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 Admiralty representative for this sea sled demonstration was Lieutenant G.C.E. However, the USN held two major designs as their standard PT boat and this included the ELCO 80-footer and the Higgins 78-foot. 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. Volume builders such as Beneteau and Sea Ray have now commissioned French and Italian design companies. 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. Be sure to check website at www.savetheptboatinc.com PT-658 was named to the. Packard's licensed manufacture of the famed Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine alongside the marine 4M-2500 has long been a source of confusion. Focus and explanation of E 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. As the war went on, the PT boats also lightened their torpedo load and increased t Continue Reading 8 Sponsored by PureCare Knee Protector It was subsequently upgraded in stages to 1,500hp (1,100kW), allowing a designed speed of 41 knots (76km/h). 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. In late June 1945 the squadron was shipped to the U.S. for refitting and transfer to the Pacific, but the war ended while still in New York. [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. [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. [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 Rear Mufflers. 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. 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. Boats from Ron 22 participated in the Invasion of Elba on June 18, 1944, where PT-305 sank a German Flak lighter. In June 1945 the squadron was shipped to the U.S. for refitting and transfer to the Pacific, but the war ended while still in New York. Several PT boats were lost due to friendly fire from both Allied aircraft and destroyers. Carrollton: Squadron Signal, 1994. She was retired from service in the late 1950s. The M4/M9 37mm auto cannon had a relatively high rate of fire (125 rounds per minute) and large magazine (30 rounds). Some boats carried a 20mm (0.79in) Oerlikon cannon. Some were converted into gunboats, which could be effective against enemy small craft, especially armored barges used by the Japanese for inter-island transport. 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. During some of these nighttime attacks, PT boat positions may have been given away by a flash of light caused by grease inside the black powder-actuated Mark 8 torpedo tubes catching fire during the launching sequence. Please help support the further restoration and preservation of this historic treasure by visiting the above website and donating. The Huckins boat experienced a high pressure oil failure and had to go "Dead in the Water" in order to effect the repair. Details on the boat's construction are given on page 357, MTB Manual, 1943. , 2 1939 12 13 6. [citation needed]. By war's end, the PT boat had more "firepower-per-ton" than any other vessel in the U.S. Navy. PT boats offered accommodation for three officers and 14 enlisted men. PT-658 is a 78-foot (24m) Higgins boat and one of two 100% authentically restored and operational U.S. Navy PT boats afloat today. Motor torpedo boat PT-796, was laid down on 3 May 1945, launched on 23 June, and completed after the end of the war on 26 October as a 78-foot PT boat built by Higgins Industries of New Orleans, LA. 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. 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. 03:33. Beam 22in, Engine Electric. Starting in mid-1943, the old Mark 18 torpedo tubes and Mark 8 torpedoes began to be replaced. During the D-Day invasion, PTs patrolled the "Mason Line", forming a barrier against the German S-boats attacking the Allied landing forces. In spring of 2012, PT-728 was acquired by the Liberty Aircraft Museum of Port Clinton, OH for further restoration. [citation needed] Like many other victory claims by all parties involved (aircraft pilots, surface ships, submarines) this unclear verification was due in part to the Japanese military's policies of destroying military records. [23] Enemy forces would use searchlights or seaplane-dropped flares to illuminate fleeing PT boats. The second UK built boat is in private hands, floating on a canal north of London and being used as a private residence, though it is remarkably intact in its World War II configuration. Testor Elco PT boat 1:160 scale WoodenBoat magazine No. Johnson, Frank D. United States PT Boats of . 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. Perhaps the most effective use of PTs was as "barge busters." Elco boats were found to pound heavily and confirmed previous reports of crew discomfort. 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. Sometimes you just have to create a custom yacht to go with your custom Ferrari. 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). 