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 Author  Topic: IMAGES FROM BASE TULAGI
  FRANK

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of FRANK  Posted on: Feb 7, 2009 - 6:33pm
HELLO EVERYONE-

I HAVE SEEN JUST RECENTLY SOME NICE IMAGES FROM BASE TULAGI. ONE VERY NICE SHOT WAS POSTED BY MR. FRANK ANDRUSS FROM HIS FANTASTIC COLLECTION OF PT ARCHIVE PHOTOS.

A WHILE BACK SOMEONE HAD POSTED THAT THEY HAD A 'COLLECTION' OF BASE TULAGI IMAGES. I DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHOM THAT PERSON(S) WAS.

I AM SEEKING ANY AND ALL IMAGES FROM BASE TULAGI TO ADD TO MY COLLECTION AND DOCUMENTATION FOR MY EVER GROWING BASE TULAGI DIORAMA. THESE IMAGES ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO ME AS THEY ARE MY REFFERENCE POINT OF RESEARCH FOR SCRATCH BUILDING STRUCTURES TO ADD TO MY DIORAMA.

ABOUT 4 YEARS YEARS AGO I ASKED IT ANYONE HERE HAD A SHOT OF THE SICK BAY ON TULAGI. A VETERAN FROM SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA SENT ME A XEROX COPY OF THE SICK BAY. FUNNY THING HERE IS THAT I WAITED NEARLY THREE YEARS FOR THAT XEROX COPY. THE VETERAN WHO SENT ME THE XEROX COPY SAID IN AN ATTACHED LETTER THAT TULAGI BROUGHT BACK TERRIBLE MEMORIES THAT HE HAD TO GET OVER. I CONTACTED JACK THE SAME DAY I RECEIVED THE STRANGE PACKAGE FROM HIM. THROUGH LONG RANGE COMMUNICATION, E-MAILS AND SKETCHES JACK POINTED OUT INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE SICK BAY ON TULAGI.

IT TOOK ME OVER A YEAR TO FAITHFULLY SCRATCH BUILD THE SICK BAY AND ADD A REMOVABLE ROOF SECTION SO THAT ONE MAY SEE THE FULLY DETAILED INTERIOR OF THE SICK BAY INCLUDING THE SURGICAL AREA.

THIS PIECE CAN BE VIEWED ON THE PT BOATS PHOTOBUCKET SITE THAT WAS THANKFULLY ADDED BY DICK HERE ON THE MESSAGE BOARD. I DO BELIEVE THIS IS THE ONLY MODEL OF THE TULAGI SICK BAY IN THE WORLD AND I HAVE JACK FITZPATRICK TO THANK FOR THE XEROX AND THE INSIDE INFO ON THE SICK BAY.

IN CASE YOU FOLKS ARE WONDERING, JACK WAS A MOTOR "MAC" ON TULAGI AND SUFFERED THIRD DEGREE BURNS TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF HIS BODY WHEN HE WENT TO SERVICE A HOT PT THAT JUST CAME IN FROM A RAID. HE SAID HE SOMEHOW SLIPPED AND FELL ALMOST FACE DOWN ATOP THE MANIFOLD OF ONE OF THE THREE PACKARD V-12'S. JACK THOUGHT HE'D LOOSE HIS ARM FOR SURE BUT THE MEDIACL TEAM ON TULAGI MAMAGED TO SAVE IT. JACK SNAPPED THE SHOT OF THE SICK BAY THE DAY HE WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE SICK BAY.

I DEDICATED THIS PIECE TO JACK'S MEMORY AND TO ALL THE GUYS AND GALS WHO SERVED ON THE ISLANDS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC. GOD BLESS YOU JACK! I'VE ONLY MET YOU VIA PHONE CALLS AND LETTERS BUT YOU WERE A DEAR FRIEND AND I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU.

SO HERE'S THE BOTTOM LINE GUYS! IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING ON TULAGI, ESPECIALLY BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES, "PLEASE" POST THEM HERE! I'D LOVE TO SEE THEM AND WHO KNOWS I JUST MAY BE CALLING YOU TOO SO THAT I CAN ADD YOUR IMAGES AS SCALE MODELS TO MY DIORAMA SOME DAY.

I MAY NOT BE RESPONDING ON THIS BOARD FOR A WHILE FOLKS. I AM GOING IN FOR MY SECOND TOTAL KNEE OPERATION ON FEB. 24TH. I HAD MY LEFT DONE IN JAN, '08 AND ITS COMING ALONG. I'VE GOT BUSITIS IN THE LEFT KNEE NOW AND IT'S A BUGGER! I'LL BE THINKING ABOUT YOU FOLKS! GOD BLESS YOU ALL, EVERY ONE HERE!

