Hampden. Novato, California, U.S.A.: Presidio Press. The handcrafted Huckins PT was produced at their civilian facility at a speed of one per month. A 59-foot (18 m) 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. G Factor 1/35 G5 PT Boat Brass Propellers 13504 x for Merit kit. In April 1941, MTBRON 1 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. Ten Higgins boats were delivered in 1948 for use by the Argentine Navy during the late 1940s up until the late 1970s. Built in 1945 by Higgins in New Orleans. Made famous by Kennedy's PT109 service in WWII, these boats were high powered (3 Packard V12's !) The PT boat design was also exported after the end of the Second World War as an unarmed air-sea rescue launch for use by the South African Navy. Ability to make a maximum sustained speed of 39.7 knots; maximum speed 44.1 knots with heavy ordnance load. 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."[24]. Though 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. and attacked shipping and protected our ships during the war. The boat is owned by PT Boats, Inc., a World War II PT veterans organization headquartered in Germantown, Tennessee. The business was later sold to Capt. Those are:[10]. Several PT boats were lost due to friendly fire from both Allied aircraft and destroyers. They produced, on average, one PT boat every 60 hours. Lieutenant Kennedy was the first commanding officer of PT-59 after its conversion. The boats were however penned in harbor, due to fuel shortage. U.S. Navy PTs were eventually fitted with Raytheon SO radar, which had about a 17 nmi (20 mi; 31 km) range. During the D-Day invasion, PTs patrolled the "Mason Line", forming a barrier against the German S-boats attacking the Allied landing forces. Cost to the Government fully equipped $265,500. PT 48 was one of the first 4 boats to arrive at Tulagi, on 12 October 1942. WWII US Navy Nurse Sterling with Gold Plate by Weingarten Gallery, Item No. [citation needed] Only the British built PT-9 prototype boat brought from England for Elco to examine and copy featured a Merlin. The Admiralty representative for this sea sled demonstration was Lieutenant G.C.E. PT-375 and the U.S. Navy’s more than 500 motor torpedo boats had served their country well during a time of immense danger and difficulty, and men like Hank made sure the boats were used to their full potential, thereby making an important contribution to the victory over tyranny and fascism during World War II. Some boats carried a 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannon. This article is about US Navy patrol torpedo boats in World War II. By war's end, the PT boat had more "firepower-per-ton" than any other vessel in the U.S. Navy. PT-728, a surviving Vosper boat built under license at the Annapolis Boat Yard in Maryland, was restored in Key West, Florida. [37] It was used in the training squadron MTBRON 4 in Melville, Rhode Island during World War II until it was placed out of service 16 January 1946. Cost to the Government fully equipped $756,400. 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. 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. P T Boats, Inc. was founded by Jimmy "Boats" Newberry, a prominent business man in Memphis, Tennessee, who was also a WW II PT boat veteran. In July 1942, PT-48 (nicknamed "Prep Tom" and "Deuce") was assigned to MTBRON 3(2). She was reclassified as a harbor patrol boat (YP 110) for the duration of the war. PT-48 is today in need of major restoration, after having been cut down to 59 feet (18 m) and used as a dinner cruise boat. PTs would usually attack at night. After testing was completed, PT-3 was transferred to Canada in April 1941 under lend-lease. PT-Boats (Torpedo Boats) are some of the most popular subjects when it comes to boat models. Higgins Industries of New Orleans, Louisiana produced 199 78 ft (24 m) boats of the PT-71/PT-235, PT-265 and PT-625 classes. "PT boats filled an important need in World War II in shallow waters, complementing the achievements of greater ships in greater seass. These torpedoes were launched by Mark 18 21-inch (530 mm) steel torpedo tubes. PT boats operated in the southern, western, and northern Pacific, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea and the English Channel. However, subsequent additions of weaponry offset this potential increase in top speed. PT-167 (Elco) was holed through the bow off Bougainville on 5 November 1943, by a torpedo which failed to detonate; the boat remained in action and was repaired the next day. Later that same year, Higgins was to build PT-70 (at their own expense) that incorporated slight improvements over PT-6 Prime. With a full loaded weight of 56,000 pounds, C-378 made a top speed of 37 kn (69 km/h; 43 mph) with 1,400 horsepower (1,000 kW), and maintained an average