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ť Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboard.cgi?cid=101&fct=showf

ť Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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ť Topic: Anyone Recognize This Boat?
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=883

This was one of Lt. Robert W. Orrell's boats, but the number is unknown.

[image]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w136/olebob/PTBoat.jpg[/image]

Posted By: Robert Orrell | Posted on: Jul 5, 2008 - 9:59am
Total Posts: 80 | Joined: Jul 2, 2008 - 6:18am

Those vents and other deck items (or lack thereof) suggest to me an early Elco like the Pearl Harbor PT's you were asking about. Those rear facing vents with the closest (on the right) facing foward looks like a 77' Elco to me.

From the PT Boat info section of this site:

[image]http://www.ptboats.org/pti-info-images/p2p4-pt20-02.jpg[/image]

[image]http://www.ptboats.org/pti-info-images/p2p4-pt31-02.jpg[/image]

There are men who are better at picking these things out here on the board - they also might have better pics of the stern of the craft to help comfirm this. As for the number - that'd be a mystery unless the photo was submitted to PT Boats Inc. with some sort of accompaning info with it.

Grandson of James J Stanton
RON 15 PT 209 and RON 23 PT 243
Check out: www.pistolpackinmama.net

Posted By: newsnerd99 | Posted on: Jul 5, 2008 - 3:30pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Hi Robert, looking at your photo i find a salior sitting on a depth charge rack to the port rear of the boat, the sailor to the starboard may also be seated on a rack as well but this is unclear in this photo, also i find a large smoke generator amidships and a carly raft in front of the first items,these items as well as the rear deck houseing of an early elco boat with a rear hatch open led me to two photos in Victor Chuns book American PT Boats in ww11.

On page 12 you have a picture of a Elco 77ft PT Boat crusing off Pearl Harbor and on page 13 PT 28 refueling at Pearl.

Both pictures show the before mentioned items and one other item that seems to be missing, all three pictures show both rear torpedo tubes have beem removed from the boat. ( The tail of the rear port side Torpedo tube should be to the left shoulder of the sailor on the racks.)

The picture on page 12 also shows the rear hatch open.

The picture on page 13 also shows the carley float across the boat as in your picture.

The numbers on the boat on page 12 can not be made out maybe someone else may know its number or maybe you could try to contact Victor Chun/ publisher of the book for further info.

Also as far as i am aware the tops of the air vents on the boats could be rotated to obtain the best venterlation as desired! So there direction is no real guide to which model boat you are looking at if they are the only thing that is visible.

Hopes this helps a little more.

Yours, D.B.

D.buck

Posted By: David Buck | Posted on: Jul 12, 2008 - 6:12am
Total Posts: 332 | Joined: May 4, 2008 - 2:59am

Thanks, David.

I haven't seen that book yet. I'm still hoping to get the service records for Robert Orrell. That should give me some more info.

I've got his boat narrowed down to PT 20-25 as they were the only ones in the water on 7 Dec.

Posted By: Robert Orrell | Posted on: Jul 12, 2008 - 8:55am
Total Posts: 80 | Joined: Jul 2, 2008 - 6:18am

I believe the picture on pg. 12 is PT-25.....

Will

Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Jul 12, 2008 - 9:07am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Below is my attempt to enhanced the photo to see if anymore detail could be discovered.

In addition, David listed a couple of good shots from Victor's book. There are also a couple of good shots in Frank Johnson's "United States PT-Boats of World Wa II".
In Johnsons' book page 7 shows a great picture taken along the starboard side of unknown PT showing the same configuration as your photo and in the back ground PT-25 is seen with the identical setup. Then on page 10, a photo of PT-42 being refueled and again has the same aft configuration. Aft depth charges in roll-off racks, smoke generator and life boat.

So we now know PT-25, 42, 28 and two unknowns have very similar appearances, for what ever purpose.

Dick . . . .

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Webmaster/Unknown_PTBoat-02.jpg[/image]

Posted By: Dick | Posted on: Jul 12, 2008 - 9:58am
Total Posts: 1489 | Joined: Aug 27, 2006 - 6:36pm

Dick - Thanks for enhancing the photo.

Posted By: Robert Orrell | Posted on: Jul 13, 2008 - 2:34am
Total Posts: 80 | Joined: Jul 2, 2008 - 6:18am

Hi Dick, the purpose for the change from Torpedos to depth charges was because the PT Boats were tasked to protect shipping moveing in and out of Pearl Harbour.

I found this piece of info somewere recently and will try to hunt down the source (it may have been on the message board but i can't remember just now).The Boats were ordered to escort the ships in and to lay smoke to hide the ships if they thought a Sub. was near. They were fitted with Depth charges to keep the Subs below periscope depth and perhaps inflict serious damage on them.

Just goes to show that the PT Boat could be called on to take on a job that the designers had not even thought about.

Yours D.B.

D.buck

Posted By: David Buck | Posted on: Jul 13, 2008 - 5:54am
Total Posts: 332 | Joined: May 4, 2008 - 2:59am