I found it in the construction of some of the cabinetry of the Higgins that is displayed in the same building just behind the Elco PT Boat. Upon seeing the altercation the MPs ran off from their beer guard duty to stop the fight and while they were distracted the remainder of the crews made off with several cases of the beer and hid them in their PT Boats. You can visit this Elco PT Boat PT-617 at the Battleship Cove Naval Museum in Fall River, MA. Entgegen dieser Kennzeichnung war die offizielle Klassifikation aber motor torpedo boat, wie bei der britischen Royal Navy. Milt served as a bow gunner on the 37mm cannon (the same weapon firing through the propeller of the Bell P-39 Airacobra). 59 ships . Shortly after the war's end Milt volunteered with a group of other PT Boat crewmen to ferry a group of boats up to Detroit to display for the public. It had action at Rendova, Vella Lavella, Bougainville, and Emirau and then transferred to the Southwest Pacific in June 1944. Crew: 2 officers and 9 crewmen  4 50 cal. Museum ship at the PT Boat Museum in Fall River, Massachusetts. The findings were that the torpedoes ran 10 to 15 feet deeper than set, that magnetic fuses did not go off when they should, and the striker for the contact fuse would snap upon impact if the torpedoes struck the target at any angle other than 90 degrees to the surface they struck, preventing the detonation of the warhead. Before the hulls were burned they were stripped of engines and armament. The Navy standardized the overall designs and armament, though the contractors took some liberties, especially Higgins. Placed in service too late to take part in World War II, PT-796 saw temporary post-war duty as part of MTB Squadron 1, patrolling in the Caribbean and off the East Coast. Actually there is some plywood used in the these boats. Click on the link to the left to have a look at them. Forty-three PT squadrons, each with 12 boats were formed during World War II by the U.S. Navy. It wasn't all that glamorous when PT Boats, Inc first got Elco PT-617 as she is seen decades ago. I wanted to know how much direct control the commander had or whether he would have to call down to the engine room to make power changes. Whether those extra few seconds of transmission engagement lag time made the difference between the Amagiri cutting PT 109 in half or not will never be known, but it might have. Milt Donadt's WWII Photos on an Elco PT Boat in the Pacific. Although she is a Higgins boat, PT 796 was painted with the hull number "109" and towed as a float through the President's inaugural parade. Eight boats (PT's 1 through 8) were built from these designs. 194 courtesv of: pt boats. Look closely at the hull photo above and you will see the diagonal outer layer of planks. Unfortunately it was guarded by MPs as the beer was destined for the brass and the crews were not to get any of the brew. I believe there is a layer of glue impregnated canvass between the two layers of planks to enhance the water tightness of the hull. The boat was assigned to MTB Squadron 42 and slated for service with the Pacific Fleet, but this was later cancelled. PT-617 is a PT-103-class Elco motor torpedo boat of the same type as the famous PT-109 commanded by future President, John F. Kennedy. Type: Motor torpedo boat: Displacement: 46 BRT : Length: 77 feet : Complement: 10 men : Armament: 1 20mm 4 MG (2x2) 4 21" torpedo tubes : Max speed: 42 knots: Engines: 3 engines, 3 shafts : Power: 3600 HP : Notes on class : All ships of the ELCO 77' class. an elco pt boat lays down a smoke screen during mamuevers at quonset point. Motor torpedo boat PT-617, also known as Dragon Lady, "is the sole surviving 80' Elco type PT boat on display and represents the United States's most heavily used, highly favored, and combat-tested PT boat type in World War II." The men concluded a distraction was in order. No fooling, Battleship Cove will be open 7 days a week from 9-5 starting on April 1! Despite the paucity of remaining boats, and the dwindling number of surviving PT veterans, these legendary vessels continue to captivate the imagination of history enthusiasts worldwide. Launching Date: September 21, 1945. There is the Destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy DD-780, the Submarine USS Lionfish SS-298, the Soviet Missile Corvette Hiddensee, and the Battleship USS Massachusetts, BB-59. Patrol torpedo boat PT-617. Another thing he said that amazed me was that they never wore any kind of hearing protection. At war’s end the Navy stripped, beached and burned most PT boats, but one 80-foot Elco, PT-617, survives at the Battleship Cove Naval Museum in Fall River, Mass. This PT Boat (Patrol Torpedo) had been sent to a professional ship yard for a complete restoration and has been completed to a very high standard. Motor torpedo boat PT-617, also known as Big Red Cock and Dragon Lady, "is the sole surviving 80' Elco type PT boat and represents the United States's most heavily used, highly favored, and combat-tested PT boat type in World War II." % motor torpedo boat pt 617 fall river, massachusetts owner: uss massachusetts