OK, now the event we came for twice has happened. As I said the ladies may not be too interested, but it was a rare opportunity. We were able to visit and tour the only operational WWII PT boat in the world. (PT stands for Patrol/Torpedo) It's PT 658 and was completed in 1945 and never saw action. Restoration was begun in 1992 by a group of PT boat veterans (no longer actively working on the boat) and was considered operational in 2004. Structural restoration continues although the boat is taken out for special occasions. Below is a WWII photo of a PT boat with General MacArthur aboard. I've included that to give a feel for what these boats were like in wartime. Notice there are no types of railings around the deck. Gunners and loaders stood out there in action. Seems precarious. (Click on picture for larger image) Next is a stock photo of a recent cruise of PT 658. It is based at the Coast Guard/Navy Reserve base in Portland, and the first time we showed up there, we, including the guys that work on the boat were not allowed on the base because of heightened security the day after the killing of Osama Bin Laden. The guys working on the boat are very conscientious about getting all the details just right and preserving it so that it will last a long, long, time. When we visited, they had just put a new deck on the boat and therefore all the guns and fittings were not installed. They have built a boat shed for protection from the elements. This is the bow. The stern (back of the boat). This is the forward crew's quarters and mess hall (the galley is here too, behind us). There are berths for 8, 4 of which are in the little oval cubby holes. The Galley. An old photo of actual conditions. In one family touring the boat at another time, a lady recognized her father in one of these pictures. An emotional time. The Captain's quarters And for the reader with a restroom fetish, here is the officer's head. We were honored to have on our tour (4 people) a real, honest-to-goodness PT boat veteran. His name is Stan Richards and he was there with his daughter. He had been a Motor Machinist on PT 244 and saw action at Rendova in the Solomon Islands. His job was to maintain the engines and he also manned a 20mm machine gun. Here he is in the engine room. There are 3 V-12 Packard engines with 1850 horsepower each. These boats had a top speed of around 45 knots (51 MPH) and could actually outrun their own torpedoes, so they had to be careful about that. View of the after deck, looking forward. This is the 'office' on the pier. With the deck in disarray, it may not have been the best day to visit, but the work is on-going. But having the old (older) veteran here this day was a real stroke of luck because everyone was interested in his stories about how it really was in combat on these boats. On the occasions when they take the boat out, PT boat veterans are always invited. This gentleman will be back for a ride. Here we are with Stan and his daughter. For more information and pictures, the group has a website, http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/index.htm. Not only do they appreciate financial donations, but they are looking for other stuff from the period. So if you have some Navy enlisted silverware, or a 60mm mortar, or a Mark 31 Torpedo Director laying around, they would like to hear from you.
Many thanks to our brother-in-law, Phil, for alerting us to this PT boat by sending a link to a youtube video about it. I hope you haven't been too bored, but we had a wonderful experience and it was worth backtracking to Portland. But as usual, there's more experiences to come. Stay tuned.
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Who Are We?
Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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