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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic:
Danforth Anchors on PT boats (?)
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Question: it seems Danforth Anchors were used aboard some PT's: If so, how many where aboard- and what was the *weight* spread of the ones aboard ? Also, was there any other type used ?
Regards-
Posted By: Shaneo2 | Posted on: May 19, 2009 - 5:31pm
Total Posts: 147 | Joined: Apr 17, 2008 - 10:19pm
ELCO specs books call for two 75 lb Danforths.
Al Ross
Posted By: alross2 | Posted on: May 19, 2009 - 6:35pm
Total Posts: 994 | Joined: Oct 30, 2006 - 8:19pm
All ron 10 boats (during my tenure) had one 75 lb Danforth anchor. We didn't use it much. Don't know what anchor our mooring buoy used
Posted By: BobPic | Posted on: May 20, 2009 - 5:55am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
An early (August 1942, up to PT 367) ELCO 80' boat bulkhead plan shows stowage positions for two. I've no doubt that Bob is right and if not needed one was dumped to save weight:
[image]http://www.pt103.com/images/ptpics/BureauOfShipsBulkheadJoinerPlan496341_AnchorStowageSm.jpg[/image]
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: May 20, 2009 - 8:37am
Total Posts: 2203 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
Thank you for the replies. I have to check some photos I saw somewhere again- as it showed what look to be smaller versions of the Danforth on the foredeck.
On the moorings, I located one in Rendova Harbor it was a large cement rectangle.
There was a shackle still on it ,and probably 80'ft or more of chain laying on the bottom. It was laying on its long side, with the shackle on the small side top. I doubt if it was ever used again since the war- as there is no use for it there now.
Regards-
Posted By: Shaneo2 | Posted on: May 20, 2009 - 9:37am
Total Posts: 147 | Joined: Apr 17, 2008 - 10:19pm
Thanks for posting the early 80' Elco bulkhead plans, Jeff. The first plan answers a question I've had about the differences between the foredeck "towing bitt" I've seen in photos of some of the early 80-footers versus the "mooring bitt" I've seen on the 109 and later boats.
The "towing bitt" used on PTs 103 - 108 was a squared post with a port/starboard spike through it, and the "mooring bitt" on PTs 109 - 198 was shaped more like a regular cleat (with the "horns" port/starboard).
Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: May 22, 2009 - 11:22am
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am
You're welcome Drew, there were several small differences that set the 103-108 boats apart. I'm not sure about the antenna mounting on the 104 and on boats but the 103 had a unique design. An interesting story is that the damage was caused by the actor Robert Montgomery crashing into the dock at ELCO:
[image]http://www.pt103.com/images/ptpics/Photo_Scan_PT_103_Port_Bridge_Torpedo.jpg[/image]
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: May 22, 2009 - 6:42pm
Total Posts: 2203 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
Fascinating photo, Jeff -- thanks for posting THAT one! I've never seen it before. Very interesting detail of the 103's "open" antenna. Do you have any more mouth-watering photos of the same type (close-up, detail photos of the early 80-footers)? If you do, by all means, share them with us! I for one would be one happy old boy if you did.
I guess Montgomery eventually learned to handle the boats, because he does pretty well in THEY WERE EXPENDABLE.
Dick Keresey also chewed up the 103 against the dock (several times) the first time he was at the wheel -- as a matter of fact, he apparently was the Navy man that Elco ceremoniously turned the 103 over to (June, 1942), as related in his book "PT 105."
Keresey said, of the difficulty of mastering the docking of PTs, " Almost all boat captains were called 'Crash' at one time or another. In the early days while learning how to operate PT boats, we were like novice wranglers trying to tame wild horses -- we all got thrown a couple of times."
Thanks again.
Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: May 23, 2009 - 5:11am
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am
Hmmm, I wonder how accurate the info I have on the accident is. Hard to believe the 103 was picked on so hard. Although related by a former 103 crewman, he had heard it after joining the 103 in 1943. I had sent him the image and asked if he was behind the wheel when the damage occurred:
[blue]No, but this must be the story that the "old guys" told me about -- perhaps. I'm guessing. An officer reportedly an actor named Montgomery (Robert??) crashed into the dock at or near the Elco factory in Bayonne not long after the boat was built in June 1942. Sharp photo showing details almost forgotten. This was when the 103 was carrying only two torpedo tubes and eight depth charges. Maybe someone was dreaming of catching a U-Boat near the Atlantic coast?[/blue]
Robert's service according to [url]http://www.ptboats.org/20-12-05-trivia-001.html[/url]:
[blue]Capt. Robert Montgomery, (deceased) First President of Screen Actors Guild; played the part of Lt. John D. Bulkeley (changed to Brickley in movie) in "They Were Expendable;" Rons 5 and 4. XO PTs 107, PT 68 and XO PT 114. Division Commander of PTs at Panama. Bronze Star. Also light cruiser USS Columbia CL 56 and USS Barton DD 772 at Normandy.[/blue]
Send me an e-mail Drew, jeffd at pt103 dot com.
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: May 23, 2009 - 6:20am
Total Posts: 2203 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
Closeup of the antenna mount. Note the early grabrail, used on PT 103-138. I like the stanchions:
[image]http://www.pt103.com/images/ptpics/Photo_Scan_PT_103_Port_Bridge_Torpedo_Antenna.jpg[/image]
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: May 23, 2009 - 6:58am
Total Posts: 2203 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
Hi Jeff,
I know this is an old post. However, I was looking for more info about the Crashing of the PT103 by Montgomery. Can you give me any more details? Like who was it that related the story, etc. I am considering placing this as a story in our PT Boat museum.
Thanks Jerry
Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR
Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Oct 4, 2017 - 8:35pm
Total Posts: 1490 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm
Hi Jerry, it was our old friend Jack Duncan. Maybe look up Montgomery's service history too to confirm he was there at the time. The 103 was completed June 1942 according to the info I have.
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Oct 5, 2017 - 5:47am
Total Posts: 2203 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
The log book for PT 103 for June 1942 is available at the Archives. Maybe something is in there.
Charlie
Posted By: 29navy | Posted on: Oct 5, 2017 - 6:11am
Total Posts: 611 | Joined: Dec 28, 2006 - 3:02pm
Jerry asked Jack about the incident, here is his reply that he said I could post here. For those that may not know, Jack has an amazing memory and tells interesting storys some of which can be read here: [url]http://www.pt103.com/PT_Boat_Veteran_Stories.html[/url]
[green]Jerry,
Ouch! No, a different accident. The Montgomery boo-boo I was shown was on the starboard quarter with the rub strake ripped. No idea about this one. It’s a new photo to me. Maybe Jeff has the photo of the starboard crash scene.
Just the forward port tube got a punch it would seem, knocking it clear off the mount and shearing the swivel – like she was t-boned above the rub strake although that was scratched as was the hull. I would opine from the 75-year-old photo that she had been rammed rather than hitting a pier. Might it be a clipper bow on the ramming vessel? Perhaps an Elco yacht being used as a support vessel. The depth charge rack is empty, so no ordnance aboard??
Note the dent in the tube as if t-boned. She’s wearing haze gray – maybe still under trials by Elco, so unknown to the original crew?? Good a guess as any because I don’t see any life jackets hanging on the rails of the dayroom canopy. The rub strake is barely scratched. Could that be a tiny hole punched in the side about a foot under the aft tube mount?
More questions than answers, but we could write a hell of a book with my conjectures, couldn’t we??
“And there I was attacking a Class A barge when it rammed me just as eight Zeros came into view at deck level! But what’s eight Zeros? Nothing!”
Note the Plexiglas wind screen. We replaced that with plywood at Stirling Island in the Treasurys during the Battle of Bougainville due to its reflectivity revealing us to Jap planes. I made a knife handle out of the Plexiglas with red cellophane between the layer rings. Used a torpedo propeller lock for the pommel, plugging the hole drilled to fit it on the handle with a piece of sea turtle shell that MoMM1 Robert Lowell caught by hand. Food!!!! Where the hell in that remote part of the world did I find red cellophane?? No memory.
You’ve seen the leather sheath I made from the seam-reinforcing leather from the original turret covers also at Treasury when we were issued new canvas covers without leather seams.
The knife? Apparently stolen by movers during on the frequent moves that Union Oil sent us on. Bakersfield to Rialto to Richmond to Honolulu to Reno. That’s when it was discovered as missing when I needed it to gut deer. Bastards!! They left the sheath as being too personalized, I’d guess.
That’s the sea story for tonight!
massacheepjack[/green]
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Oct 9, 2017 - 5:29am
Total Posts: 2203 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am