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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic: Researching PT-156 of MTB RON 9
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Hello! I'm currently researching Richard Adrian Colgate who was a member of PT-156 from August 28th, 1944 - August 1945. I believe he was the lead engineer aboard the boat. I'd appreciate if anyone who has any documents, photos, or history relating to PT-156 or MTB RON 9, could share them in this thread. So far I've went through the MTB RON 9 War History and War Diaries. I've also seen part of the PT-156 logbook that lists crew members, but if anyone has the full logbook, I'd love to see it.

Posted By: WW2UsCollector | Posted on: Feb 13, 2024 - 4:29pm
Total Posts: 2 | Joined: Feb 13, 2024 - 2:32pm

80' Elco Motor Torpedo Boat:

Laid down 19 August 1942 by the Electric Boat Co., Elco Works, Bayonne, NJ

Launched 2 November 1942

Completed 18 November 1942, placed in service and assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron NINE (MTBRon 9) under the command of Lt. Comdr. Robert B. Kelly, USN
MTBRon 9, assigned to the South Pacific, had action at Rendova, Lever Harbor, Treasury, and Green.

Japanese naval and army aircraft bomb Rendova, New Georgia, Solomons 2 July 1943; light cruiser IJN Yubari and nine destroyers bombard the beachhead. PT-156, PT-157 and PT-161 engaged the enemy, but inflicted no damage.

Transferred to the Southwest Pacific in May 1944, the squadron had action at Mios Woendi, Dutch New Guinea; Morotai, in the Halmaheras; and at Zamboanga and Tawi Tawi in the Philippines. The squadron also based for a time at Dreger Harbor, New Guinea, and at Samar in the Philippines, but had no action from these bases
The "Cowboy" was placed out of service, stripped and destroyed by U.S. Forces 24 November 1945 at Samar, Philippines.

Specifications:

Displacement 56 t.
Length 80'
Beam 20' 8"
Draft 5'
Speed 41 kts.
Complement 17
Armament: One 40mm, four 21" Torpedoes and two twin .50 cal. machine guns
Propulsion: Three 1,500shp Packard W-14 M2500 gasoline engines, three shafts.

Here is a crew photo, looks like it was taken at ELCO in NJ most likely in 1942.

Posted By: Travis B | Posted on: Feb 18, 2024 - 5:46am
Total Posts: 129 | Joined: Nov 23, 2019 - 10:11am

I would suggest contacting PT Boats INC for further info on RON 9, PT-156 and Mr Colgate. There is a good possibility they will have info and photos more than you could find on the internet. Take some time and look thru the older posts on this forum and you will find some interesting information.

http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/prntopic.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=1415

Posted By: Travis B | Posted on: Feb 18, 2024 - 6:00am
Total Posts: 129 | Joined: Nov 23, 2019 - 10:11am

Travis,

Interesting photograph. It shows the boat with roll off racks for Mark XIII torpedos, SO radar mast and the air foil ind deflector. With his I doubt the photo is from 1942. But the boat has retained the foundations for the torpedo tubes and the clear plexiglass windshield.

This is an early 80 foot ELCO as evidenced by the location of the forward 50 cal mount.

I would also suggest the photo was not taken in the CONUS a none of his boats shipped back to the States. Location of the photo is big question.

Bill

Bill Smallshaw

Posted By: smallwi | Posted on: Feb 19, 2024 - 3:58pm
Total Posts: 141 | Joined: Jun 21, 2007 - 3:02pm

I have a sneaking suspicion that this boat in the above photo is actually an 80 foot Elco of either RON29 or RON39 of the number 560, 561,562,563,565,566,567,568 or 569. (PT564 was the prototype Higgins Hellcat) I have some very grainy photos of PT156 and 155 and 157 and they all look a little different than this one in the photo.

Also I noticed in the super blurry photo of PT156 you can see they mounted a 20mm cannon instead of twin 50 cals in the forward starboard gun turret.

LT Kelly and Skipper Pessolano on PT156 (Color)

PT157 Aces and Eights crew with LT Kelly in center

PT157 Aces and Eights crew on bow with captured flag

PT155 Ole Spooky crew on bow with different captured jap flag

PT155 Ole Spooky port side view underway note all the extra 20mm and the stinger above the 40mm Bofors barrel

PT156 underway note the 20mm mounted in starboard 50cal turret

PT156 (color photo) with LT Kelly (Squadron Commander) holding binoculars)

Here are some RON29 Boats in Bastia with bow zoomed in

RON29 in Bastia

Zoom onto bow of RON29 in Bastia PT561 562 563

PT565 with MacArthur on bow

Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Feb 21, 2024 - 1:48am
Total Posts: 1486 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm

I was looking at some photos that I took at Fall River inside the RON9 display case and saw these photos of what may show the crew of PT156. I had to zoom in on the photos so hopefully you may be able to recognize a face in the crew. Jerry

Not labeled as PT156 but judging by the 20mm cannon instead of twin 50 cal MG in starboard turret, I surmised this is probably PT156

It is smudged but it looks like the labels says "RON9 PT156 crew"

RON9 Boat Captains pose with ADM Bill Halsey and LT Kelly Squadron CO front center

Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Feb 21, 2024 - 3:54am
Total Posts: 1486 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm

Removed

Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Feb 21, 2024 - 3:59am
Total Posts: 1486 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm

Removed

Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Feb 21, 2024 - 4:03am
Total Posts: 1486 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm

Sorry for the triple post! Maybe Dick can delete the extra 2 posts!

Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Feb 21, 2024 - 6:52pm
Total Posts: 1486 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm

[b]No Big-E[/b]

had to leave the posting position for countung reasons.

Dick . . .

Posted By: Dick | Posted on: Feb 22, 2024 - 10:58am
Total Posts: 1487 | Joined: Aug 27, 2006 - 6:36pm

All:

The original photograph is definitely an early 80 foot boat. Reference the small rotating deck vent in front of the crew members on the starboard side. The 50 cal mount sits forward as well and the foundations are in place for the torpedo tubes. Agree that all RON 9 boats carried the 20mm in leu of the standard twin 50 cal. PT 356 is likely. She carried racks and the foundations for tubes when first built.

Bill

Bill Smallshaw

Posted By: smallwi | Posted on: Feb 24, 2024 - 4:14pm
Total Posts: 141 | Joined: Jun 21, 2007 - 3:02pm

I would agree the first photo is very early shot.
1. The boats overall appearance is too new looking - factory fresh. No scratch or wear marks are visible
2. The clear plex window would have been over on Tulagi.
3. The forward turret may have had 50-cal guns when built but weee replaced with the 20-mm gun as part of CMDR Kellyâ€™s â€˜experimentâ€™ to put a larger caliber gun in the forward turret.
4. The crew is too clean looking to have see any action?
5 are we looking across the Hudson (i.e. Bayonne NJ) in this photo? Crews we selected/assembled dockside in NYC.

Bridge

Posted By: TheBridge | Posted on: Feb 26, 2024 - 2:09pm
Total Posts: 319 | Joined: Nov 22, 2009 - 3:04pm

I would agree the first photo is very early shot.
1. The boats overall appearance is too new looking - factory fresh. No scratch or wear marks are visible
2. The clear plex window would have been over on Tulagi.
3. The forward turret may have had 50-cal guns when built but weee replaced with the 20-mm gun as part of CMDR Kellyâ€™s â€˜experimentâ€™ to put a larger caliber gun in the forward turret.
4. The crew is too clean looking to have see any action?
5 are we looking across the Hudson (i.e. Bayonne NJ) in this photo? Crews we selected/assembled dockside in NYC.

Bridge

Posted By: TheBridge | Posted on: Feb 26, 2024 - 6:22pm
Total Posts: 319 | Joined: Nov 22, 2009 - 3:04pm

You can request copies of original PT log books from the National Archives (NARA). My contact (10-years ago) who knew all about PT records on the archive was Nathaniel Patch:

nathaniel.patch@nara.gov

Posted By: TheBridge | Posted on: Feb 26, 2024 - 6:32pm
Total Posts: 319 | Joined: Nov 22, 2009 - 3:04pm

Jerry;
Your sneaking suspicion is correct that is a photo of PT 356 RON 27. Not PT 156.

Also LT Michael Pessolano USN (USNA Class of 1942) was RON 9 Executive Officer under Bob Kelly. He was also the skipper of PT 155. The color photo is not Pessolano on PT 156 with Kelly, itâ€™s Bud Liebenow skipper of PT 157, which Kelly is on.

On a sad note, after Pessolano succeeded Kelly as CO of RON 9, his next assignment was USS Indianapolis (CA-35). He was killed when the ship was torpedoed. It is not known (as for my research), if he made it off the ship and into the water or not.

Take care,
TED

https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/MICHAEL_R._PESSOLANO,_LT,_USN

Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Feb 28, 2024 - 3:19pm
Total Posts: 3071 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am

Bridge,

Nathaniel is a great help. However, all log books are currently unavailable. The good news they are being digitized, will start showing up online in the not so distant future.

Bill Smallshaw

Posted By: smallwi | Posted on: Feb 28, 2024 - 7:45pm
Total Posts: 141 | Joined: Jun 21, 2007 - 3:02pm

Bill,
Excellent news about digitizing the log books! It was a real time consuming process the â€˜manual wayâ€™.
This will preserve the original log books (i.e. less handling by the NARA researcher) and make access much, much quickerâ€¦and possibly (hopefully)accessible to us all on line of thatâ€™s their next step in this process.

Bridge

Posted By: TheBridge | Posted on: Mar 1, 2024 - 5:34am
Total Posts: 319 | Joined: Nov 22, 2009 - 3:04pm