot (23m) boats (PT20 through PT44) were twin .30 cal (7.62mm) Lewis machine guns on pedestal mounts. Technically the stem post ends at frame 9 and the keel begins. Space available for two 21" torpedo tubes and ten 300-pound (140kg) depth charges. A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. [45] PT-3 and PT-8 were both part of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 1 (MTBRON 1) during the testing period. Structural weaknesses caused failures in transverse bottom framing, separation of side planking from framing and extensive failures of deck fastenings. [23] Enemy forces would use searchlights or seaplane-dropped flares to illuminate fleeing PT boats. T. Garth Connelly, Don Greer, Tom Tullis, Joe Sewell, David Doyle "Elco 80' PT Boat on Deck" (Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 2010), An excellent compendium of information about the Elco PT boats can be found in ", Haruyoshi Kimmatsu, "The night We sank John Kennedy's PT 109" appeared in, This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 08:14. 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). Starting in mid-1943, the installation of this gun had an immediate positive effect on the firepower available from a PT boat. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". I'm studying English and Deutsch to become my second language. The boats also used a lot of high octane gasoline for their size, making them too expensive to operate for a peacetime navy. Powered by three working 1,850-hp Packard V-12 gasoline engines, PT-658 . Wooden Boat Building. 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. 70 cm. [5], By September 1938 the U.S. Navy had received a total of 24 design proposals for the small boat and 13 design proposals for the larger 70-footer. These boats were never used by the U.S. Navy, and only about 50 were used by the Royal Navy; most were passed to other countries. In April 1943, 25-year-old John F. Kennedy arrived in the Pacific and took command of the PT-109. PT-766 is an 80-foot (24m) Elco boat that is a private yacht ("Finished Business") located in Washington D.C. She represents the final class of Elco's with significant updates to the superstructure and radar and was intended for MTBRON 44, but was cancelled due to the end of the war. As a result, the Navy ordered further investigation and refinement of the existing designs until a satisfactory working design could be obtained. Maximum sustained speed of 27.2 knots in rough seas; maximum speed 40.9 knots. Maneuverability satisfactory, turning circle not determined photographically, estimated 300 yards. 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 [23] The Mark 3 and Mark 4 exploders were not subject to the same problems as the Mark 6 exploders on U.S. submarines' Mark 14 torpedoes. PT-309 is restored (but non-operational) in a static diorama display without engines installed. The US Navy plans to procure a total of 48 Mark VI boats. The base line is parallel to the water line. On 11 July 1938 the Navy issued multiple 'notice of competitions' for proposals of design of four separate types of boat: a 165-foot subchaser, a 110-foot subchaser, a 70-foot motor torpedo boat, and a 54-foot motor torpedo boat. The only main-stream plastic kit of a Higgins PT boat is by Revell. PT-305 was acquired by the Defenders of America Naval Museum (DOANM), and then sold in May 2007 to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. The 103 Class boats were initially armed with two sets of twin .50 caliber machine guns, a 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun, four torpedo tubes or two torpedo tubes and eight (four to a side) roll-off racks for depth charges (the 300 pound charge variety). [9], Nine boats participated in the trial. This second Squadron 3 was the first to arrive in the Solomons and saw heavy engagement with the "Tokyo Express". The Japanese were initially cautious when operating their capital ships in areas known to have PT boats, knowing how dangerous their own Type 93 torpedoes were, and assumed the Americans had equally lethal weapons. Initially, only a few boats were issued primitive radar sets. [22] Only the British built PT-9 prototype boat brought from England for Elco to examine and copy featured a Merlin. Wooden Boat Building. 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. For the 1962 movie PT-109, several 82-foot (25m) USAF crash rescue boats were converted to resemble 80-foot Elcos when the few surviving boats were found to need too much work to make them seaworthy for use during the film. Boat Decor. She was retired from service in the late 1950s. 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-459 ("Mahogany Menace") a Higgins 78-foot (24m) boat, was assigned to MTBRON 30 on 15 February 1944. [citation needed], After the war, Lindsay Lord, who was stationed in Hawaii during the war, recorded the Navy's planing hull research and findings in the book Naval Architecture of Planing Hulls. She was transferred back to the United States in April 1945. Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 22, or RON22, was transported to the combat theater aboard the USS Merrimack. 1,429 Pt Boat Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO mtb 1,429 Pt Boat Premium High Res Photos Browse 1,429 pt boat stock photos and images available, or search for mtb to find more great stock photos and pictures. The "PT" in a PT boat is an abbreviation for patrol torpedo. Several PT boats were lost due to friendly fire from both Allied aircraft and destroyers. PT-305 was cut down to 65 feet (20m) for use as an oyster seed boat in Crisfield, Maryland. PTs would usually attack at night. This resulted in the November 1943 Miami test trial between two Higgins and two Elco boats, but no major additional modifications were made before the end of the war. Many got up to four torpedo tubes and a 20mm anti-aircraft gun, while a few even got mortars or rockets. Most of my experience as an interior designer of ships for the Indonesian government, BUMN, and private boats. Of the more than 500 small, fast, versatile wooden Patrol Torpedo boats which were built during WWII, only a handful survive today. Lieutenant Kennedy was the first commanding officer of PT-59 after its conversion. 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. She was reclassified as a harbor patrol boat (YP 110) for the duration of the war. 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. It has been released as PT 207 and PT 212 and maybe others. These rapid machines proved deadly as highly mobile machine . [23] There are several recorded instances of PT boats trading fire with friendly aircraft,[23] a situation also familiar to U.S. submariners. To accomplish the task, PTs in the Mediterranean and the Pacific (and RN and RCN motor torpedo boats in the Mediterranean) installed more and heavier guns which were able to sink the barges. Bass Boats. I chose the latter with red oxide below the waterline tempered with a bit . (photosinhouse16@gmail.com) Operating personnel reported extreme discomfort and fatigue. 