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Topic: Photo of 9 Returned Lend Lease ELCO's 1955-1956 Germany |
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TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
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 Posted on: Sep 23, 2008 - 7:00pm
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9 Elcos and 1 Vosper returned by the Russians moored in Bremerhaven Germany 1956 according to records these are 731 series boats that were returned between 2-14 July 1955 The Russian Navy returned a number (23 to be exact)of lend-lease Elco PT's and some Vospers, turning them over to us at Flensburg or Lubeck Germany in 1956. All were in need of repair, and the US Navy Kiel Canal patrol using WWII German subchasers towed them to Bremerhaven where they were cleaned up and put in running condition. A crew from the USN Kiel station was assigned to each boat, some of the crews from the USN Rhine river patrol were assigned to take them down the coast and turned them over to the French Navy at Brest. This happened during the summer of 1956, Aug or Sept. |
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Ed B
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Posted on: Oct 8, 2008 - 8:43am
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Ted,
I found your comment that according to records the 80' Elco's returned by Russia were from the 731 series to be most interesting. I had always been under the impression that the Russians were never able to assemble any of the PTs 732-760, which were provided in knocked down form, because in transshipment the Brits had extensively cannibalized the kits of parts for their own use. This info had been relayed to me by the late Burns Darsie, who was one of Elco's principal engineers at the time and in a position to know. I wonder if those boats in your photo were actually some of the 30 earlier 80' Elco's (plus the 731 boat) built for Russia lend-lease and delivered complete.
Incidentally, one of the fascinating by-products of the 731 series lend-lease is that Elco documented in excrutiating detail the construction / assembly of PT 731, producing a 4-volume assembly tech manual, each about 2 thick, including a few hundred 8X10 photos, that were meant to assist the Russians in assembly of the boats. PT Boats HQ has the complete 4-volume manual at HQ in Tennessee, which I consider to be the most definitive historical record of how to build an 80' Elco. |
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TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Oct 8, 2008 - 6:13pm
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Ed
All the earlier boats that went to Russia/USSR where first group PT 498-521(excluding PT 505 and 509) all of these were designated stricken and destroyed in 1954, or scuttled in the Barents Sea 1956. PT 517 was returned to USN in 1955, so she might be in that photo.
Second group PT 552-563(excluding PT 555, and 557-559), of these PT 552 was stricken in 1954, the rest were scuttled in the Barents Sea 1956.
This would leave the third group PT 731-760, of this group only six are listed as stricken, all the rest are listed as returned to the USN between 2 - 20 July 1955.
Take care,
TED
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Ed B
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Posted on: Oct 11, 2008 - 7:08am
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Ted
Thanks for the data. Anecdotal info can always bear checking, not to mention the risk in relying on my own recounting of a tale passed along 30 years ago. I imagine there was some if not plenty of truth concerning the cannibalization of parts, just not to the extent that I suggested.
Ed |
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rcr
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Posted on: Oct 12, 2008 - 9:05pm
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| I purchased the remains of Elco PT 740 in the Netherlands about ten years ago 1998 as it was being scrapped. It and several others had been refitted and were to be transferred to the Israeli Navy but the transfer was stopped. The boats were then sold or dispersed in Europe after being demilled. |
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rcr
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Posted on: Oct 12, 2008 - 9:10pm
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I neglected to mention in the previous post that the time of the transfer to Israel was some time in the late 50s to early 60s. When I got there (too late) the boat was already being rendered although it had just recently been hauled. At that time 1998 all the machinery was already gone.
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TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Oct 13, 2008 - 7:16am
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RCR;
What ever became of PT 740 or it's remains after you bought it? How did you come to buy this boat and from who? Do you know of any others?
Take care,
TED
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rcr
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Posted on: Oct 13, 2008 - 7:23am
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I bought the parts from Theo Van Mameren in Amsterdam. He had tried to sell when it was together with no luck and finally had to move it. The whole effort became too expensive for him so he scrapped it. That is just about the time I found out about it and bought the remnants which I still have. We have searched for the other boats but so far, no joy. That is just after I was misled on PT 314 which I left to be scrapped in New York but there is still PT 3.
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TED WALTHER |
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Posted on: Oct 13, 2008 - 7:34am
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Roger;
Thanks for the info. Keep looking. Has anyone ever found out about those two 77' Elco's that were given to the Italians after the war? Also the Yugoslavs duplicated the 200 series boats they got from RON 15 and made quite a few in the 1950's.
I was once told of PT 40(not PT 48, I know where she is) was still in Florida(as of 1997), also PT 140 was down there too.....somewhere. Have you heard of these boats??
Take care,
TED
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Sailor
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Posted on: Jul 30, 2014 - 9:39am
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Was station in Germany from 4-55 till 8-57 at USNAB Bremerhaven and the RRP. I never heard of the USN Kiel Station. However I did sail to Kiel summer of 1956 on a Weser River Patrol Boat to meet the Russians and receive the boats
R. Englund |
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