Pt is the us hull classification symbol for patrol torpedo. 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. 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. These drawings are mostly a guess based on images and a higgins smoke generator mounting conversion blueprint. United states ptboats of world war ii in action frank d. The following images show dimensions for the mark 6 depth charge and type c release track as used on pt boats.
Line drawings and 2 pages of camouflage scheme round out the book. Thus, the ptboat surfaced as a top longterm goal the pt boat is a higgins product, too czekanski notes. During june 2012, pt728 was sold to liberty aviation museum, leaving only the three unrestored hulls in storage. 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. Pt48 acquired by fleet obsolete in kingston, ny, awaiting restoration. The boats also used a lot of high octane gasoline for their size, making them too expensive to operate for a peacetime navy.
Pt109 s collision with a japanese destroyer contributed to kennedys longterm back problems and required months of. A world war ii torpedo boat that sank three enemy ships and took part in. Prior to and during world war 2, the united states navy usn. 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.
Great graphics, challenging ai, realistic physics, interesting topic. Fortythree pt squadrons, each with 12 boats were formed during world war ii by the u. 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. The following pitch and diameter information is based on pt historian andy smalls research. This in action gives a bit more text than usual it has to in order to cover the development of the pt boat. A pt boat short for patrol torpedo boat was a motor torpedo boat used by the united states navy in world war ii. His research shows that elco 80 boats were equipped with 28 diameter propellers until pt 6 direct drive boats which used 29 diameter propellers.
Pt boat pt 658 deck and interior walkthrough sept 2012 18 minutes. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. 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. The japanese called them devil boats the original preworld war i torpedo boats were designed with displacement hulls. Pt boats giant killers part 1 of 3 by dick washichek. Pt48 arrived december 2008, hull unrestored, stored outdoors. 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 elco boats were the largest in size of the three types of pt boats built for u. 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. Pt564 was strictly an experimental development while pt657 through pt660 were all cancelled for the war had ended in september of 1945. Kennedys final action was on the night of november 16, when he took pt59 on an uneventful patrol. All us navy motor torpedo boats pt boats of world war ii. 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. The sailors assigned to the pt tender ships were highly skilled machinists, cooks, and craftsmen who used their talents to.
Pt boats were a variety of torpedoarmed fast attack craft used by the united states navy in world war ii to attack larger surface ships. During the next week and a half, pt59 would prowl off choiseul bay looking for barges. 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. Knights of the sea is a marine simulation, in which the player takes control of a war. These ships are small, fast and agile, and extremely dangerous due to the onboard torpedo launchers. There are other, more expensive books out there american pt boats in ww2 by chun or pt boats at war by polmar, but this is an excellent choice for modelers, ww2 navy buffs. Sometimes the pt boats were used on suicidal missions to.
Engage in action in the solomon islands during the period that the actual pt109 skippered by then lieutenant jg john f. But they are also the most vulnerable of all military vessels. The elco 80foot type pt class american navy boats were ultracritical to allied success in the pacific theater during world war 2. 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. Please confirm dimensions given here for yourself if errors cannot be tolerated. Although they were the smallest us combat vessels of the war, they were among the most famous and most interesting. 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. The player must choose whether he decides to help the forces of sprzymierzonym, russia, or germany. Pt109 was a pt boat patrol torpedo boat last commanded by lieutenant junior grade john f. Pt boats also laid mines and smokescreens, coordinated seaair rescue actions, and conducted intelligence and raiding operations. Much of this destruction 121 boats occurred at pt base 17, on samar, philippines, near bobon point. Pt boats giant killers part 3 of 3 by dick washichek. Knights of the sea, and ive post it below for your inspection.
