Did a PT boat ever sink a battleship?
No capital ship was sunk in WW2 by a motor torpedo boat/PT boat but one Dreadnought Battleship was sunk by an Italian motor torpedo boat in WW1. SMS Svent Istavan of the Austro Hungarian Navy a Dreadnought of 21000 tons was torpedoed and sunk by the 30 ton torpedo boat MAS-15 the sinking was filmed.
How successful were torpedo boats?
In general, the Confederate torpedo boats were not very successful. Their low sides made them susceptible to swamping in high seas, and even to having their boiler fires extinguished by spray from their own torpedo explosions. Torpedo misfires (too early) and duds were common.
Are there any surviving PT boats?
A few (one 80' Elco, one 72' Vosper, and three 78' Higgins) were cut up and destroyed between 1998 and 2008, leaving (a known) total of 12 PT boats, and 2 experimental PT boat hulls in various states of repair, surviving today in the U.S.: PT-48. PT-48 is possibly the last surviving 77-foot (23 m) Elco PT boat.
How fast could a PT boat run?
Engines. PT-109 was powered by three 12-cylinder 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW) Packard 4M-2500 marinized aero gasoline engines (one per propeller shaft), with a designed top speed of 41 knots (76 km/h; 47 mph).
How effective were PT boats in ww2?
PT Boats were arguably somewhat effective in the First World War era, actually sinking a couple of capital ships. By the Second World War they were utterly dependent on air cover to protect them since they had very limited anti aircraft capability and carried large quantities of gasoline.
Was the PT 109 ever found?
Now, Bob Ballard — the man who located the Titanic — has discovered the remains of PT 109, 1,200 feet down on the bottom of the Pacific. Leading an expedition funded by the National Geographic Society, Ballard, who grew up on Cape Cod where Kennedy often vacationed, found an old torpedo and its rusted launching tube.
Was the PT 73 a real PT boat?
The real PT-73 was a 78-foot Higgins boat assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 13, which saw service in the Aleutians and in the Southwest Pacific theater. On 15 January, 1945 it ran aground, and was destroyed to prevent it falling into enemy hands.
How many PT boats still exist?
Today, just four combat-veteran PT boats still exist in the United States; of those, only PT-305 is fully restored and operational, complete with original-model engines. An operational PT-305 promises to become one of The National WWII Museum's most exciting artifacts and teaching tools.
Where are PT boats any good?
PT boat action during World War II is well documented in history books and popularized in movies. Serving in multiple theaters, PT boats effectively and consistently challenged their adversaries. These fast ships, manned by courageous sailors, fought magnificently against long odds.
Did a PT boat ever sink a submarine?
It arrived at its home base of Tulagi and served successfully, sinking a Japanese submarine by torpedo. In the fall of 1943, PT-59 was converted into a gunboat under the direction of its new commander, Lieutenant (and future U.S. President) John F.
Did PT boats sink any Japanese ships?
PT-59 (more on her later) is credited with sinking Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) submarine I-3 on December 9, 1942 near Guadalcanal. PT-37 and PT-40 sank destroyer IJN Teruzuki on the night of 11–12 December, barely three months after the Japanese had put her into service.
Did the Germans have PT boats?
The German torpedo boats of World War II were armed principally, if not exclusively, with torpedoes and varied widely in size. They were not small schnellboote (known to the Allies as E-boats) but small seagoing vessels, the larger of which were comparable to destroyers.
Is the story of PT-109 true?
On August 1, 1943, a Japanese destroyer rams an American PT (patrol torpedo) boat, No. 109, slicing it in two. The destruction is so massive other American PT boats in the area assume the crew is dead. Two crewmen were, in fact, killed, but 11 survived, including Lt.
Were PT boats used in Europe?
Built in New Orleans by Higgins Industries, the patrol-torpedo (PT) boat PT-305 was a critical asset for the US Navy during World War II, serving in European waters from 1944 to the end ofthe war.
What replaced PT boats?
Their role was replaced in the U.S. Navy by fast attack craft.
Were PT boats used in Vietnam?
All Patrol Torpedo boats were taken out of service immediately after WWII and either scrapped or sold (minus armament), A variety of light patrol and river craft were used in the Vietnam war including the well-known PBR (Patrol Boat River) pictured below, but no PT Boats.
How many ships sunk by PT boats?
By war's end, the American units' boats had fired 354 torpedoes and claimed to have sunk 38 vessels totaling 23,700 tons.
Why were German U boats so effective?
Their ability to submerge and to surprise enemies led to massive casualties: Germany and Austria-Hungary sank almost 5,000 merchant ships during World War I, killing approximately 15,000 Allied sailors.
How did JFK's boat sink?
JAMIE RICHARDSON: Our topic today involves the 75th anniversary of the destruction of JFK's patrol torpedo boat, the PT-109, and the ensuing rescue of its crew. During the night of August 1 into the second in 1943, the 80-foot boat was struck in the South Pacific by a Japanese destroyer, the Amagiri.
Why did PT-109 sink?
