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 Author  Topic: OSS PT use
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: Aug 15, 2011 - 6:13pm
Jonathan, Al Jerry, and everyone else;
Yes this does sort of resemble a "waterborne" version of Project Aphrodite, here is what happened to JPK Jr.:
Joe Kennedy completed his flight training at Jacksonville U.S.A. in 1942. As a volunteer U.S. Navy pilot he flew Mariner flying boats from Puerto Rico, Central America, before converting to the B24 Liberator and serving in England at Dunkeswell, Devon, with squadron VB110. After completing his normal combat tour of 30 missions, he volunteered for an extra 10 - somehow managing to talk his crew in to flying with him. Just before his last mission Lt Kennedy volunteered for one further final mission which involved low level flying and a parachute jump. This mission was to be Top Secret as part of project Anvil, the target being the German V3 Supergun site at Mimoyecques, France. The details of this mission remained secret until 1966, although the identity of the crew was not released until 1970.
On the 31st July 1944 a U.S.N. special air unit, codenamed Project Anvil, moved to Fersfield from Dunkeswell in Devon. The mission was to involve the use of explosive-laden PB4Y-1 Liberator bombers under radio control. The crew of two, Lt Joe Kennedy (pilot), and Lt. Wilford John Willy (radio control technician/co-pilot), were to take off with 21,150 lbs of Torpex in 347 boxes and establish radio control of the Liberator by a Ventura mother-ship. Once full control was established and tested, at a pre-determined point the crew would parachute from the aircraft through the nose wheel bay emergency exit and the bomber would continue the rest of its mission under radio control, finally crashing onto the target.
Wilford John Willy, pictured above, was born on the 13th May 1909. He volunteered for the U.S. Navy in 1933 as an able seaman and worked his way up through the ranks, studying electronics and becoming an expert in radio controlled systems for Top Secret U.S. Navy weapon projects. He also became a pilot and was certified to fly various aircraft including the B24 Liberator.
Lt Willy had not seen any action during the war because of his involvement with Top Secret projects - project Anvil had prevented him from serving on active duty. He designed most of the weapon system for the Liberator drone he would eventually die in. Lt Willy had pulled rank on Lt Kennedy's co-pilot Ensign Simpson, not because he could not do the job, but because he was determined to make project Anvil work, the V3 weapon site just had to be destroyed.
At 5.59pm August 12 1944, after all the aircraft had taken off from Fersfield airfield, Lt Kennedy lined up his drone on the main 6,000 ft runway. After making a text book take-off he slowly climbed to the operating height of 2,000 feet and continued to fly on the planned course, forming up with the rest of the formation over Halesworth, Suffolk. The formation consisted of two Ventura motherships (because if there were a problem with one, the second could assume radio control of the drone once the crew had bailed out), one P38 camera aircraft, 4 Mustangs from the 20th Fighter Group as low level escort, one B17 filming, and two American Mosquitoes on detachment from the 25th Bomb Group Photographic Wing observing the mission.
Once the formation had cleared Halesworth the Liberator switched over from manual flight to radio control. The pilot in the Ventura mothership was making test turns under full control. Lt Kennedy, now flying as a passenger, radioed the codename "Zoot Suit" to tell the other crews that every thing was fine. Lt Willy then switched on "Block", which was the codename for the TV camera in the nose used to guide the drone onto the target (Mimoyecques V3 Site). Two minutes later the drone suddenly exploded over New Delight Wood, Blythborough, Suffolk.
The wreckage was scattered over an area 3 miles long and about 2 miles wide. 3 square miles of heath land was set on fire, 147 properties - some up to 16 miles away were damaged, and hundreds of trees in New Delight Wood were felled as a result of the blast. Despite all this, no civilians were killed. However, no remains of the crew were ever found. The cause of the explosion is believed to be a lack of electrical shielding on "Block" which caused electromagnetic emissions to open up a relay solenoid that should have been closed. When the solenoid opened it set off one of the MK9 detonators, which in turn set off the load of Torpex.

As far as the worn out PT boats being set up for remote control/ explosive delivery systems, this newly found info really intrigues me about this Project JAVAMAN, because within the last 5-6 years this type of program has been updated for modern day applications for harbor security.
Take care,
TED




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  Andy Small

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Andy Small  Posted on: Aug 8, 2016 - 6:17am
Been reading an extremely interesting book called Unmanned Systems of World War I and II by H.R. Everett. This book includes a great deal of info on the WW2 remotely controlled OSS surface torpedo Hacker-Craft (disguised as fishing boats).

The book has so much detailed info, photos and diagrams. What amazes me are the WW1 remotely controlled CMBs and all the different types of remotely controlled torpedoes from WW1 including one that would home in on ship's search lights.

The vehicles and aircraft are also fascinating!

The book is published my MIT, and as you would expect, is an extremely well researched technical read. While it says WW1 in the title, the work began during the end of the 19th century. Makes today's Unmanned Systems just simple (and somewhat boring) updates since all of the real interesting stuff was done at least 100 years ago, or during WW2.