58 footers Prototypes. Fuel consumption of any version of these engines was exceptionally heavy. Boat Decor. Many got up to four torpedo tubes and a 20mm anti-aircraft gun, while a few even got mortars or rockets. U.S. Navy PT boats were organized into motor torpedo boat squadrons (MTBRONs). 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]. Space available for four 21" torpedo tubes. 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. Cost to the Government fully equipped $263,500. She was launched launched on 16 August 1939 and completed 20 November 1941, tested by the navay but rejected, and nicknamed "Wet Dream". 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]. [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. [47] 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. The two boats were paired for night patrol near the . The US Navy plans to procure a total of 48 Mark VI boats. In the interval between the first and second test periods the PT-70 was repaired and an effort made to eliminate the causes of the structural failures. 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). PT 48 is the only remaining 77' Elco PT-Boat and a member of the heroic WWII "Mosquito Fleet". Also, the PT Boat speed is nearly 66 knots. Many Higgins boats were sent to the Soviet Union and Great Britain at the beginning of the war, so many of the lower-numbered squadrons in the U.S. Navy were made up exclusively of Elcos. PT-486, an 80-foot (24m) Elco boat, was placed in service on 2 December 1943. Common to all US PT boats were the two twin M2 .50 cal (12.7mm) machine guns. One such field modification was made to Kennedy's PT-109, which was equipped with a single-shot Army M3 37mm anti-tank gun that her crew had commandeered; they removed the wheels and lashed it to 2x8 timbers placed on the bow only one night before she was lost. 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. After the initial competition, in late 1939, the Navy contracted Elco to build 11 copies of PT-9. [5] 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. This contract for C-250 ended up going to Greenport Basin and Construction Company, of Greenport, NY. Designers are involved from the early stages of the design process, even on production boats. USN ELCO PT Boat Deck Stern Chocks (x2 per PT Boat). In July 1942, PT-48 (nicknamed "Prep Tom" and "Deuce") was assigned to MTBRON3(2). 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. 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. Measure 31/20L - This scheme combined Black, Green #2 and Green #3. The hull shape of the Elco and Higgins PT boats were similar to the contoured "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. 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. (photosinhouse16@gmail.com) [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]. On early series of boats, this cannon was mounted on the stern. The Wild Places. 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). 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). The stern of the Vosper boat is visible in the footage of that event. Huckins reported a profit of $28.60 on this transaction.[7]. Their superchargers, intercoolers, dual magnetos, and two spark plugs per cylinder reflected their aircraft origins. Tempress Pro Casting Boat Seat 50 $11999 - $12499 Small Business +1 colors/patterns Tempress All Weather High Back Seat 84 $11899$129.99 FREE delivery Thu, Feb 16 Small Business Best Seller +10 colors/patterns Leader Accessories A Pair of New Low Back Folding Boat Seats (2 Seats) 889 $12999 FREE delivery Fri, Feb 17 Or fastest delivery Wed, Feb 15 The discussion on rounded doors and my post with a couple of shots of a WWII PT interior got me thinking somebody might like to see a bit more of what* an Elco PT boat actually looked like inside.*. [45] PT-3 and PT-8 were both part of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 1 (MTBRON 1) during the testing period. PT-615, an 80-foot (24m) Elco originally assigned to MTBRON 42, was commissioned after the war ended. PT-617's specifications are: Length:80 feet Beam:19 feet 11 inches Draught:4 feet Crew:2 officers and 9 crewmen Displacement:51 tons fully loaded Max Speed: 41kts (46mph) Fuel Capacity:3,000 gallons of 100 octane avgas Range:358 miles at 35kts, 1050 miles on one engine, 11 knots Oil Capacity:30 gallons Armament: 4 21" Torpedoes During World War II, Vospers of Great Britain arranged for several boatyards in the United States to build British-designed 70ft (21m) motor torpedo boats under license to help the war effort. Coincidentally, the PT-309 ("Oh Frankie! 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. Initially, only a few boats were issued primitive radar sets. The tour starts from Bow and works back to see entire boat with detail views of each weapon and piece of equipment. 