PT-658 was open for tours in Portland, Oregon, from June 4-8, 2008 as part of the Rose Festival Fleet. The pictures on this page were taken on June 8.
PT-658 in Portland, Oregon on June 8, 2008
PT-658 is a 78-foot Patrol Torpedo Boat, commonly called a PT-Boat. PT-boats were used in World War II against larger ships. With the ability to fire torpedoes, PT boats were capable of sinking the largest of the enemy's ships. Their small size and high speed made them difficult for large enemy ships to defend against; they often attacked at night, approaching the enemy without being detected, then quickly escaping after attacking.
PT-658 in Portland, Oregon on June 8, 2008
PT-boats were powered by three 1500 horsepower Packard V12 engines. A PT-Boat's 3,000 gallon fuel supply is enough to power the boat for 12 hours at a cruising speed of 35 knots, for a range of about 520 miles, or for six hours at the full speed of over 42 knots. (PT-658 is missing two of its tanks, cutting its fuel capacity in half.) Their wooden hulls allowed them to be built in large numbers without diverting steel from other critical uses, though it gave them little resistance to enemy fire.
PT-658 in Portland, Oregon on June 8, 2008
John F. Kennedy famously commanded PT-109 and later PT-59 during the war. After the war, most PT-boats were beached, stripped of equipment and burned, though some were sold as war surplus and found other uses, including conversation to pleasure boats.
PT-658 in Portland, Oregon on June 8, 2008
PT-658 was built by Higgins Industries Boatworks of New Orleans, Louisiana. The keel was laid down on February 24, 1945, it was launched on April 11, 1945 and completed on July 30, 1945. As World War II was nearly over by that time, it was never put into the service it was built for, and was used as a rescue boat and later as a floating target until being sold as war surplus to a private owner on June 30, 1958.
PT-658 in Portland, Oregon on June 8, 2008
Save the PT Boat, Inc., a non-profit organization formed by a group of former PT-boat crewmen, acquired the boat in 1993 and has been restoring it since 1994. In the summer of 2004, PT-658 returned to the open water under her own power. It is the only authentic fully-restored US PT-boat in operational condition in the world.
37mm & 20mm machine guns on the bow of PT-658
Mounted on the bow of PT-658 are a 37mm machine gun and a 20mm machine gun.
Twin .50 caliber Browning M2 machine guns on PT-658
On each side of PT-658 are twin .50 caliber Browning M2 machine guns.
Twin .50 caliber Browning M2 machine guns on PT-658
Twin .50 caliber Browning M2 machine guns on PT-658
Twin .50 caliber Browning M2 machine guns on PT-658
20mm machine gun on PT-658
Another 20mm machine gun is mounted toward the rear of PT-658.
Mark 13 Torpedo on PT-658
This Mark 13 torpedo is an example of the typical weapon PT-boats used against enemy ships.
40mm Bofors cannon on PT-658
Mounted on the PT-658's stern is a 40mm Bofors cannon.
PT-658 in Portland, Oregon on June 8, 2008
Here is a rear view of PT-658. The rear of the wooden hull has recently been repaired. A major drawback of boats with wooden hulls is that they need a great deal of maintenance, and this was a major factor in the fact that so few PT-boats survived after the end of the war; the Navy just didn't think the high-maintenance boats were worth hanging on to in peacetime.
Continue to Coast Guard Cutters…
No comments:
Post a Comment