I def recommend this for you techno geeks out there. Will take you down a ton of new rabbit holes!

Cheers,
Andy


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Andy Small

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Andy Small  Posted on: Aug 8, 2016 - 10:42am
The OSS project with the disguised Radio Controlled Hacker-Craft boats was called Project Campbell. An RCA camera was installed on the bow of the craft and the boat was controlled from a B-17 control ship. An ingenious detonation setup and sequence would break the back of the target vessel and was demonstrated in August 1944 against the SS San Pablo. Interesting that online histories of the SS San Pablo (United Fruit Company) don't mention the OSS test, only the earlier torpedoing by U-161. The photo in the book clearly shows the old tramp steamer blowing up.

A single 85 foot Air Rescue Boat was involved in an earlier test and may be the connection to the radio controlled PT Boat concept.




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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: Aug 9, 2016 - 6:22am
Andy;
Where were these tests conducted?
Take care
TED


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Andy Small

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Andy Small  Posted on: Aug 9, 2016 - 7:33am
HI Ted,

From Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II by H.R. Everett, the initial tests for Project Campbell were done in the Hampton Roads area.

The test against the SS San Pablo was conducted in the Gulf of Mexico. Everett mentions that there is evidence that this project continued under code name Javaman, which Jerry mentioned in his posting. Javaman supposedly was going to be used during Operation Olympic.

The original US Navy project using Hacker-Craft was started well before the war. Later, the Navy then turned everything over to the OSS in May 1944 most probably due to the conclusion that surface torpedoes were too exposed and slow to be used against effective defensive measures. The Army also had a parallel project, but doesn't mention where it began, although the JR craft did operate off of Fort Story, VA.

Andy


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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: Aug 9, 2016 - 1:43pm
Fascinating stuff. Thanks, guys.

Will

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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: Aug 9, 2016 - 6:30pm
Andy and Jerry;
This is interesting stuff, as it is still current research today.
Take care
TED


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Chip Marshall

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Oct 18, 2016 - 7:44am
Some additional information regarding OSS Maritime Operations in the CBI theater:
In the mid-1980s I met this gentleman that was a customer of my sister's business. He had served as an enlisted man (Bosun) with an OSS Maritime Unit operating under the cover of a rescue boat squadron. The boats were the 63' Miami's with two Packard engines. The dispensary had been modified to contain extended range fuel tanks. And after they had been in theater about six months each of the boats was equipped with PT boat radar. The boat's weapons were the same two twin 50s but the crew had a pretty generous armory on board to use depending on the mission and circumstances. When they did carry a rubber boat it was placed on the roof of the dispensary. Crew was two officers and five enlisted with the enlisted a little heavy in rank and experience. They got their replacement Packards from the nearby Brit MTB squadron. The boats had C numbers, nothing more. Missions were usually one boat unless a larger party had to be infiltrated or extracted. He did mention that until they made some modifications to the cooler intakes they had to keep the speed of the boat down so the cooler intakes would be in the water.

I present all this as an oral history type interview. Most of the information seems legit but I have not had the chance to check it out.

One last OSS related item: I was contacted by an Army officer serving in Afghanistan about his deceased father's service in the OSS Maritime Units in the Med. Seems he was the skipper of an all Navy crew on a US Army 85' rescue boat in the Leghorn area of Italy. Apparently their missions used US Navy PT boats for cover when needed.

Chip Marshall
Silver Spring, Maryland USA

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Chip Marshall

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Oct 18, 2016 - 8:28am
With reference to remote controlled PT boats I offer up the following information from BuShips records at the National Archives:
PT601-612 were reclassified RCT1-12. Only RCT-1 (the former PT-601) was converted to remote control at Norfolk NSY. And, with the exception of PT-606, the other boats were transferred to Norway. RCT-1 was used as a command and control boat to test new tactics and equipment with postwar MTBron1. She was then sent to Panama City and sold off in 1962.

Another group of surplus PT boats (by now stripped of weapons and electronics) was set aside by BuShips to act as remote control range boats for post war Test Charlie, the third atomic bomb test scheduled for Bikini Atoll. The reason for PT boats was their speed (they would be able to retrieve samples quicker. The boats were to be painted all yellow and operated from an overhead aircraft. One of the first decisions made was to release the BuShips hold on the Higgins PTs as they were deemed not suitable for the needs at hand. And, with the cancellation of Test Charlie, the Elco PTs were released and eventually sold off. The incomplete list I have of the PTs slated for Test Charlie is 456,486,487,505,557,559,614,615, and 618.

Some of the remote control research and development was applied to the four new aluminum PT boats. The fire control system for the torpedoes needed to steer the boat to properly line up on the target. Once everyone found out that the torpedoes intended for the new PT boats were slower than the launching boat, torpedoes, a fire control system, and remote steering all went out the window.

PT-811 was the only aluminum boat that had her torpedo launching racks fitted (this was confirmed by paperwork at the Archives from Norfolk NSY). To date, no pictures or testing records.

Chip Marshall
Silver Spring, Maryland USA

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