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Kent Young
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Posted on: Dec 16, 2006 - 4:38pm
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Can anyone tell me what squadron PT 251 was attached to when it was sunk?
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Frank J Andruss Sr
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Posted on: Dec 17, 2006 - 6:03am
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PT 251 was operating with PT 252 when she was destroyed by shore batteries. Both of these Higgins boats were with Squadron 20. By the way PT 251 was skippered by Lt. (jg) Nixon Lee, Jr. and the 252 was commanded by Ens. R. A. Hochberg.
I think 2 other boats were present that night making barge runs close to the beach. Only 3 men survived. I think PT 247 picked up the survivors. Hope this helps you a little...........
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CJ Willis
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Posted on: Dec 17, 2006 - 9:14am
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Kent:
I was in Ron 19 - PT 242. We operated with Ron 20 and all their boats when they first came out at Vella La Vella until December 14, 1943 when a fuel dock fire destroyed the Base, PT 239 and killed two of our base force men. Both squadrons then moved to Treasury with Ron 9 and Commander Kelly and we operated out of there. Our Squadron 19 having completed 2 1/2 month in the forward area was at Rendova with half of the officers and half of the men on operational leave to New Zealand at the time the 251 was sunk. From intelligence reports our Exec. Officer Mr. Raney wrote the following about the 251 incident. Quote; "The 251 boat one of ron 20's was chasing some barges- It got four and ran on the reefs while after the fifth. They tried to pull it off till daylight but by that time the Japs had gotten some guns pulled up to where it was. They had one shell fall over and one short and the third shell the boat disintegrated. It killed nine men and two officers. Larry Pasterik, one of the fellows in my class at Melville was one of the officers killed. There were three men to get out of tho."
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