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.
How did PT-109 get rammed?
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 were the PT boats powered by?
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. With accommodations for 3 officers and 14 men, the crew varied from 12 to 14.
Did a PT boat ever sink a ship?
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. (Thanks to George Avery for his comment bringing this sinking to my attention.) They also damaged at least one cruiser, IJN Abukuma , during the Battle of Surigao Strait (1944).
Are PT boats made out of plywood?
The main hull of PT (Patrol Torpedo) boats was made out of wood. Various water resistant woods were used such as mahogany, cypress and oak for some of the stronger structural elements like the frame. The skins of the boats were made out of laminated plywood, laid in diagonals for strength.
Why are boats not made of wood anymore?
Too expensive, the maintenance cost is extortionate, building skills are no longer common, maritime safety laws have to be complied with! Much easier to build the hull of steel.
What was PT-109 made of?
The 80 ft (24 m) Elco MTBs were the largest PT boats operated by the U.S. Navy during World War II. They had strong wooden hulls, constructed of two layers of 1-inch (2.5 cm) mahogany planking, excellent for speed and reasonably adequate for seakeeping, but providing limited protection in combat.
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.
Was the movie PT-109 accurate?
"PT-109" qualifies as much as a thrilling World War II adventure as it does a publicity stunt for JFK. 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.
Do any PT boats still exist?
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 was PT-109?
Speed 41 kts. Propulsion: Three 3,600shp Packard W-14 M2500 gasoline engines, three shafts. Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, USNR (standing at right) with other crewmen on board PT-109, 1943.
Are there any PT boats left from WWII?
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.
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.
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.
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 1985.
What color was PT-109?
There was variety to the colors; PT-109 originally shipped out to the South Pacific on pre-war gray (I have photos here) but was later repainted in a tropical green that I believe was a mixture of zinc chromate and black paint.
Were PT boats gas or diesel?
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 John Wayne have a PT boat?
John Wayne actually did pilot one of the boats in some filming, which lead him to purchase a PT BOAT for his own personnel use. He liked the boats.
Why didn't wooden ships rot?
Wooden boats were made water-resistant by putting tar in the hull of the boat. The pitch or tar sealed the wooden boards of the ship together, keeping water out and allowing the boat to float. Sailors also utilized oil on their sails in another form of waterproofing.
Are wooden boats better?
Wood boats are comfortably inviting, they insulate against heat, cold and noise, and they better absorb engine and other unwanted vibrations. The fiberglass boats are plain, almost sterile-looking. Colored fiberglass fades rapidly, and over time, almost always needs to be painted.
Why do wooden boats not sink?
The sum total of the wood, and the air inside, and the iron cannons, cannonballs, ballast, and people inside, is less dense than water. The hull keeps water out, so the whole thing floats, just as the total density of a helium balloon is less than air, and it floats.
Was the PT-109 ever found?
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.
What happened to PT-109?
The destroyer, later identified as the Amagiri, the escort ship of the Express, struck PT-109 just forward of the forward starboard torpedo tube, ripping away the starboard aft side of the boat. Less than a minute had passed since the first sighting.
Who was XO on PT-109?
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.
Did PT-109 have radar?
It is important to note that even though many ships were equipped with radar by this time, PT-109 was not one of them, so Kennedy and his crew were steaming blind as they patrolled Blackett Strait.
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.
Where did PT-109 sink?
PT-59's legacy has long been overshadowed by the Kennedy's first wartime boat, PT-109. Sunk off the coast of the Solomon Islands in August 1943, the ship endures in popular imagination thanks to the then-25-year-old lieutenant's heroic efforts following the crash.
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.
Who built PT-109?
Patrol torpedo boat PT-109
What did JFK do on PT-109?
Builders
How fast was a WWII PT boat?
He was the captain of PT 109, which suffered a devastating attack amid the Solomon Islands on August 2, 1943. Two crew members lost their lives when the boat was struck by a Japanese destroyer. Kennedy and the other ten men—some badly injured—were launched into shark infested waters.
What happened to PT-305?
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.
What replaced PT boats?
In April 2007, accompanied by Museum curators, PT-305 found her way back to New Orleans, where The National WWII Museum became her home on land until she could be restored to her former glory.
How did PT-109 get sunk?
Their role was replaced in the U.S. Navy by fast attack craft.
Were PT boats made of wood?
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.
Were PT boats used in Europe?
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.