Shallow draft boats used in vietnam were river boats, not intended for ocean use and are not covered here. The destroyer was originally a torpedo boat destroyer, armed with. Jfk captained one and became a hero because of his dramatic exploits rescuing his crew after his boat was sunk. They were used to stop all cargo ships going to the philippines to supply the japanese living there. 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. The pt boats were also needed for other missions, too. Pt boats knights of the sea can take you into an action adventure game that youll surely enjoy. Pt boats giant killers part 2 of 3 by dick washichek. Woodenhulled, 80 feet long with a 20foot, 8inch beam, the elco pt boats had three 12cylinder. Pitch inches traveled per revolution with no slip and relates to the blades angle to the hub. For example, the same 37mm cannon used in the p39 was mounted on a pt boat, as were mortars and rockets.
Out of 531 pt boats that were in service during world war ii, a total of 26 were lost because of enemy action. Pt boats is dedicated to a small group of little known but perhaps some of the most daring naval combatants of world war ii. Pt109 stood at her station, one of fifteen pt boats patrol torpedo boats. After seeing actual pt boatsnot mockups or replicasin action, i was permanently bitten by the mosquito boat bug.
I have since been collecting pt boat memorabilia, mostly books and photographs, and have done some of my own onagain, offagain research. Kennedy, future united states president, in the pacific theater during world war ii. Navy pt boats were organized into motor torpedo boat squadrons mtbrons. Us navy patrol torpedo boats attack coastal oil installations on borneo at seria in the miri area, sarawak. Complex interface, incomplete documentation, locked and scripted missions, no editor, limited multiplay and no pt boats. Pt boats, or patrol torpedo boats, were a secondary element in world war 2 navies, but an essential one. This forum also enjoys the discussion of many small combatant boats from other countries as they also pertained to world war ii.
Pt tenders and base support the pt officers and crews had some of the best trained and dedicated support teams in the us navy. 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. According to an afteraction report dated 12 december 1941 from the commanding officer of pt squadron one to the commander of the pacific fleet. 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. 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. His actions to save his surviving crew after the sinking of pt109 made him a war hero.
Fast and maneuverable these wooden boats werent the best attack vessels but they did sink a few ships and had many other uses. 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. The pt boat squadrons were nicknamed the mosquito fleet. The pt486 was originally purchased by george sinn with the pt557. Ship history built by electric boat company elco in bayonne, nj. 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. Six of the squadrons boats were moored together at berth s at the submarine base. Pt boat task unit of the 7th fleet in action attacking oil rigs and storage tanks. Volunteers restore world war ii torpedo boat youtube. This pt boat message board has been around since 1995 and continues in aiding and educating visitors and members about pt boats and other related aspects of the motor torpedo boat service and world war ii. The mosquito boats of wwii these lists, generously provided by steve laroe, detail the famous pt boats of the wwii era.
Torpedo boats were introduced into the worlds navies prior to the first world war. On the night of november 5, kennedy led three pt boats to moli point and choiseul bay, where they attacked japanese barges. Made famous by kennedys pt109 service in wwii, these boats were high powered 3 packard v12s. Pt boats in action attack on coastal oil installations. Pt patrol, torpedo boats were small, fast, and expendable vessels for short range oceanic scouting, armed with torpedoes and machine guns. Pt boat pt617 an elco pt boat at the battleship cove. This quick, violent action was typical of barge hunting patrols in the pacific until the end of the war in august 1945. Completed november 25, 1943 and placed into united states navy service on december 2, 1943. Don greer, tom tullis, joe sewell, pt boats in action warships, no 7 squadronsignal publications, inc. More than once in the history of wwii, a handful of those little deadly boats. Surprisingly, 43 pt boats were lost due to accidents, friendly fire, or sea conditions. Pt boat depth charge mark 6 and type c release track.
The german s100 is one of the largest scale plastic models ever made by a model company. Commanding the patrol torpedo craft pt pt 109, lieutenant kennedy and his. Ptboats torpedo boats are some of the most popular subjects when it comes to boat models. During the late 2000s, owner robert iannucci purchased four pt boats and seven packard engines for restoration. Wargaming supremos battlefront have released some footage of akellas naval simulator, pt boats. Pt boats, torpedo boats world war 2 insightful essays. Offers 3 training missions and campaigns on both sides of the conflict axis and. Pt3 privately owned in pennsylvania as of the late 1990s.