The destroyer, later identified as the Amagiri, struck PT 109 just forward of the forward starboard torpedo tube, ripping away the starboard aft side of the boat. The impact tossed Kennedy around the cockpit. Most of the crew were knocked into the water.
Did all of the crew of PT-109 survive?
Two crew members were never seen again, but 11 who survived, all wearing life vests, managed to board what was left of PT-109. One had been badly burned and couldn't swim. Lieutenant Kennedy, who had suffered a ruptured spinal disk in the collision, had swum and towed him to the boat.
Can you buy a PT boat?
Specialized yacht brokers, dealers, and brokerages on YachtWorld have a diverse selection of PT models for sale, with listings spanning from 1979 year models to 1986.
How fast could a ww2 PT boat go?
Three Packard Marine gasoline engines powered the boats to a top speed of 45 knots. At the end of World War II, the expense of returning PT boats to the United States from overseas was considered prohibitive, so most boat were stripped of useful materials and burned.
Did they use a real PT boat on Mchale's Navy?
The boat was used for shots of the PT-73 underway at sea, while a full-scale mock-up was used for studio scenes. The real PT-73 in World War II II was a seventy-eight-foot Higgins PT boat, assigned to the U.S. Navy's MTB Squadron 13, and was placed in service on August 12, 1942.
Were PT boats made of wood?
One of the most notable types of wooden crafts was the PT or Motor Torpedo Boat. This small, fast craft would race at the enemy to launch torpedoes before making a hasty retreat. The complex curves of the boat's hull would have been very difficult to manufacture from steel.
What is the modern equivalent of a PT boat?
They were used extensively in both the Pacific and Mediterranean Theaters in World War Two. The closest modern equivalent are Fast Missile Attack Craft. That are armed with Anti-ship Missiles, Cannons and sometimes light Anti-Aircraft Missiles.
What happened to all the PT boats after ww2?
Even after the tide turned in the Pacific theater, PT boats were run hard and getting spares remained difficult. At the end of the war, with little need for all of them the determination was made that they were beyond economical repair. Those irreparable boats were destroyed as the best method of demilitarizing them.
Were PT boats gas or diesel?
The Elco boats were the largest in size of the three types of PT boats built for U.S. use during World War II. Wooden-hulled, 80 feet long with a 20-foot, 8-inch beam, the Elco PT boats had three 12-cylinder Packard gasoline engines generating a total of 4,500 horsepower for a designed speed of 41 knots.
What was the most armed PT boat?
PT-617 was very heavily armed for her size with four 22.5 in (570 mm) Mark 13 torpedoes, a 37 mm (1.5 in) and two 20 mm (0.79 in) guns in the bows, a Bofors 40 mm gun at the stern, and two twin . 50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns in mounts each side of the cockpit.
What was the best torpedo in ww2?
Nicknamed the “Long Lance” by naval historian Samuel Eliot Morrison, the Japanese Type 93 was the best torpedo of World War II. This gyroscope helped keep it on target.
Could a PT boat sink a battleship?
No capital ship was sunk in WW2 by a motor torpedo boat/PT boat but one Dreadnought Battleship was sunk by an Italian motor torpedo boat in WW1. SMS Svent Istavan of the Austro Hungarian Navy a Dreadnought of 21000 tons was torpedoed and sunk by the 30 ton torpedo boat MAS-15 the sinking was filmed.
Are there any WW2 PT boats still around?
Yes there are 4 veteran boats still in existence. PT 305 is the most complete at the National WWII Museum.
What happened to JFK's PT boat?
Kennedy assumed command of an 80-foot, 40-ton Elco motor torpedo boat (MTB) at Tulagi in the Solomons. His command of PT-109 lasted less than four months, ending on the night of 1–2 August when the boat was cut in two by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri in Blackett Strait—the waterway that connects Vella and Kula gulfs.
Was the PT 109 ever found?
The wreckage of PT-109 was located in May 2002, at a depth of 1,200 feet (370 m), when a National Geographic Society expedition headed by Robert Ballard found a torpedo tube from wreckage matching the description and location of Kennedy's vessel.
Were PT boats effective in WWII?
During World War II, PT boats engaged enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans. Some were converted into gunboats which could be effective against enemy small craft, especially armored barges used by the Japanese for inter-island transport.
How effective were PT boats in ww2?
PT Boats were arguably somewhat effective in the First World War era, actually sinking a couple of capital ships. By the Second World War they were utterly dependent on air cover to protect them since they had very limited anti aircraft capability and carried large quantities of gasoline.
How many PT boats still exist?
Today, just four combat-veteran PT boats still exist in the United States; of those, only PT-305 is fully restored and operational, complete with original-model engines. An operational PT-305 promises to become one of The National WWII Museum's most exciting artifacts and teaching tools.
Did PT boats have torpedoes?
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. Forty-three PT squadrons, each with 12 boats were formed during World War II by the U.S. Navy.
Are there any e boats left?
The last surviving seaworthy example of this class is at the moment (2008) languishing at Mashfords Yard near the Cremyll Ferry in Cornwall. I am not all that fond of preserving things just to do it. There is a perfectly good example of an E boat at Bremerhaven, but that's a museum piece.
