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 Author  Topic: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE WAS ON AGAIN
  TED WALTHER

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of TED WALTHER   Send Email To TED WALTHER Posted on: Apr 13, 2009 - 10:31am
Everytime I watch this movie, I see something new. for instance: when the 3 boats are approaching the dock at Mindanao with Gen MacArthur and his party, there are 3 boats. Brickley's PT 41 an 80' ELCO, Ryan's PT 34 an 80" ELCO, and PT 35 (Ens. Ohio??, which is supposed to be Hank Brantingham) which is represented by a 78' Huckins. However, when the three boats are supposedly repaired at Dad's boatyard and Brick in the 41 has to tow the 34 and 35, take a look at the 35, presto!!! She is no longer a 78' Huckins she has become a 80' ELCO!
Does anyone really know which ELCO's were used? I know the boats are from RON 4. I know the tubes are from Higgins/lend lease type. But looking at the configuration of the deck superstructure and engineroom hatches my guess is PT 139,140, and 141. But I would not be suprised if they are 314, 315, 316, and 317 anybody know for sure?
Take care,
TED
P.S. that burning 77' ELCO "shell" used in the death of 34 beach scene, might explain what became of PT 38 which we last saw in those Aug-Sept 1944 photos at Melville. Since she does not appear on any "sold" lists. The boat in the shot does appear to have an early 77'cabin.


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TGConnelly

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Apr 13, 2009 - 12:10pm
Ted,

That burning boat near the beach wasn't even a real boat. It was a shell built by MIAMI BOAT ...................

Ask Chip Marshall ..................

Garth


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TED WALTHER

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of TED WALTHER   Send Email To TED WALTHER Posted on: Apr 13, 2009 - 12:33pm
Garth;
I have talked to Chip about this before, and yes he did tell me about the shell for they were expendable was made at Miami Ship building, I believe he also told me the bow of PT 109 was made there also.
I am just rying to figure out those photos of PT 38 at Melville, how she was apparently shipped back to the states, and no documentation that has surfaced has reflected this. Also what happened to her after the war. She was not sold by the War Shipping Adminisration, as all the other RON 4, RON 22, RON 30, RON 41, not shipped, completed, etc boats were. The only documented early series 77' ELCO's that were shipped back to Melville were PT 39 and PT 40. The late series 77' boats shipped back were PT 47,48, and 59. This is a real mystery! How did 38 get back to Melville??
take care,
TED



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Will Day

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Will Day   Send Email To Will Day Posted on: Apr 13, 2009 - 1:14pm
Ted: I am pretty sure that the TWE Elcos were the 139,140 & 141 boats. I did a frame-by-frame study of clips from the movie and turret placement, etc. seems to indicate that those were the boats sent down from Melville.

Will

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Will Day

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Will Day   Send Email To Will Day Posted on: Apr 13, 2009 - 1:19pm
The other question that comes up a lot is the identity of the "41 boat" being trailored by the Army at the end of the picture.....

Will

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Drew Cook

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Drew Cook  Posted on: Apr 13, 2009 - 2:17pm
Ted and all,

I think there's a certain amount of Hollywood bait & switch trickery involved in the scene where the two 80' Elcos are being towed in tandem behind the "41"...

Since there were only two 80' Elcos used during filming, those two 80' Elcos had to have been towed by one of the (unseen) Huckins boats or another boat entirely, even though it was supposed to be towed by the "41" (which was always represented by one of the 80's Elcos).

One of the things I noticed when watching the film numerous times was the obvious number placards on the outboard side of one of the 80' Elco's port cockpit bulkhead. They obviously mixed & matched these number placards to represent whichever boat they needed in the particular shot at the time.


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TGConnelly

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Apr 14, 2009 - 8:06am
Ted -

I'm going to run this by the Harbor Master of Providence, RI but YEARS ago ... when we go by the India Point section of Providence on the way to our vacation at the Cape - there used to be the hulk of an old boat resting on a barge near shore - and even as a kid - I recognized the bow of a 77 footer ...........

But - back in the late 70s or early 80s, there was a fire that destroyed the barge and that boat ... and now, once in a great while - when the tide is REALLY low, I see some of the frames of that boat.

I've always wondered if that was a PT that I saw .........

Maybe it was the 38 even .............

Garth


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