Pt boats first deployed to guadalcanal in september 1942. Ship history built by electric boat company elco in bayonne, nj. Pt boats giant killers part 2 of 3 by dick washichek. The main focus of fleet obsolete is to rescue and restore atrisk historic. Out of 531 pt boats that were in service during world war ii, a total of 26 were lost because of enemy action. Bulkeley decommissioned 21,september 1945 lt joseph r. Completed november 25, 1943 and placed into united states navy service on december 2, 1943. A few minutes later, another group of planes attacked, and another plane was observed to be shot down by 20mm fire.
During the next week and a half, pt59 would prowl off choiseul bay looking for barges. Pt658, based in portland, oregon, was restored to original plans by a group of pt boat veterans. Kennedys final action was on the night of november 16, when he took pt59 on an uneventful patrol. Engage in action in the solomon islands during the period that the actual pt109 skippered by then lieutenant jg john f.
Pt patrol, torpedo boats were small, fast, and expendable vessels for short range oceanic scouting, armed with torpedoes and machine guns for cutting enemy supply lines and harassing enemy forces. Megagames founded in 1998, is a comprehensive hardcore gaming resource covering pc, xbox one, ps4, wii u, mobile games, news, trainers, mods, videos, fixes, patches. Ptboats torpedo boats are some of the most popular subjects when it comes to boat models. As mentioned, 199 total higgins 78foot boats were eventually built and these included designations pt71 to pt94, pt197 to pt254, pt265 to pt3, pt450 to pt485, pt564 and pt625 to pt660. Pt boats knights of the sea can take you into an action adventure game that youll surely enjoy. Pt boats, or patrol torpedo boats, were a secondary element in world war 2 navies, but an essential one. Pt boats knights of the sea is a marine action simulator that challenges you to be in charge of a mosquito fleet of the allied forces, russia or germany during the height of the world war ii. Since the enemy consists of 12 different kinds of ships plus airplanes, if the action gets to be more than you can handle alone, radio for assistance from friendly pt boats or planes. Of the nearly four hundred pt boats which were built just prior to and during the second world war, only a handful survive to this day. United states ptboats of world war ii in action frank d. Pt boats giant killers part 3 of 3 by dick washichek. Information and translations of pt boat in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions. Pt167 opened fire, the first aircraft struck the boat s antenna mast, wobbled and crashed into the sea, but pt167 experienced a severe shock.
On the night of november 5, kennedy led three pt boats to moli point and choiseul bay, where they attacked japanese barges. Hence, the action revolves around the torpedo boat crews, which are small vessels equipped with a handful of torpedoes and a singular, yet vital purpose. Pt boats is dedicated to a small group of little known but perhaps some of the most daring naval combatants of world war ii. 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. Surprisingly, 43 pt boats were lost due to accidents, friendly fire, or sea conditions. Woodenhulled, 80 feet long with a 20foot, 8inch beam, the elco pt boats had three 12cylinder. Pt boat pt 658 deck and interior walkthrough sept 2012 18 minutes. Volunteers restore world war ii torpedo boat youtube.
The sailors assigned to the pt tender ships were highly skilled machinists, cooks, and craftsmen who used their talents to. Pt boats giant killers part 1 of 3 by dick washichek. The destroyer was originally a torpedo boat destroyer, armed with. 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. The seas can be dangerous, but when youre in command of a crack strike boat crew. A world war ii torpedo boat that sank three enemy ships and took part in. Knights of the sea, and ive post it below for your inspection. There are only a few remaining pt boats in the united states, and only one is presently functional. Sometimes the pt boats were used on suicidal missions to. The pt boat forum has 563 registered users with 38721 messages, consisting of 4763 topics and 33958 replies.
All us navy motor torpedo boats pt boats of world war ii. Torpedo boats were introduced into the worlds navies prior to the first world war. After guadalcanal was secured, the us navy began its march up the solomon islands. The elco 80foot type pt class american navy boats were ultracritical to allied success in the pacific theater during world war 2. Reconstituted with pt 71,72, 199 for special oss missions in the english channel, carried out 20 between may and october of 1944 mtb ron 22 commissioned 23,march 1944 cdr john d.
