Following the competition, contracts were placed for construction of boats: May 25, 1939, to Higgins Industries for two boats (PT5 and PT6) of the Sparkman and Stephens design, scaled up to an overall length of 81 feet; June 8, 1939, to Fogal Boat Yard (PT-1 and PT-2) and Fisher Boat Works (PT-3 and PT-4) for the Crouch design; to the Philadelphia Navy Yard (PT-7, PT-8) for 81-foot boats designed by the Bureau of Ships. 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. 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. 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. 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. The boat was restored by a group of 12 WW2 PT Boat veterans. The original 196266 McHale's Navy TV series used a Vosper design PT-694[49] 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. A few (one 80' Elco, one 72' Vosper, and three 78' Higgins) were cut up and destroyed between 1998 and 2008, leaving (a known) total of 12 PT boats, and 2 experimental PT boat hulls in various states of repair, surviving today in the U.S.: PT-48 is possibly the last surviving 77-foot (23m) Elco PT boat. Perhaps the most effective use of PTs was as "barge busters." PT boats were also armed with numerous automatic weapons. ELCO 80' PT - 596 TORPEDO BOAT. One of the quickest ways to brighten things up is to install marine LED lights. Lt. Of the Elco boats, only three hulls (one restored) were known to exist as of 2016. With a full loaded weight of 56,000lb (25,000kg), C-378 made a top speed of 37kn (69km/h; 43mph) with 1,400 horsepower (1,000kW), and maintained an average speed of 34.5kn (63.9km/h; 39.7mph) in a winter northeaster storm with 12-to-14-foot (3.7 to 4.3m) seas, which would still be considered exceptional even 100 years later. [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. SKILL 5. A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. 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. by Thomas Fleming 2/22/2011. A Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) PT Boat Conference convened in May 1941 to discuss future PT characteristics. PT Boats, or Patrol Torpedo Boats, were a secondary element in World War 2 navies, but an essential one. 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. 70 cm. She was attached to Squadron 40 in the Philippines but arrived too late to see action. 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. length would be sufficiently seaworthy", so Hickman built and launched his own privately financed 41-foot (12m) Sea Sled capable of carrying a single 18-inch Whitehead Mark 5 torpedo. Her external restoration was completed by the Texas group in 2002, and is to a high standard. Their superchargers, intercoolers, dual magnetos, and two spark plugs per cylinder reflected their aircraft origins. Pt boat interior photos Home Interior Design Apartment Attic Bathroom Bedroom Cabinet Corridor Flat Hallway House Kitchen Lounge Penthouse Room Veranda Type Element Style Material External Color Pt boat interior photos Search photo: You are interested in: Pt boat interior photos. It was renewed for personal use after its noble history. The two boats were paired for night patrol near the . Higgins built an additional PT-6 "Prime" redesigned by Andrew Higgins personally using his own methods. The Higgins 70' (British) boat did not complete this run because of engine trouble. Later in the war, several more of these 20mm cannons were added amidships and on the forward deck. MTBRON30 saw action in the English Channel as part of the Invasion of Normandy. Some PT boats served during the Battle of Normandy. The key to making LED boat lights look great, is placement. 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. 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. Maneuverability satisfactory, turning circle not determined photographically, estimated 300 yards. This is the PT Boat listing page, here you can download the plan, article and see the main thumbnail and extra images. 58 footers Prototypes. [5], The final PT boat design competitor was Huckins Yacht Corporation of Jacksonville, Florida. 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. Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 22, or RON22, was transported to the combat theater aboard the USS Merrimack. These torpedoes were carried on lightweight Mark 1 roll-off style torpedo launching racks. The PT-109 disaster made JFK a hero. If you are in doubt as to the purpose or usage of a piece of equipment, don't hesitate to ask. The boatyards were located in Annapolis, Bristol, City Island, Miami, and Los Angeles. Volume builders such as Beneteau and Sea Ray have now commissioned French and Italian design companies. While docked, PT boat squadrons were supported by PT boat tenders or base facilities which supplied boat crews with hot meals. The nucleus of this collection are PT Boats 617 and 796, the world's only restored pair of PTs on public exhibition. These planks were held together by thousands of copper rivets and bronze screws. I'm studying English and Deutsch to become my second language. She is available for public viewing, and has portions of her hull cut away to display the cramped interior of the crew's quarters. Cost to the Government fully equipped $206,600. An accelerometer was installed in the pilot house of each boat to record "pounding". Chun, Victor. 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. Compounding the difficulty with the early torpedoes, attacking at night PT boat crews may have sometimes failed to note a possible torpedo failure. The boats also used a lot of high octane gasoline for their size, making them too expensive to operate for a peacetime navy. 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. 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. On 11 October 1940, an agreement between the Navy and Huckins was finalized. Be sure to check website at www.savetheptboatinc.com PT-658 was named to the National Register of Historic Places on 04 September 2012. Although not used in any other PT boat design, Huckins licensed the use of his patented Quadraconic hull in his PT boat construction. 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. Mufflers were used by PT's for silent running by feeding the exhaust out under the water at low speeds. 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. Space available for four 21" torpedo tubes. Fittings and finish unnecessarily refined. 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. She was reclassified as a harbor patrol boat (YP 110) for the duration of the war. When it eventually was delivered and tested in the summer of 1917, it was not deemed a success, so a second boat (C-378) of the sea sled design was ordered from Hickman in either late 1917 or early 1918 (conflicting dates). 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. 