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PT Boat Forum
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The PT Boat Forum
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PT Boats of WWII
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PT Boats - General
Post a reply to: PT 59
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[StartQuote] I suppose I am one of the few guys left that actually set foot aboard the 59. I was not a crew member but we berthed next to the 59 in the mangrove bushes at Vella La Vella for 2-3 weeks. She was a gunboat then with 40 mm bow and stern with 4-50's port and starboard. Of course a lowly seaman like me did not know Officer Kennedy but we knew some of the crew. The officers lived in tents on the beach and were not on the boats much except when we left to go on patrol. One of the crewmen (I think the quartermaster) gave me a 45 automatic Army issue pistol when they left to come back to the States which I carried until I came home. After they left, the 60 boat, also a gunboat, took their spot and we berthed next to them.until the big fuel dock fire December 14, 1943 that closed the base at Vella La Vella and we moved up to Treasury and operated with Ron 9 until the last of January when Ron 19 was relieved from patrols after being in.the combat zone and patroling for 12 weeks. One half of our crew was given R& R for 2 weeks to New Zealand. My name was not drawn out of the hat so we stayed and cleaned the bottom of the boat and added two more twin fifties on the bow while they were gone.. We were promised to get to go on R & R later but it never happened.. C. J. Willis[EndQuote]
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