memorial comm. My 26cc gas powered PT 596 made by Vantex. I thought, man that's a pretty vulnerable position on the boat and asked him why he chose it. A few boats impressed the Navy, especially what would become the ELCO Patrol Torpedo Boat. PT-617 was assigned to Patrol Torpedo Squadron 42, the only squadron commissioned after World War II. PT-617 was assigned to Patrol Torpedo Squadron 42, the only squadron commissioned after World War II. Deck Views Patrol torpedo boat PT-617 Sole surviving 80' Elco type PT boat and represents the United States's most heavily used, highly favored, and combat-tested PT boat type in World War II." One Elco boat, PT 617, survives at Battleship Cove, Fall River, Massachusetts. I'd love to hear it. He told me a few stories but my favorite was a story about beer. She was reclassified as a "Small Boat" on 16 November 1945. Over the course of the war, Elco designed and built three types of Patrol Torpedo boats for the US Navy, of 70, 77 and 80ft length respectively. 37MM Deck Gun Launched on July 28, 1945, at Elco (Electric Boat Company) Naval Division in Bayonne, New Jersey, PT Boat 617 was assigned to Patrol Torpedo Squadron 42 and placed in service on September 21, 1945. When JFK realized that the collision was imminent, he immediately called for the transmission to be engaged by the engine room operator but it was too late. The boat measures 52" in length and weighs around 10 kg, the engine is very stable and powerful so far. Designs varied, but these boats were generally 80' in length and carried a beam (width) of 20'. Built by the Electric Launch Company of Bayonne, New Jersey, she was laid down on 29 March 1945, launched on 28 July, and was not completed until after the end of the war on 21 September. Stripped of armament, she was then assigned to the Navy Operational Development Force and Naval Ship Research Development Laboratory in Panama City, Fl, where she was used for high-speed towing experiments during the development of equipment for use in riverine operations. As designed, the PT boat's primary mission was for advanced base operations in foreign countries, and to defend coastal waters from capital ships, but additional missions were assumed throughout the course of World War II. 50Cal Browning Machine Guns Beam: 19 feet 11 inches Some of the photos are really quite interesting. And the heads were much more civilized and had genuine privacy. r.i. photo #2 by official us navy photograph. 40MM Bofors Deck Gun 1945 courtesy of: pt boats. Battleship Cove Naval Museum is an awesome naval museum. Specifications, 1942 Elco 80' Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boat Manufacturer Elco Naval Division of the Electric Boat Company, Bayonne, New Jersey Length Per the Navy build manual: Length overall, extreme: 80' 3" (963") Per Elco drawings: 80' (960") to outside of planking from forward point to the aftermost point (with the transom angle, deck centerline would be an additional .5"). PT Boat PT-617 (an Elco PT Boat) at the Battleship Cove Naval Museum. Chrysler 300. Decommissioned July 7, 1970, the boat was signed over to J.M. PT-109 Patrol Torpedo Boat Commanded by LTJG John F. Kennedy: Number: 85-0319: Scale: 1:72 : Type: Full kit : Released: 2020 | Rebox (Changed box only) Barcode: 031445003196 (EAN: 0031445003196) Topic: Motor torpedo boat ELCO 80-ft-class » Fast attack crafts (Ships) Galley & Heads Apparently they motored their PT Boats up the Hudson at full throttle and the wakes damaged a number of the docks along the Hudson's river banks. Early in the war the crews of the PT Boats found that their torpedoes didn't detonate, even when they were certain they were aimed accurately and should have hit their mark. The return trip back down the Hudson River was not quite as much fun as their high speed run north. I was freezing cold but we where please with the result. I would have thought they would have left the boats for the natives. Higgins and Hulkins also showed off impressive designs, and all three contractors were given orders for Navy boats. While their PT Boats were moored in a small port in the Mediterranean a large quantity of beer was unloaded on the pier right in front of them. After being sold on the civilian market, the boat was used as a yacht, in salvage and as a diving platform. The Elco Naval Division boats were the longest of the three types of PT boats. One of Milt's fellow crew members, Charles Nelson wrote an in interesting account of his experiences as a 50 caliber Browning Machine Gun Turret Gunner. Oil Capacity: 30 gallons The Electric Boat Company (Elco), PT-103 class, 80-foot motor torpedo boat PT 617, "Big Red Cock," is a museum vessel displayed at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts. Elco 70ft. Now Hear This:  No fooling, Battleship Cove will be open 7 days a week from 9-5 starting on April 1! PT-617 is a. uilt by the Electric Launch Company of Bayonne, New Jersey, she was laid down on 29 March 1945, launched on 28 July, and was not completed until after the end of the war on 21 September. 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