What does PT stand for on a PT boat?

Patrol, TorpedoPatrol, 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.

How many PT boats still exist?

four

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 engines does a PT boat have?

PT-class Motor Torpedo Boat

What does the PT in PT 109 mean?

patrol torpedo

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.

How fast could a PT boat go?

Patrol torpedo boat PT-109

Were PT boats used in Vietnam?

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.

What kind of engines were in PT boats?

With the exception of the experimental PT boats, all U.S. PT boats were powered by three marine modified derivations of the Packard 3A-2500 V-12 liquid-cooled, gasoline-fueled aircraft engine.

What happened to all the PT boats after ww2?

After the war, most of the remaining PT boats were destroyed by the US Navy because they were too expensive for a peacetime Navy. Each boat had three Packard 3A-2500, V-12 aircraft engines with as much as 1,850 hp each, which consumed vast quantities of high-octane gasoline.

What PT boat was PT 73?

Motor Torpedo Boat

The vessel used for shots of the PT-73 underway was a 72-foot type II Vosper MTB (Motor Torpedo Boat), a British design built under license in the US for export to Russia.

How many ships did PT boats sink?

38 vessels

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.

What size crew is on a 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.

Has PT 109 been found?

A National Geographic expedition has found the WWII patrol boat that became a cornerstone of the Kennedy legend. A National Geographic expedition led by explorer Robert Ballard has found what is believed to be the remains of John F. Kennedy’s PT-109.

Were PT boats used in Vietnam?

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.

What is the top speed of a PT boat?

Patrol torpedo boat PT-109

Are there any PT boats left?

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 sink any Japanese ships?

Though few PTs sank major Japanese ships, they enjoyed more success in other operations, including reconnaissance and search and rescue. The boats often harassed and broke up Japanese barge traffic, earning the nickname “devil boats” among the enemy.

Did a PT boat ever sink a submarine?

1943. PT-164 destroyed by Japanese aircraft, in Rendova Harbor, Solomons, 1 Aug. 1943. PT-165 lost in transit when US tanker Stanvac Manila sunk by Japanese submarine I-17 south of Noumea, New Caledonia, 23 May 1943.

What kind of engines were in PT boats?

With the exception of the experimental PT boats, all U.S. PT boats were powered by three marine modified derivations of the Packard 3A-2500 V-12 liquid-cooled, gasoline-fueled aircraft engine.

Was there a real PT 73?

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.

Did PT boats have anchors?

Anchor. –The anchor provided to PT boats are light weight (50 pounds) and are designed to have far greater holding power than the old style anchor. However, to get the highest holding power of the anchor you must pay out enough line to do the job.

Is Taratupa a real island?

Taratupa: an island in the Pacific Ocean housing a US Navy PT boat base and one of two primary settings in the 1960s sitcom McHale’s Navy.

Is any of McHale’s Navy still alive?

Since 2012, Yoda has been living in Fullerton, California. As of 2021, Yoda and Bobby Wright are the last surviving cast members from the McHale’s Navy television series.

Why was Mchales Navy Cancelled?

FOX411: You say that “McHale’s Navy” got cancelled because it was in black and white. Conway: Yes it was four years in black and white. They were coming into color and it was to go into color in the fifth year. They thought they would never be able to resell the four years in black and white so they cancelled it.

What religion was Ernest Borgnine?

During this period, he became an active freemason; he was later honoured with the 33rd degree of the masonic order and its grand cross. Borgnine proclaimed, “I’m proud of the fact that I belong to an organisation that made me a better American, Christian, husband and neighbour.”

What nationality was Ernest Borgnine?

Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino (Italian: [borˈɲiːno]) on January 24, 1917, in Hamden, Connecticut, the son of Italian immigrants.

Was Lee Marvin in the Marines?

U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Lee Marvin won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Cat Ballou in 1965. The World War II veteran left high school to enlist in the Marine Corps, serving in the Pacific. He earned a Purple Heart after being wounded on Saipan.

What kind of person was Lee Marvin?

Lee Marvin Was A Pacifist With A Soldier’s Resume



Marvin was anti-war, having lived the horrors first hand and had a particular objection to the Vietnam War. Though one of his persona-defining roles came in The Dirty Dozen, he said it was his least favorite film due to its unrealistic depiction of war.

What is Morgan Freeman’s age?

Morgan Freeman was born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the son of Mamie Edna (née Revere; 1912–2000), a teacher, and Morgan Porterfield Freeman (July 6, 1915 – April 27, 1961), a barber, who died of cirrhosis in 1961. He has three older siblings.

Where is Ernest Borgnine buried?

Ernest Borgnine