Inspired designs on tshirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. These ships are small, fast and agile, and extremely dangerous due to the onboard torpedo launchers. The elco boats were the largest in size of the three types of pt boats built for u. They were small, fast boats with a low silhouette and a main armament of two to four torpedoes, intended to attack warships at night or other conditions of low visibility. Well, a quick history on what i know from working on the sightseer pt486 from 1979 through 1983 working with and knowing the owners otto stocker and chuck schumann and their families. They were small, fast, woodenhulled, shallowdraft vessels that depended on surprise, speed, and maneuverability and thus did their best work in coastal waters. Wargaming supremos battlefront have released some footage of akellas naval simulator, pt boats. According to an afteraction report dated 12 december 1941 from the commanding officer of pt squadron one to the commander of the pacific fleet. Pt48 acquired by fleet obsolete in kingston, ny, awaiting restoration.
Made famous by kennedys pt109 service in wwii, these boats were high powered 3 packard v12s. After a brief introduction to american pt boats, doyle covers the elco 70footer, their 80foot model, the 70foot higgins boats and the littleknown 78foot models built by the huckins yacht company. A pt boat was a motor torpedo boat used by the united states navy in world war ii. The game is supposedly a strategyaction hybrid in which you can control warboats from german, russian and allied forces in world war ii at both strategic and tactical levels. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. Pt boats knights of the sea is a naval simulator that allows you to experience the thrill of being in a naval battle, although the role you play is a tad different from what you would expect. Knights of the sea is a marine simulation, in which the player takes control of a war. The player must choose whether he decides to help the forces of sprzymierzonym, russia, or germany. They were used to stop all cargo ships going to the philippines to supply the japanese living there. Coverage includes elco, higgins, and huckins boats. Santiago 15,december 1941 pt 31 grounding subic bay 20,january 1942 pt 32 scuttled sula sea,march 1942 pt 34 airplane cauit island 09,april 1942 pt 35 demolished cebu island 12,april 1942 pt 41 scuttled mindanao 15,april 1942 pt 44 surface craft pacific 12,december 1942 pt 43 surface craft. Pt boat pt617 an elco pt boat at the battleship cove.
Pt564 was strictly an experimental development while pt657 through pt660 were all cancelled for the war had ended in september of 1945. This quick, violent action was typical of barge hunting patrols in the pacific until the end of the war in august 1945. Fortythree pt squadrons, each with 12 boats were formed during world war ii by the u. Six of the squadrons boats were moored together at berth s at the submarine base. Known popularly as pt boats, world war iiera patroltorpedo boats were the american equivalent of german e boats and british motor torpedo boats. World war ii pt boats continued to exploit some of the advances in planing hull. The pt486 was originally purchased by george sinn with the pt557. Pt boat fleet through photographs, many of them in color. Pt 109 was one of the hundreds of motor torpedo boats pt of the pt 103 class completed between 1942 and 1945 by elco naval division of electric boat company at bayonne, new jersey. Shallow draft boats used in vietnam were river boats, not intended for ocean use and are not covered here. A pt boat short for patrol torpedo boat was a motor torpedo boat used by the united states navy in world war ii. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app.
Pt boat definition is a small fast patrol craft usually armed with torpedoes, machine guns, and depth charges called also pt. Pt boats, torpedo boats world war 2 insightful essays. Knights of the sea has opened a new previously unknown aspect of naval battles in wwii. Offers 3 training missions and campaigns on both sides of the conflict axis and. Pt tenders and base support the pt officers and crews had some of the best trained and dedicated support teams in the us navy. Ellicott usnr mtb ron 31 commissioned 12, august 1941 lt john d. Pt patrol, torpedo boats were small, fast, and expendable vessels. Prior to and during world war 2, the united states navy usn. The boats were on a barge hunting patrol led by lieutenant f. Ptboat 80 elco 56 tons 80 x 20 8 x 5 1 x 40mm 2 x twin 50 cal mg 4 x 21 torpedoes valor studios 2012. David doyles pt boats in action is a marvelous, 64page overview of the elco, higgins and huckins pt boats that saw service in world war ii. The pt boats were also needed for other missions, too.
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