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ť Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
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ť Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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ť Topic: They Were Expendable
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Gents;
I know I am stubborn, but........I should first say I don't have a copy of the book that covers the making of this movie, however, while I have seen the photos of the "Scenery" PT Hull that is in the PT 41 gets trailered to Lake Lanao scene. I will swear on a stack of bibles that that is a 77' ELCO hull being used in the 34 aground scene, and the beaching/strafing beach scene. How else can we explain that one minute the cabin structure looks like a 80 ELCO and when its burning it is a 77' ELCO cabin.

For years we have known that PT 39, 47, 48, and 59 were shipped back to Melville. then we find recently, mystery photos of what looks like PT 38 outside the engineering shack at Melville. Well Chip actually found documents stating PT 38 was later shipped from Melville back out to the Pacific to replace a aging ASR boat, at the request of some Admiral(area Commander).

My question is this: What if another 77' ELCO was shipped back with the 38 boat? Chip and I(and I sent a copy to Al) have the marine survey's of the remaining 77' ELCO's, assigned to RON 3(2) in the summer 1944, and there were a few that were in the same shape as 38, and I can see two boats being shipped back, not one.
We need to dig deeper.
Any Ideas?
TED

Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Aug 22, 2017 - 10:24pm
Total Posts: 3071 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am

TED

The hull you are referring to in the trailer scene was a mock up of an 80 foot Elco. I read the book detailing the making of the movie and there is a picture showing the opposite side of the hull, which was nothing more than braces.

The other scenes where hulls were exchanged was early in the movie when the 31 was hit by shore batteries, and toward the end when the 34 boat was pulled off the reef, and then when it is put back in the water after repairs at Dad's marine yard.

Larry
62 Bel-Air
260 Eagle EXP
79 Cole TR-2
2016 Corvette Z51

Posted By: bubbletop409 | Posted on: Aug 23, 2017 - 11:41am
Total Posts: 164 | Joined: Apr 22, 2013 - 11:48pm

Larry;
Thanks, but the best scene to compare hulls(other than the stills we have already beat to death in past posts), is when PT 34 has just slid off the marine railway at Dads boatyard. When the hull is bow on to the camera, that is not an 80 ELCO bow, its a 77' ELCO bow. In the scene, the 41 is behind and off 34 stbd quarter, bow on, we can compare bow shapes, they are very different.
Take care,
TED

Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Aug 23, 2017 - 3:20pm
Total Posts: 3071 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am

TED

Check your e-mail.

Larry

Larry
62 Bel-Air
260 Eagle EXP
79 Cole TR-2
2016 Corvette Z51

Posted By: bubbletop409 | Posted on: Aug 23, 2017 - 4:51pm
Total Posts: 164 | Joined: Apr 22, 2013 - 11:48pm