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PT Boat

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When I was 18 - 19 years old my dad bought one of those Century Resorters shown in the first several min. of that clip.

God I wish I still had her. Would do 40 mph and tow 5 with no problem. Had a 6 cyl gray marine with special head and dual carbs. Green and white leather inside. As I remember he paid 5 grand for it new.
 
Jack - I also had one of the old Century's....always dreamed about taking a ride on a PT boat...hmmmm...can anybody say "Road Trip"?
 
As a lad, I had the opportunity to ride on a PT Boat out of San Diego. Even though the three engines were replaced with two diesels, it was a hoot. Later in life, my partner and I did a major electrical up grade to another in Long Beach. They were well built and sturdy.
 
That was a great video. Those men did some nice work. 65 years ago and with the restorations.

Yacht makers building PT boats. No new cars for 4 years. Rationed fuel and food. Some foods complely unavailable. No new tires available. On and on.

The contrast between the WWII era today could not be more stark. Back then, <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">everyone</span></span> knew what it meant to go "all in". So much so that the political leaders are so afraid that the counrty will never accept such a commitment again that beginning with Korea and continuing to today, only the servicemen and women know what it means. The rest of the populace refuses to sacrifice (or be inconvenienced) for victory and the politicians refuse to ask for sacrifice.

Call me crazy, but if a war is worth fighting and is in the country's national interest, should not the country be called upon to go "all in"? Seems like now we measure daily success with how much a war does not affect us at home. "All in" includes strategy, tactics and the home front. It's the only way to win a war. Stalemates and withdrawls are the logical result of not wanting to inconvenience the populace.
 
Wow! I had expected Ernest Borgnine to pop his head up through one of the hatches!
grin.gif
 
I have always heard that PT boats were built on the cheap, using plywood etc. and so not many survived because they weren't built to last.......
 
Silverghost said:
I have always heard that PT boats were built on the cheap, using plywood etc. and so not many survived because they weren't built to last.......
Click to expand...

The PT Boats "were not made of plywood, they were actually made of two diagonal layered 1-inch thick mahogany planks, with a glue-impregnated layer of canvas in between. Holding all this together were thousands of bronze screws and copper rivets. As an example of the strength of this type of construction, the hull of the PT-109 was strong enough that airtight compartments kept the forward hull afloat for hours even after being cut in half by a destroyer. Additionally, damage to the wooden hulls of these boats could be easily repaired at the front lines by base force personnel."

That's a lot of mahogany. I wonder if it was Filipino or Honduras...maybe Cuban...that's the good stuff. :yesnod:
 
Very interesting read. Thanks!
 
Awesome.

When I was young (sigh) I was offered a chance to crew on a PT boat one summer on a trip from Connecticut to Florida. I passed and worked for my father at the dealership instead. Sometimes I wish I had done it (the boat trip), although I had my reasons.

I remember several PT boats back then (1950's) that were waiting for buyers to convert them to something more luxurious. Seems to me they had Packard built V-12 engines but I'm pretty sure they were Allisons. I know Packard built Merlins - did they ever make Allisons?
 
I've got a PT boat in my basement.... OK its 1/32 scale (Lindburghs PT-109)... But it's radio controlled, with twin electric motors! and it hauls tookiss for the way it was designed. I'll have to take a few pics.
 
Thanks for the explantion on the construction methods. Learn something new everyday! :smile: Trying to evision that mahogany natural with several coats of hand rubbed varnish.......THAT would be interesting!
 
PT8, the only all-aluminum PT Boat, is parked on the Charenton Canal in Baldwin, Louisiana. It was an experimental PT boat built for WWII but its weight kept it from achieving the speeds it needed to see action. It ended up being used as a harbor patrol boat in the US. (In spite of what the Ray Tyler says, the current owner.) It is for sale and is semi-restored and runs. I think it is still there, last time I looked.
 
PT boats used a marine version of Packard's 3A-2500 engine which itself was a development of an early post WW1 aircraft engine. No production PT boat used either a Merlin or Allison. I've seen them side by side in a small museaum display and they're quite obviously different engines.
 
MikeP said:
PT boats used a marine version of Packard's 3A-2500 engine which itself was a development of an early post WW1 aircraft engine. No production PT boat used either a Merlin or Allison. I've seen them side by side in a small museaum display and they're quite obviously different engines.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike. I did a quick Google search and found https://www.pt-boat.com/packard/packard.html indicating that the Packard PT boat engine was a blown V12 of about 1500hp. That doesn't sound like a development of a WW1 engine to me, but maybe... Then again, the web site states that it isn't a "Packard Allison" or Merlin either.

(I don't know how authoritative that site is, but they seem knowledgeable on the subject. )
 
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