speed of 34.5 kn (63.9 km/h; 39.7 mph) in a winter northeaster storm with 12-to-14-foot (3.7 to 4.3 m) seas, which would still be considered exceptional even 100 years later. By class, PT-20, the Elco 77-footer, came in first with an average speed of 39.72 kn (73.56 km/h; 45.71 mph); followed by PT-31, with an average speed of 37.01 kn (68.54 km/h; 42.59 mph); PT-69, the Huckins 72-foot (22 m) boat, with an average speed of 33.83 kn (62.65 km/h; 38.93 mph);[note 2] PT-6, the Higgins 81-footer, with an average speed of 31.4 kn (58.2 km/h; 36.1 mph); and PT-8, the Philadelphia Navy Yard boat last, at 30.75 kn (56.95 km/h; 35.39 mph). On 11 July 1938, invitations to builders and designers were issued with prizes awarded for the winning PT boat designs given out on 30 March 1939. Structural weaknesses caused failures in transverse bottom framing, separation of side planking from framing and extensive failures of deck fastenings. Speed: 39 knots. [15] Part of the Mark 17 Mod 1 and Mod 2 ring mount consisted of the Bell Mark 9 twin cradle. Having radar gave Navy PTs a distinct advantage in intercepting enemy supply barges and ships at night. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the war by ineffective torpedoes, limited armament, and comparatively fragile construction that limited some of the variants to coastal waters. [10], Lastly, there was a demonstration of seakeeping qualities and hull strength by making a run at maximum sustained speed in the open ocean. Fuel consumption of any version of these engines was exceptionally heavy. While its most famous exploits were in the Philippines in late 1941 and early 1942, particularly the evacuation of General Douglas MacArthur, these boats saw action in all theaters of the war. This booklet was created months before the end of a deadly, bitterly fought war with Imperial Japan. When World War II began, the small craft that came to be known as the PT boat was less than 40 years old. PT-658 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.[40]. The boatyards were located in Annapolis, City Island, Miami, and Los Angeles. PT-29 was assigned as a pace boat with PT-8 in order to generate a pounding comparison. 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. Finish adequate. For other similar vessels, see, United States naval ship classes of World War II, Board of Inspection and Survey's findings. [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. $3.85 shipping. 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 1984–89, inside and out, at a cost of US$1 million. The 796 saw temporary post-war duty as part of MTB Squadron 1, patrolling in the Caribbean and off the East Coast. $14.95. 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. In order to evade return fire from the enemy ships, the PT boat could deploy a smoke screen using stern-mounted generators. Starting in mid-1943, the installation of this gun had an immediate positive effect on the firepower available from a PT boat. For example, the forward half of future President John F. Kennedy's PT-109 (Elco) stayed afloat for 12 hours after she was cut in half by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. Accelerometers were installed in the pilot house of each design to record "pounding". Some 200 US gallons (760 l) an hour were consumed at a cruising speed of 23 knots (43 km/h), increasing to 500 US gallons (1,900 l) per hour at top speed. 146 boats, armed with 18 in (460 mm) torpedoes, were built for Lend Lease, and exported to Allied powers such as Canada, Britain, Norway, and the Soviet Union. The "Mosquito Boats" of WWII These lists, generously provided by Steve Laroe, detail the famous PT Boats of the WWII era. She was retired from service in the late 1950s. In spring of 2012, PT-728 was acquired by the Liberty Aircraft Museum of Port Clinton, OH for further restoration. These boats were PT-5 and PT-6 (built using government-required Sparkman and Stephens design, scaled to an overall length of 81 ft (25 m)) and then PT-6 "Prime" which was redesigned by Andrew Higgins personally using his own methods. [10], At the time, only the Elco 77-footers was loaded with armament. Most probably due to the lateness in joining the PT boat program and unlike Elco and Higgins, the Huckins yard was never provided any government support to construct a larger facility prior to the war. Hull fouling and engine wear could both decrease top speed and increase fuel consumption materially. Dec 13, 2020 - Explore Peter Ruggiero's board "PT Boats" on Pinterest. [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. Packard built many thousands of engines prior to the second world war including car engines, of course, and the famous "Liberty" aircraft engines and Packard's own developments and patents and other developments and inventions by the