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). Boat Building Plans . PT Boat PT-658 Deck Tour and Interior Tour shows details and closeups of all weapons and equipment on board. Back problems stemming from the incident required . A 78-foot (24m) Higgins, PT-309 ("Oh Frankie!") [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. Having radar gave Navy PTs a distinct advantage in intercepting enemy supply barges and ships at night. According to Robert McFarlane, the US Navy built the hulls of some PT boats partially from 3,000-year-old white cedar logs recovered from sphagnum bog in New Jersey.[10][11]. 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. Designers are involved from the early stages of the design process, even on production boats. [23] Enemy forces would use searchlights or seaplane-dropped flares to illuminate fleeing PT boats. [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 reality was his claims that PTs had sunk a Japanese cruiser, a troopship, and a plane tender in the Philippines were untrue.[24][25]. PT-615 was returned to Elco after being sold and was heavily modified into a yacht, which was leased to actor Clark Gable. However, the USN held two major designs as their standard PT boat and this included the ELCO 80-footer and the Higgins 78-foot. The smaller boat proposal was to weigh no more than 20 tons so that it could be easily transported by larger cargo ships. Period Second World War. 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]. Structural weaknesses resulting in fracture of bilge stringers. 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. Propulsion was via a trio of Packard 4M-2500 and later 5M-2500 supercharged gasoline-fueled, liquid-cooled V-12 marine engines. After the initial competition, in late 1939, the Navy contracted Elco to build 11 copies of PT-9. The 4M-2500 initially generated 1,200hp (890kW). 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. Elco boats were found to pound heavily and confirmed previous reports of crew discomfort. During World War II, PT boats engaged enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans. Prior to starring in the television series this boat was purchased as war surplus by Howard Hughes and was used as the camera chase boat when the Spruce Goose made its only flight. 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). Two of the experimental PT-Boats also still survive, PT-3 (built by Fisher Boat Works) in New Jersey and PT-8. So here are a few more of my collection. "), 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. The 5M-2500 introduced in late 1945 had a larger supercharger, aftercooler, and increased power output of 1,850hp (1,380kW). Hampden. 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. [9], Boats would have their tactical parameters of each design determined by photographs from an airship. Packard's licensed manufacture of the famed Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine alongside the marine 4M-2500 has long been a source of confusion. machine guns. Coincidentally, the PT-309 ("Oh Frankie! 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. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images) During WWII the US realized their PT boats had more potential than just simple torpedo dispensers. But his fury and grief at the loss of two men sent him on a dangerous quest to get even. By the war's end, most PTs had these weapons. [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. Date October 1981 The two Vosper boats in England were built by Vosper itself, and the first is in fairly good condition at Portsmouth. Starting in mid-1943, the old Mark 18 torpedo tubes and Mark 8 torpedoes began to be replaced. It's too bad they couldn't stick with the same scale as the 1:72 Elco boat. However, during the second endurance run, which was made in a very rough sea for this size boat, structural failures again occurred in PT-70. PT 48 is the only remaining 77' Elco PT-Boat and a member of the heroic WWII "Mosquito Fleet". PT-191 was one of the last boats in the first series (PTs 103-196)of the PT-103 Class. They were all to be approximately 50 tons, made of mahogany, and carry two .50-cal. [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. Along with PT-557, the vessel was purchased from BFM Industries (Brooklyn, NY) by Capt. The conference strongly recommended that no more Elco 77-footers be ordered until the tests had shown that they were indeed satisfactory.[8]. Measurements along the keel are given in both frame locations and stations. 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. Carrollton: Squadron Signal, 2010. Structural weaknesses resulting in transverse fractures of deck planking. Conducted on 24 July 1941, this open-water trial, 190nmi (350km; 220mi) at full throttle, would forever after be referred to by PT personnel as the "Plywood Derby". With its stylish look, cold molded cabins, reverse S bend stem, it was the first successful ELCO design. [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. It was subsequently upgraded in stages to 1,500hp (1,100kW), allowing a designed speed of 41 knots (76km/h). On March 21, 1939, Sparkman and Stephens won the prize in the 70-foot class and Prof. George Crouch (for Henry B. Nevins, Inc.) had won the design proposal for the 54-foot class.[5]. 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. While serviceable naval vessels in their own right, the group lacked the performance and capabilities that the USN sought. 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. Operating personnel reported extreme discomfort and fatigue. 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. PT-796 ("Tail Ender") is a 78-foot (24m) Higgins. She was acquired by Fleet Obsolete in June 2008 and moved to Kingston, New York, for possible restoration. The race was a PT boat scramble in the South Pacific during World War II. 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. As a result, the average boater expects superior levels of luxury interiors. The ring mount was designed by both Elco and Bell, and designated Mark 17 Twin 50 caliber aircraft mount. They were also used during the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. During this trial, boats faced heavier seas, as high as 16ft (4.9m). Again, it is true to the original and is just the right amount of custom to make your jaw drop, along with the custom teak floor. This is because the 1st and only training facility for PT Boat skippers and crews was in Melville, RI part of the town Portsmouth, RI. The Higgins 76' (PT-70) and boats of the Elco 77' (PT-20 Class) developed structural failures even under moderate weather conditions prevailing. 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. 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