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.
Did PT boats sink any Japanese warships?
Originally conceived as anti-ship weapons, PT boats were publicly credited with sinking several Japanese warships during the period between December 1941 and the fall of the Philippines in May 1942—even though the Navy knew the claims were all false.
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.
How many U.S. naval ships were sunk in WW2?
USS McCawley (APA-4). 9000 tons attack transport, sunk off Guadalcanal after being accidentally torpedoed by US torpedo boats.
What was the largest ship sunk by a PT boat?
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.
How many PT boats still exist?
The wreck of PT-109 was found by Robert Ballard in 2002 in 1,300 feet of water in Blackett Strait between Gizo and Kolombongara Islands in the Solomons, not far from where it was rammed by the Japanese destroyer IJN Amagiri at about 02:27 on August 2, 1943.
Was the PT-109 ever found?
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.
Is the story of PT-109 true?
Zinser, Motor Machinist's Mate 1/c (MM1) (Belleville, Illinois). Erroneously called "Gerald" in many publications, Zinser remained in the Navy for a career following the end of World War II, eventually retiring as a Chief Petty Officer. The last living survivor of PT-109, he died in Florida in 2001.
Are any PT-109 survivors still alive?
How many ships did PT boats sink in WW2? 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?
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.
How fast was a WWII PT boat?
Fast attack craft today
Boats similar to torpedo boats are still in use, but are armed with long-range anti-ship missiles that can be used at ranges between 30 and 70 km. This reduces the need for high-speed chases and gives them much more room to operate in while approaching their targets.
Are there modern PT boats?
No American battleship has ever been lost at sea, though four were sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of these, only USS Arizona (BB-39) and USS Oklahoma (BB-37) were permanently destroyed as a result of enemy action.
Has the US ever lost a battleship?
At least 200 ships and landing craft sank off the beaches. Among them were three U.S. destroyers and three British destroyers, including one manned by Norwegian officers and crew.
How many ships sunk on D Day?
The Imperial Japanese Navy never truly recovered from Midway, and would possess a total of 18 aircraft carriers throughout the war, but 14 of these were ultimately lost - the majority of which fell around the Philippines, with three sunk during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
How many Japanese carriers were sunk in ww2?
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.
Can you buy a PT boat?
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.
Where are PT boats any good?
Lieutenant John F. Kennedy's encounter with a Japanese destroyer on the night of August 1, 1943, may be the most famous small-craft engagement in naval history, and it was an unmitigated disaster.
What is the most famous PT boat?
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.
Did the Germans have PT boats?
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.
Were PT boats used in Europe?
By the last patrol on the night of April 28, 1945, American PT boats had been fighting in the coastal waters of North Africa, Italy, and France for two years. During that period, they fired 354 torpedoes, claiming 38 vessels totaling 23,700 tons sunk.
Were there PT boats in Europe?
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.
How did JFK's boat sink?
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.
What happened to JFK's PT boat?
Two men, Harold Marney and Andrew Jackson Kirksey, had disappeared in the collision, very likely killed at the impact. All the men were exhausted, a few were hurt, although none as badly as McMahon, and several had been sickened by the fuel fumes, with Johnston the most severely affected.
How many died in PT-109?
In the early hours on August 2, 1943, PT-109 was patrolling Blackett Strait, on the southern side of Kolombangara Island, when her starboard side was rammed, cut, and severely disabled by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri.
What destroyer sank PT-109?
Gerald Zinser, 82, last surviving crewman aboard President John F. Kennedy's doomed PT 109 in the South Pacific in World War II, died Aug. 21 in Orange Park, Fla., of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
Who was the last survivor of the PT-109?
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 were the survivors of PT-109 saved?
During World War II, he commanded PT boats in the Pacific theater. Kennedy's survival following the sinking of PT-109 and his rescue of his fellow sailors made him a war hero and earned the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, but left him with serious injuries.
Was Kennedy a war hero?
Patrol Torpedo boat 109 was idling in Blackett Strait in the Solomon Islands. The 80-foot craft had orders to attack enemy ships on a resupply mission. With virtually no warning, a Japanese destroyer emerged from the black night and smashed into PT-109, slicing it in two and igniting its fuel tanks.
How did PT-109 get rammed?
Ensign Leonard Jay Thom was the Executive Officer aboard the Motor Torpedo Boat USS PT-109. In Blackett Strait, south of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands, the starless, moonless night of August 1-2, 1943, was profoundly dark, inky blackness.
Who was XO on PT-109?
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.
Could a PT boat sink a battleship?
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 US PT boats sink any Japanese ships?
Originally conceived as anti-ship weapons, PT boats were publicly credited with sinking several Japanese warships during the period between December 1941 and the fall of the Philippines in May 1942—even though the Navy knew the claims were all false.