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. [5] [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). Ability to make a maximum sustained speed of 30.7 knots; maximum speed 33.9 knots with light ordnance load. 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. [9], The Elco 77-Footer Design Demonstrates:[9], The Huckins 72-Foot Design Demonstrates:[9], The Navy Yard Philadelphia 81-Foot Design Demonstrates:[9], The Higgins 81-Foot Design Demonstrates:[9], The Higgins 76-Foot Design Demonstrates:[9], The Board arrived at the following recommendations:[9], The Board also had the following opinion on structural sufficiency: "During the first series of tests (2124 July) the Huckins design (PT-69), the Philadelphia design (PT-8) and the Higgins design (PT-6) completed the open sea endurance run without structural damage. [23] There are several recorded instances of PT boats trading fire with friendly aircraft,[23] a situation also familiar to U.S. submariners. A hangar-style indoor display houses the Elco PT boat (PT-617) and Higgins PT boat (PT-796). All except the Huckins (PT-69) completed the run. A group of PT Boat veterans banded together to restore her between 1995 and 2005, and the boat is now fully functional and afloat as a museum ship in Portland Oregon. In an important note after winning the design competition for the smaller PT boat, George Crouch wrote that Hickman's Sea Sled design would be far superior "in either rough or smooth water to that of the best possible V-bottom or hard chine design". The Higgins 76-footer (PT-70) completed the entire run but also suffered structural failures, attachments between planking and web frames pulling loose, and deck fastenings in the neighborhood of engine hatches showing extensive failures. 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. Ability to make a maximum sustained speed of 31.4 knots; maximum speed 34.3 knots with heavy ordnance load. [9], At the time, only the Elco 77-footers were loaded with armament. 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. A 78-foot (24m) Higgins, PT-309 ("Oh Frankie!") MTBRON30 saw action in the English Channel as part of the Invasion of Normandy. 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. PT-323 (Elco) was cut in half by a kamikaze aircraft on 10 December 1944 off Leyte, yet remained floating for several hours. Finish adequate. The Japanese called them "Devil Boats". 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. Further, many of those taken were beyond the normal range of the instruments and were considered inaccurate. It covers PT boat hull design and construction, and provides hull test data as well as detailed analysis of the various PT boat designs.[13]. [16][17] Another automatic weapon commonly mounted on PT boats was the 20mm Oerlikon cannon. The Saturnian Naval Dockyards Presents. the plywood landing craft vehicle personnel (LCVP) used so successfully in the beach landings at Normandy in the Atlantic and the island-hopping campaign in the Pacific produced 199 78ft (24m) boats of the PT-71/PT-235, PT-265 and PT-625 classes. PT-109 was an 80' Elco PT boat (patrol torpedo boat) last commanded by Lieutenant (junior grade) John F. Kennedy, future United States president, in the Solomon Islands campaign of the Pacific theater during World War II.Kennedy's actions in saving his surviving crew after PT-109 was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer made him a war hero. Mufflers were used by PT's for silent running by feeding the exhaust out under the water at low speeds. She is located in San Diego and is now named Malihini. 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. A model of PT Boat 109, presented to President John F. Kennedy by representatives from the Washington International Boat and Sport Show, sits on display in the Fish Room, White House, Washington, D.C. [See also MO 63.1212, u201cModel of PT 109.u201d] 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. Lieutenant Kennedy was the first commanding officer of PT-59 after its conversion. Measurements along the keel are given in both frame locations and stations. Check here for details! A Higgins Class PT Boat (Based mostly off the PT-658) This is the fruit of my labor since 1.0.5's release (also doubles as a early Christmas present for some), smashing personal records by clocking in at 678 parts, with a complete detailed stock interior while being able to scream past at (35 m/s) 68 knots at it's top speed (with the Panther engine . Crews varied from 12 to 17, depending upon the number and type of weapons installed. PT Boat PT-658 Deck Tour and Interior Tour shows details and closeups of all weapons and equipment on board. The "PT" in a PT boat is an abbreviation for patrol torpedo. RMKECG59 - Interior of JFK Library, Boston, USA. 251 (July/August 2016) includes an article on PT-658, a 78 Higgins motor torpedo boat built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. 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