FRANK RYCZEK, JR.
MODELER/FRIEND RON 10 PT-169 " ZEBRA SNAFU " BASE TULAGI

HIGH TIDES ALWAYS!

YOUR FRIEND THROUGH SCALE SHIP MODELING AND PT BOAT HISTORY!

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G R Powell

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Feb 7, 2009 - 7:42pm
Frank, would you please email me?

Gerald_Powell@baylor.edu

Thanks.

G R Powell

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BobPic

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Feb 8, 2009 - 11:24am
I was intrigued by your signature "FRANK RYCZEK, JR.
MODELER/FRIEND RON 10 PT-169 " ZEBRA SNAFU " BASE TULAGI". I was QM on PT 167 which was one of the boats ordered to repaint the hull with the infamous black and white zebra stripes. After our fight with 12 torpedo bombers and the resulting mess, our skipper, Mr Berlin, defied orders and had the crew paint over the stripes. It was determined that the stripes could be seen like a beacon, especially in the twilight, and likely was the reason we took a torpedo through the bow. All the other boats repainted, I was never sure whether they had orders to do so or not.




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G R Powell

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Feb 8, 2009 - 11:46am
BobPic

Do you remember exactly when you painted over the zebra stripes? Your encounter with the 12 torpedo bombers would have been November 5, 1943, I think.

Also, you said all of the other boats repainted too. Would that have been at the same time? Had every boat in RON 10 been painted with the dazzle camo pattern? I am particularly interested in PT 163 and PT 174.

Finally, do you remember what color you painted the boat?

Thanks very much.

G R Powell

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BobPic

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Feb 8, 2009 - 11:55am
You have the date right. We repainted the stripes in drydock being repaired. Base had no orders to do it so the crew repainted. It would have been within a week or so, I think. Not all ron 10 boats were striped. I guess it was some sort of test. There were at least two other zebras, I'm not sure what numbers. They repainted from rafts while afloat. We returned the boat to dark green, paint did not exactly match the other boats.


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G R Powell

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Feb 8, 2009 - 12:04pm
BobPic

Thanks very much. I have some other RON 10 questions for you, if you don't mind. Please email me, if you have time, at Gerald_Powell@baylor.edu



G R Powell

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  FRANK

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of FRANK  Posted on: Feb 8, 2009 - 1:09pm
Hello Bob-

First of all Bob, i am not a veteran! I'm just a scale PT boat modeler and have been for almost 20 years now. I got the shot in the arm from my good friend, neighbor and PT Boat veteran Henry "BRUCE" Hansbury who served on the 169 boat out of Base Tulagi in the Solomons.

My model of the 169 is indeed in zebra stripe camofladge, the original attempt in white and black stripes.

Bruce had also told me many years ago that the original white stripes were just way too bright on the boat and they were indeed re-painted over OD green. I wanted my PT to replicate the original attempt of the zebra stripes in black and white.

There is a member here who goes by "MUDDY FIELDS" who has the most amazing diorama of a RON-10 boat model that I ever laid eyes on. He modeled a zebra PT being re-painted OD green stripes. If you can get a glimpse of this fantastic model, please do eyeball carefully. It's amazing!

Some day I do intend to model a zebra RON-10 boat with OD green stripes over black to add to my diorama. I now have 3 models and one more wouldn't hurt!

Thank you all for your interest!

Frank Ryczek, Jr.
Modeler/Friend RON-10 PT-169 " ZEBRA SNAFU "

HIGH TIDES ALWAYS!

YOUR FRIEND THROUGH SCALE SHIP MODELING AND PT BOAT HISTORY!

Total Posts: 349 | Joined: Oct 7, 2007 - 2:09pm | IP Logged

  FRANK

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of FRANK  Posted on: Feb 8, 2009 - 1:30pm
Attention GR Powell

Hello Gerald-

I saw your reply and I have sent you an e-mail! Thank you so very much!

Frank Ryczek, Jr.
Modeler/Friend RON-10 PT-169 " ZEBRA SNAFU "

HIGH TIDES ALWAYS!

YOUR FRIEND THROUGH SCALE SHIP MODELING AND PT BOAT HISTORY!

Total Posts: 349 | Joined: Oct 7, 2007 - 2:09pm | IP Logged

BobPic

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Feb 8, 2009 - 1:36pm
I have a picture (my art) of the 167 with a hole throug the bow on my website www.rpickett.com .I also have some photos of the total damage.


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CJ Willis

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of CJ Willis  Posted on: Feb 8, 2009 - 2:05pm
Bob: We were at Rendova and saw your 167 boat at the dock the next day after you took the torpedo through the bow. I couldn't believe it.

C. J. Willis

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