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. Cost to the Government fully equipped $265,500. This conprehensive reference covers, for the first time, PT Boat tactics, formations and seamanship. Five 78-foot (24m) boats were assigned to Squadron 14 (PT-98 through PT-102) which was commissioned in early 1943; and ten boats assigned to Squadron 26 (PT-255 thru PT-264) which was commissioned in mid 1943. Common to all US PT boats were the two twin M2 .50 cal (12.7mm) machine guns. 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. 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. 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. Direct hits from Japanese guns could and did result in catastrophic gasoline explosions with near-total crew loss. [26] 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. Seventy years ago, on 21 April 1944, PT-305 arrived in the Mediterranean. After May-2017 repricing for Frosted Materials, these parts had to be sprued to reduce final price. 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. 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. [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. Cost to the Government fully equipped $263,500. 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. We promise fish will be wanting to jump aboard your boat! ELCO 80' PT - 596 TORPEDO BOAT. Measurements along the keel are given in both frame locations and stations. Structural weaknesses resulting in fracture of bilge stringers. 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]. Check here for details! The Bofors cannon had a firing rate of 120 rounds/min (using 4-round clips) and had a range of 5,420 yards (4,960m). Fittings and finish unnecessarily refined. Check back soon for further detailed videos about starting up the engines and other operational details. 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. These planks were held together by thousands of copper rivets and bronze screws. The tour starts from Bow and works back to see entire boat with detail views of each weapon and piece of equipment. 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. Hyperwar: Close Quarters, by Captain Robert J. Bulkley, Jr. An example of daily life aboard a PT boat, recorded in the deck logs, HNSA Ship Page: PT Boats to visit as museums and memorials, Higgins Industries Motor Torpedo Boat Diagram Collection, https://www.pdfdrive.com/american-pt-boats-in-world-war-ii-e157218440.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PT_boat&oldid=1141088859, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from November 2014, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from March 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2012, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from April 2022, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from June 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, One 70ft (21m) MRB-8 (Motor Rescue Boat), built for the. PT-657, a Higgins 78-foot (24m) boat, has been converted into a charter fishing boat. PT-191 was one of the last boats in the first series (PTs 103-196)of the PT-103 Class. The overall result was an extremely light and strong hull which could be easily repaired at the front lines when battle damage was sustained. They seems to be confused about the scale, some issues say 1:96 others 1:100 scale. As an Interior Designer with over five years of experience visualizing, conceptualizing, and building up design plans as per client goals. After the war, the ex-PT459 was cut down to 65ft (20m) and highly modified into a sightseeing boat and fishing trawler. A sailor in training to handle a US Navy PT torpedo boat mans one of the twin 50 cal AA machine guns which form the ship's aerial defenses, circa 1944. Insane interior #boatfloor that costs under $12/SQFT. Cost to the Government fully equipped $206,600. Fittings and finish appropriate for a motor torpedo boat. Powered by three Packard 5M-2500 V12 Gasoline engines rated at 1850 horsepower each! During the D-Day invasion, PTs patrolled the "Mason Line", forming a barrier against the German S-boats attacking the Allied landing forces. 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). . The excellent 20-page, 52-step instruction booklet offers two build options: as a 1942 newly built boat in Navy gray or as the dark green scavenged boat at the time of its sinking on August 2, 1943, with a 37mm antitank gun mounted on the forward deck. PT-617 is an 80-foot (24m) Elco boat located at the Battleship Cove Naval Museum in Fall River, Massachusetts. Having radar gave Navy PTs a distinct advantage in intercepting enemy supply barges and ships at night. 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. The 691 P boat is boathouse kept and the work continues at the current time with the gun carriages for the two twin .50 cal gun turrets under construction and as well, the interior accommodation continues to go forward. PT 109 boat model. Elco PT Boat Shaft and Rudder Detail. Nicknamed "the mosquito fleet" and "devil boats" by the Japanese, the PT boat squadrons were hailed for their daring and earned a durable place in the public imagination that remains strong into the 21st century. The two Vosper boats in England were built by Vosper itself, and the first is in fairly good condition at Portsmouth. After a lengthy restoration[34][35] PT-305 has been restored to a seaworthy, operational vessel. So here are a few more of my collection. PT boats lacked a large capacity refrigerator to store sufficient quantities of perishable foods. Additionally, a few PT boats were equipped to carry naval mines launched from mine racks, but these were not commonly used. 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. World War II PT boats continued to exploit some of the advances in planing hull design borrowed from offshore powerboat racing and by using multiple lightweight but more powerful marinized aircraft-derived V-12 engines were able to grow in both size and speed. This gun was served by a crew of 4 men, and was used against aircraft targets, as well as shore bombardment or enemy surface craft. Their superchargers, intercoolers, dual magnetos, and two spark plugs per cylinder reflected their aircraft origins. The wooden PT boat was less than half the displacement and intended for inshore/offshore work. Placed in service too late to take part in World War II, PT-796 saw temporary . From a design standpoint, boats are more challenging to design than . PT boats operated in the southern, western, and northern Pacific, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea and the English Channel. 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. Robert McFarlane. Full-load displacement late in the war was 56 tons. During this trial, boats faced heavier seas, as high as 16ft (4.9m). PT-486, an 80-foot (24m) Elco boat, was placed in service on 2 December 1943. Crews varied from 12 to 17, depending upon the number and type of weapons installed. PT Boats, or Patrol Torpedo Boats, were a secondary element in World War 2 navies, but an essential one. Be sure to check website at www.savetheptboatinc.com PT-658 was named to the. 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.
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