How were the survivors of PT-109 saved?
Yet Kennedy led the survivors on a swim to the nearest island, three-and-a-half miles away. The healthy men helped the wounded, aided only by a pair of wooden planks salvaged from the wreck. Engineer Patrick McMahon was badly burned in the explosion of PT-109.
How many men died on PT-109?
John Kennedy's PT boat was cut in two by a Japanese warship. More than 1,000 people were part of the overflow crowd at the PT Boat Museum in Fall River's Battleship Cove to honor the two men who died during the PT-109 incident and all other crewmen of PT boats who didn't survive the war.
Did a PT boat ever sink a submarine?
It arrived at its home base of Tulagi and served successfully, sinking a Japanese submarine by torpedo. In the fall of 1943, PT-59 was converted into a gunboat under the direction of its new commander, Lieutenant (and future U.S. President) John F.
Did PT boats sink any Japanese ships?
PT-59 (more on her later) is credited with sinking Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) submarine I-3 on December 9, 1942 near Guadalcanal. PT-37 and PT-40 sank destroyer IJN Teruzuki on the night of 11–12 December, barely three months after the Japanese had put her into service.
Did the Germans have PT boats?
The German torpedo boats of World War II were armed principally, if not exclusively, with torpedoes and varied widely in size. They were not small schnellboote (known to the Allies as E-boats) but small seagoing vessels, the larger of which were comparable to destroyers.
How fast could a PT boat go?
According to W.L.White's 1942 book “They Were Expendable,” the three Packard engines could drive a PT boat almost as fast as a car on the highway, which was then about 45 MPH. From other sources, I would say more like 35–40 knots, which is close.
How many ships did PT boats sink in WWII?
Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons 22 and 29 joined MTB Ron 15 in the spring of 1944. By war's end, the American units' boats had fired 354 torpedoes and claimed to have sunk 38 vessels totaling 23,700 tons. Four PTs were lost, and five officers and 19 men were killed in action.
How many men were on a PT boat?
The crew size of the typical PT boat in the Pacific during World War II was between 10 and 17 men depending on the size and configuration of the boat, whether it was Elco or Higgins boat.
Where are PT boats any good?
PT boat action during World War II is well documented in history books and popularized in movies. Serving in multiple theaters, PT boats effectively and consistently challenged their adversaries. These fast ships, manned by courageous sailors, fought magnificently against long odds.
Was the PT 73 a real PT boat?
The real PT-73 was a 78-foot Higgins boat assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 13, which saw service in the Aleutians and in the Southwest Pacific theater. On 15 January, 1945 it ran aground, and was destroyed to prevent it falling into enemy hands.
Were U-boats better than American submarines?
The U-boats could go faster and farther, and they could carry almost twice as many weapons as the newest U.S. submarines. They also could submerge four times faster. The U.S. Navy's subs possessed advantages only in maximum depth and an extra half knot submerged.
Why did the U-boats fail ww2?
In the end, the defeat of the U-boats really came down to a numbers game. The strategic goal of the German U-boat force was to sink more shipping than the Allies could replace and force surrender through starvation. This was a fight the Germans were sure to lose.
Is PT-109 movie accurate?
Basically, the facts are correct, but Warner Brothers has tampered with the timeline. When JFK was dispatched to rescue the Marines off the beach, PT-109 had been rammed and sunk, and he was skipper of PT-59.
Did all of the crew of PT-109 survive?
Two crew members were never seen again, but 11 who survived, all wearing life vests, managed to board what was left of PT-109. One had been badly burned and couldn't swim. Lieutenant Kennedy, who had suffered a ruptured spinal disk in the collision, had swum and towed him to the boat.
What destroyer hit PT-109?
During the night of August 1 into the second in 1943, the 80-foot boat was struck in the South Pacific by a Japanese destroyer, the Amagiri. The PT boat itself was destroyed.
Can you buy a PT boat?
Specialized yacht brokers, dealers, and brokerages on YachtWorld have a diverse selection of PT models for sale, with listings spanning from 1979 year models to 1986.
What was the largest ship sunk by a PT boat?
USS McCawley (APA-4). 9000 tons attack transport, sunk off Guadalcanal after being accidentally torpedoed by US torpedo boats.
Did U.S. PT boats sink any Japanese ships?
PT-59 (more on her later) is credited with sinking Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) submarine I-3 on December 9, 1942 near Guadalcanal. PT-37 and PT-40 sank destroyer IJN Teruzuki on the night of 11–12 December, barely three months after the Japanese had put her into service.
Did a PT boat ever sink a submarine?
It arrived at its home base of Tulagi and served successfully, sinking a Japanese submarine by torpedo. In the fall of 1943, PT-59 was converted into a gunboat under the direction of its new commander, Lieutenant (and future U.S. President) John F.
Has a battleship ever been sunk by a submarine?
Displacing 37,000 tons, the powerful Japanese battleship Kongo was sunk by Sealion on November 21, 1944, as it was returning to Japan following the battle of the Philippine Sea.