likes of General Electric on superchargers went into the development of the Packard marine engine that were produced in their thousands during the war to power the U.S. … The original 1962–66 McHale's Navy TV series used a Vosper design PT-694[46] The Elco boats were the largest in size of the three types of PT boats built immediately before and during WW2, totaling 385 boats. PT-59 (more on her later) is credited with sinking Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) submarine I-3 on December 9, 1942 near Guadalcanal. The hull shape of the Elco and Higgins PT boats were similar to the warped "planing hull" found in pleasure boats of the time (and still in use today): a sharp V at the bow softening to a flat bottom at the stern. She was sold several times, and moved to Kingston, NY for possible restoration. Much of this destruction (121 boats) occurred at PT Base 17, on Samar, Philippines, near Bobon Point.[29]. GENE KIRKLAND'S pt boat website, United States Navy PT Boats of World War II Their superchargers, intercoolers, dual magnetos, and two spark plugs per cylinder reflected their aircraft origins. It was subsequently upgraded in stages to 1,500 hp (1,100 kW), allowing a designed speed of 41 knots (76 km/h). The other two Elco boats, PT-30 and PT 23 (standby boat), followed PT-31, placing before PT-69. 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. Dubbed PT-9, America’s first PT boat was subjected to numerous sea trials, alone and against other PTs in prototype stages. In 1943, an inquiry was held by the Navy to discuss planing, hull design, and fuel consumption issues. Fittings (Navy standard for combatant ships) entirely too heavy and cumbersome for this type of craft. [44] All of these boats are now retired from naval use, with two still in civil use today as sightseeing boats on Mar del Plata: the Leonardo da Vinci and the Mar de la Plata. On 8 June 1939, contracts were let to the Fogal Boat Yard, Inc., later known as the Miami Shipbuilding Co., of Miami, Florida, for PT-1 and -2 "Crash Boats",[5] and to the Fisher Boat Works, Detroit, Michigan, for PT-3 and -4. Her deck house was reconfigured to partially resemble an 80-foot (24 m) Elco instead of its original Vosper 70 ft configuration. Two basic and distinctly different types of PT Boats were built for combat with the predominant PT, the 80-foot long "Elco" boat, and the slightly smaller 78-foot long "Higgins” boat. Eduard 53195 1/48 DKM Type VIIC U552 U-Boat Hull Body Pt.3 for Trumpeter. 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. 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. As more PTs were fitted with dependable radar, they developed superior night-fighting tactics and used them to locate and destroy many enemy targets. The course started from the mouth of New London Harbor, to Sarah Ledge, then led around the eastern end of Block Island, then around Fire Island Lightship, finishing at Montauk Point Whistling Buoy. In the Solomon Islands in 1943, three 77-foot (23 m) 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 (12.7 mm) gun mounts, then adding two 40mm and four twin .50 cal (12.7 mm) mounts. In John Ford's 1945 war film, They Were Expendable, two 80-foot (24 m) Elcos were used during filming along with four former MTBRON 14 78-foot Huckins.[47]. Four boats - PT-8, PT-69, PT-70, and MRB - returned and Elco sent two new boats, PT-21 and PT-29. $39.95. Several saw service with the Philippine Navy, where they were named "Q-boats".[2]. For the 1962 movie PT-109, several 82-foot (25 m) 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. Additionally, a few PT boats were equipped to carry naval mines launched from mine racks, but these were not commonly used. In several engagements, the mere presence of PTs was sufficient to disrupt heavily escorted Japanese resupply activities at Guadalcanal. The other competitors had copper ingots added topside (mostly in the turrets) to make up the difference. Huckins reported a profit of $28.60 on this transaction.[8]. The design was enlarged and modified to meet the new requirements. PT Boats, Inc., a nonprofit organization of World War II PT boat veterans, bought the boat in 1979 and began restoration work. The boat was serviced and stored by Elco. Higgins developed the small and fast 70-foot (21 m) 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. The little boats would distinguish themselves over and over again, even though there were only 29 in the Navy at the start of the war. The 5M-2500 introduced in late 1945 had a larger supercharger, aftercooler, and increased power output of 1,850 hp (1,380 kW). Forward of the chart house of some early Elco 77-foot (23 m) boats (PT20 through PT44) were twin .30 cal (7.62 mm) Lewis machine guns on pedestal mounts. 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