Did a PT boat ever sink a submarine?
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 PT boats effective?
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 they use PT boats in Vietnam?
PT boats were able to challenge much larger capital ships, defend merchant shipping, attack convoys, perform scouting and reconnaissance missions, and infiltrate or exfiltrate small units and key leaders from enemy-controlled areas - all in the effort to contest sea control.
Where was PT-109 found?
PTFs were the Vietnam War's version of the famous PT boats used in World War II. They were heavily armed, near-coastal gunboats, used mostly by special forces. PTF-26 is the last of only four Osprey-class PTFs, which were bigger and had aluminum hulls. PTF-26 is the final PTF and the last U.S. PT boat ever built.
Where is JFK buried?
Details. The wreckage of PT-109 was located in May 2002, when a National Geographic Society expedition, headed by Ballard, found a torpedo tube amongst wreckage that matched the description, and location, of Kennedy's vessel in the Solomon Islands.
Was Kennedy a war hero?
President Kennedy's Grave in Arlington National Cemetery.
Are there any original PT boats left?
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.
Are there any e boats left?
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.
Did US PT boats sink any Japanese ships?
There is just one surviving E-boat, identified as S130. It was built as hull No. 1030 at the Schlichting boatyard in Travemünde. S130 was commissioned on 21 October 1943 and took an active part in the war, participating in the Exercise Tiger attack and attacks on the D-Day invasion fleet.
Are PT boats made out of plywood?
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.
Are there any PT boats left from WWII?
The main hull of PT (Patrol Torpedo) boats was made out of wood. Various water resistant woods were used such as mahogany, cypress and oak for some of the stronger structural elements like the frame. The skins of the boats were made out of laminated plywood, laid in diagonals for strength.
What was PT-109 made of?
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.
Was the movie PT-109 accurate?
Design & Construction
Launched on June 20, it was delivered to the US Navy the following month and fitted out at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Possessing a wooden hull constructed of two layers of mahogany planking, PT-109 could achieve speeds of 41 knots and was powered by three 1,500 hp Packard engines.
What was a PT boat made of?
"PT-109" qualifies as much as a thrilling World War II adventure as it does a publicity stunt for JFK. 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.
Was PT 73 a real PT boat?
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. With accommodations for 3 officers and 14 men, the crew varied from 12 to 14.
Can you still buy a 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.
Did John Wayne ever serve in the US military?
Currently, PT, a yacht brand has 5 yachts available for purchase on YachtWorld. This collection encompasses 0 newly built vessels as well as 5 pre-owned yachts, with all listings, handled by yacht brokers, primarily concentrated in United States and Canada.
Were wooden ships safe?
Wayne never enlisted and even filed for a 3-A draft deferment, which meant that if the sole provider for a family of four were drafted, it would cause his family undue hardship. The closest he ever came to World War II service was portraying the actions of others on the silver screen.
How did wooden ships not leak?
Wooden sailing ships were extremely vulnerable to fire. Modern ships are not exempt either, and in submarines it can be really catastrophic. The Kursk was sunk by a fire in the torpedo room, for an example. Wooden ships were (& are) the some of the biggest firetraps ever invented.
What is stronger wood or fiberglass?
On ships, tar or pitch waterproofing was the most common method used. Wooden boats were made water-resistant by putting tar in the hull of the boat. The pitch or tar sealed the wooden boards of the ship together, keeping water out and allowing the boat to float.
Why don t we use wooden boats anymore?
The compression strength of industrial fiberglass is almost 17 times that of the same species of structural timber.
Who made the first wooden boat?
Too expensive, the maintenance cost is extortionate, building skills are no longer common, maritime safety laws have to be complied with! Much easier to build the hull of steel.
What were the wooden ships in ww2?
Egyptians were among the earliest ship builders. The oldest pictures of boats that have ever been found are Egyptian, on vases and in graves. These pictures, at least 6000 years old, show long, narrow boats.
When did ships stop being made of wood?
Splinter fleet or Splinter navy was a nickname given to the United States wooden boats used in World War II. The boats served in many different roles during the war. These boats were built in small boatyards on the West coast and East coast, Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico.
Were wooden ships used in ww1?
For thousands of years people have navigated the world's oceans by ship, whether it was to trade, travel, fight or explore. Up to the 19th century, ships were made out of wood. It was only in the 1800s that iron and steel ships were introduced and sails were replaced with steam engines.