Did PT boats sink any Japanese warships?
Operational PT Boats Remaining: Higgins-Built PT-658 and PT-305. PT-658 was built in 1945 by Higgins in New Orleans. The boat was originally slated to join Squadron 45 and assigned to the Pacific Fleet, but with the war coming to a close she never saw action.
Are there any PT boats left from WWII?
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.
Were PT boats used in Vietnam?
Their role was replaced in the U.S. Navy by fast attack craft.
What replaced the PT boat?
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.
How many PT boats are left?
A total of 690 PT boats were built between 7 December 1941, and 1 October 1945. WW II PT Boat Manuals available at the Historic Naval Ships Association Web Site: Know Your PT Boat, 1945. This is an introduction to PT Boats for crews' in training.
How many PT boats did us build?
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.
Were PT boats gas or diesel?
The three other heavily damaged ships— Oklahoma, Arizona and the capsized target ship Utah—would not return to service.
What 3 ships did not survive Pearl Harbor?
Nagato survived the battle, retreating to Japan to be refitted for coastal defense. She also escaped serious damage from an Allied air attack in July of 1945 and was the only Japanese battleship to survive the war.
How many US Navy ships sunk in ww2?
USS Corry (DD-463), USS PC-1261, 14 LCTs, 7 LCIs, and LC (FF) - were lost on D-Day, with USS Baldwin (DD-624) among those ships damaged. The destroyers closer to shore focused on shore batteries, radio stations, pillboxes, and fortified homes.
Did any Japanese ships survived ww2?
Operation Neptune, including D-Day, involved huge naval forces, including 6,939 vessels: 1,213 naval combat ships, 4,126 landing ships and landing craft, 736 ancillary craft and 864 merchant vessels.
Were any ships lost on D-Day?
Number of Japanese ships attacked by submarines = 4,112. Total number of Japanese ships sunk by submarines = 1,392. Average number of merchant ships sunk/war patrol = 0.80.
How many US ships were in D-Day?
By the end of the war in August 1945, the Japanese merchant marine had less than a quarter of the tonnage it had in December 1941. Overall, U.S. Navy submarines sank around 1,300 Japanese merchant ships, as well as roughly 200 warships.
How many Japanese ships were sunk by US submarines?
USS McCawley (APA-4). 9000 tons attack transport, sunk off Guadalcanal after being accidentally torpedoed by US torpedo boats.
How many Japanese carriers were sunk by US submarines?
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.
What was the largest ship sunk by 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.
What happened to all the PT boats?
Currently, PT, a yacht brand has 6 yachts available for purchase on YachtWorld. This collection encompasses 0 newly built vessels as well as 6 pre-owned yachts, with all listings, handled by yacht brokers, primarily concentrated in United States and Canada.
Was there a real pt73?
How many ships did PT boats sink in WW2? 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.
Can you still buy a PT boat?
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.
Did a PT boat ever sink a submarine?
From April 1917 until November 1918, four German U-boats visited the East Coast of the United States and sank 10 vessels off North Carolina's coast and 200 U.S. vessels in total. One of these U-boats, U-140, was particularly notable for sinking the Diamond Shoals Lightship, LV-71, in August 1918.
Did all of the crew of PT-109 survive?
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).
Did German U-boats sink American ships in ww1?
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 was a WWII PT boat?
The real-life PT-73
It was assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 13 under the command of Commander James B. Denny, USN. The squadron participated in the Aleutian Islands Campaign from March 1943 to May 1944.
Did the Germans have PT boats?
More than 3,800 ships were sunk during World War II across the Pacific, each now holding the potential for catastrophic environmental fallout. Many of these shipwrecks contain a potentially devastating threat: Thousands of tons of oil and an unknown quantity of bombs and chemical weapons.
Was PT 73 a real PT boat?
Thousands of tonnes of oil in almost 4,000 wrecks
An estimated 3,800 ships were sunk during the conflict and remain on the Pacific Ocean floor, the bulk of them in Chuuk Lagoon in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) – sometimes referred to as the "world's biggest ship graveyard".
How many ships were sunk in the Pacific during ww2?
Shipwrecking is truly a big loss of material possessions and human lives. A rough estimate by the United Nations shows at least 3 million shipwrecks are lying across ocean floors. There are over 5000 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes that have taken the lives of over 30,000 mariners.
How many ships sunk in Pacific in ww2?
Numbers quoted vary, but at least 47 Allied vessels, from PT boats to escort carriers, were sunk by kamikaze attacks, and about 300 damaged. During World War II, nearly 3,000 kamikaze pilots were sacrificed. About 14% of kamikaze attacks managed to hit a ship.