Posted on 11/22/2016 7:01:59 AM PST by DFG
100% in agreement.
No, no, no. Not plywood, but mahogany. It was a double hull, angled to maximize strength, with a layer of canvas between the hulls.
The real plywood success story was the DeHavilland Mosquito.
Okay...I defer. I’m too tired to go look it up.
I guess that is why you generally didn't see a lot of surplus boats. You may have passed up a real tresure.
It looks smaller when it gets in the water and you have nothing else to judge it’s size from.
“I almost bought one of those in the 80’s, wish I had.”
You and me, both! ;-)
And/or one of the newer model jet boats which were used in Vietnam.
So the one I was looking at, but didn’t have enough cash at the time, was as being used as an oyster boat in the Chesapeake and then read the article that this was used as an oyster boat in the Chesapeake. Likely the same one. So funny. Good to see it restored.
My wife's father flew a F4U Corsair in the South Pacific, fought at Bloody Peleliu and was a true gentleman. My uncle flew into Normandy on a glider on DDay. My dad was a doctor stationed at San Diego and helped patch up and re-patch up soldiers who were wounded in the South Pacific....God bless those men.
To everyone out there, if you can get there, go to New Orleans and visit this museum.
That boat is 78’ long not 80’, as were all pt boats built by him
And in the pitch black, moon less, light less byways of the South Pacific.
The initial designs had tubes for carrying and launching torpedoes, but later, the racks you see on these photos replaced the tubes.
These saved weight and I think improved stealth as the racks “dropped” the torpedo over side, rather than using an expelling charge to eject the torpedo from the tube.
One of the problems with tube launch was the visible launching charge.
IIRC they were powered by 3 big Packard engines.
Really beautiful boats.
There were Air -Sea Rescue boats, similar to the PT Boats but underpowered.
Used to SCUBA dive off one in Miami.
Yeah, that scene always raised an eyebrow for me. PTs had a pretty substantial beam for that sort of transport. I guess it was possible, if the route was checked and prepared. Some of the boatyard scenes in the movie looked "to-scale", though. I saw a "behind the scenes" book on the film at a bookstore and flipped though the pages.
Most of the movie was filmed in Florida and the Navy supplied actual PT boats to the film company. There are photos of real Navy officers who would stop by occasionally to watch the filming.
Yep -I got to see PT-305's Packard engine trio, all torn down and ready for the machine shop, during the early phases of this restoration. So cool.
Many true gentleman who fought then was there those few days. It was a once in lifetime trip for me. Since I was active duty, I brought and wore my uniform at a couple of events, dedications, etc. I got to talk for some time from the fellas in the Rangers who took the Pointe de H’Oc, and also some Canadians from Gold/Sword beach, with a couple of old Tommy's thrown in. Best times of my life.
The only thing that ruined it was the Clinton's, and Bills photo op pebbles in the form of a cross on the beach. The pebbles were gathered by aides, of course, and the photogs were invited to come see.
Saw that movie many a time.
...court marshalled??
George Patton:
Then there's one thing you men will be able to say when this war is over and you get back home. Thirty years from now when you're sitting by your fireside with your grandson on your knee and he asks, 'What did you do in the great World War Two?' You won't have to cough and say, 'Well, your granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana.' No sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say 'Son, your granddaddy rode with the great Third Army and a son-of-a-goddamned-bitch named George Patton!'
JFK didn't shovel shit in Louisiana. He went into harm's way on behalf of his country.
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