PT Boat Forum


Moderated by: Dick, Jeff D

The PT Boat Forum ª PT Boats of WWII ª  PT Boats - General

Page: 1 of 1

« Back to Topic Index Page 145 | Replies: 9

 Author  Topic: Ron 15, which PT boat?
Carolanne

New Member
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jan 19, 2012 - 10:54am
My dad was in Ron 15, and he served on the PT Boat Tender, the Portunas. He was also on a PT boat and talked about losing two PT boats in his Ron from mines. I would like to find out what PT boat he was on. I found a photo, and on the back it said the skipper was Mr. Harragut, but I wonder if it was not Farragut. I see that name mentioned, but have not found a skipper by the name of Harragut. I see that you can send for paper work to a place in Maryland and some have told me about another place. For the information that I am looking for, who should I send to? We just lost my dad a year ago. I wish I would have asked more questions. My dad was a gunner's mate and his name was Frank Cybulski. he said they patrolled between Africa and Italy.


Carolanne

Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered | IP Logged

Frank J Andruss Sr

TOP BOSS
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank J Andruss Sr   Send Email To Frank J Andruss Sr Posted on: Jan 19, 2012 - 8:17pm
Check with headquarters which has the phone number at the bottom of this page. If he is in their data base, most times it will give the boat numbers he was on.


Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am | IP Logged

29navy

TOP BOSS
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of 29navy  Posted on: Jan 20, 2012 - 5:54am
Here is what I've found from the Muster Reports:

Frank Cybulski Seaman 2nd Class Gunners’ Mate Striker

Sept 19, 1944 onboard the USS Shamrock Bay (CVE-84) for transport to COMNAVNAW MTB for duty.

Nov 2, 1944, arrived at MTB RON 29 from Receiving Station NOB Norfolk, VA.

Nov 11, 1944, Transferred to Receiving Station, Boston (RON 29 was being decommissioned 23 November)

May 10, 1945, Arrive at COMMTB 7th Fleet

July 10, 1945 Transferred to and arrived on the USS PORTUNUS

January 2, 1945 promotion to Gunner’s mate 3rd Class (temporary)

January 9, 1946 transferred to Receiving stations San Francisco for discharge

He is not listed as being PT qualified on the muster reports until he arrives at MTB 7th Fleet. So is it possible he went to MTBSTC between Nov 1944 and May 1945 and became PT qualified?

I also do not see him listed in the RON 15 muster reports and RON 15 was decommissioned on October 17, 1944

Charlie

Total Posts: 598 | Joined: Dec 28, 2006 - 3:02pm | IP Logged

newsnerd99

New Member
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jan 20, 2012 - 6:45pm
I don't have a comprehensive list of Ron 15 PT crews but his name does not show up on any of the lists I have.

Hey Charlie...any chance I could trade you something for a copy of those Ron 15 muster reports?



Grandson of James J Stanton
RON 15 PT 209 and RON 23 PT 243
Check out: www.pistolpackinmama.net

Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered | IP Logged

Carolanne

New Member
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jan 20, 2012 - 7:04pm
I think the information about Ron 15 must be incorrect. I have reviewed a lot of photos and information that has been posted and cannot connect this with my dad in anyway. I am going to check Ron 29, and try a few phone calls. Thanks for the help, I didn't know where to begin.



Carolanne

Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered | IP Logged

newsnerd99

New Member
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jan 21, 2012 - 11:59am
Ron 15 could still be correct - he could have served in the squadron but not on a boat. The base force was a significant number of men and there were several places to be assigned - from Bizerte in Tunisia all the way to the French Riviera (and everywhere in between) by the Fall of 1944. These men were never assigned to a boat but didn't mean they never rode on them or weren't an important part of the missions.

The two anecdotes you mention ring true to Ron 15 lore - the patrol areas mentioned are correct for early squadron operations. As for the two PT boats lost to mines - that occurred in Summer 1944 during the invasion of Southern France. From "At Close Quarters":

"On the evening of August 16, Lt. (jg.) Wesley J. H. Gallagher, USNR, in PT 202, and Lt. Robert A. Dearth, USNR, in PT 218, set out from the Baie de Briande to find a tanker reported to be in the Gulf of Frejus, 15 miles to the northeast. At 2050, when the boats were 21/2 miles off Pte. St. Aygulf, at the western side of the Gulf of Frejus, the bow lookout on PT 202 reported a floating boxlike object 150 yards dead ahead. Gallagher immediately altered course to the right to avoid it. During its turn the boat ran over a mine which blew the stern right off, knocked several men overboard, and catapulted a column of water, smoke, and debris hundreds of feet in the air.

Francis A. Kowalski, TM2c, USNR; Francis J. Cavanaugh, RM3c, USNR; Dante Alfieri, QM2c, USNR, and Nicholas J. Massiello, TM2c, USNR, unhesitatingly went over the side to the aid of the men in the water. Dearth brought the 218 in and picked up all of the men from the water. He was proceeding toward the 202 to take off the rest of the crew when his boat also ran over a mine which blew off her stern. Gallagher had started to try to signal to other ships in the bay to get help. As soon as the 218 was mined he stopped, considering it unsafe for any other ships to come into the area.

The boat captains inspected their boats to make sure that no personnel remained below, and then got their crews into liferafts. They tied the liferafts together and held a muster. Only one man was missing. One officer and five enlisted men were injured. By amazing luck the engineer on watch in the engineroom of each boat survived, although on one boat the force of the blast tossed a bank of storage batteries right out of the engineroom and onto the forecastle.

Both boats were obviously sinking, so the boat captains turned their rafts shorewards. An air raid was then in progress, and fragments from antiaircraft projectiles were falling all about the rafts. The crews made shore three-quarters of an hour after midnight, choosing as a landing place a barren, rocky point that they thought was the least likely terrain for landmines. Gallagher picked his way through barbed wire entanglements and found an abandoned, partially destroyed cottage not far from the beach. The crews stayed in the cottage for the night, since they had no way of knowing whether they were in friendly or enemy territory. Soon after daylight the boat captains found an advanced U.S. Army unit half a mile away. The wounded were transferred by ambulance to a first-aid station and a nearby Navy beachmaster found transportation for the rest of the crews back to the Baie de Briande."

Grandson of James J Stanton
RON 15 PT 209 and RON 23 PT 243
Check out: www.pistolpackinmama.net

Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered | IP Logged

29navy

TOP BOSS
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of 29navy  Posted on: Jan 21, 2012 - 1:09pm
But if he was on the Shamrock Bay in Sept (in the US) for transport over to the MED, then he probably wasn't over there in August. Just my guess.

Charlie

Total Posts: 598 | Joined: Dec 28, 2006 - 3:02pm | IP Logged

Carolanne

New Member
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jan 21, 2012 - 2:41pm
I have some papers and some crew photos that might help. Someone may recognize some of the crew members. I will try to get them posted.. He also did a video a couple years ago for a local veteran's group, and I will try to get a copy and review that for more clues.

I know in photos on his uniform he has the PT Boat patch, but that might not mean anything.


Carolanne

Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered | IP Logged

29navy

TOP BOSS
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of 29navy  Posted on: Jan 21, 2012 - 6:02pm
Looky what I found:

http://www.historydocumented.com/2009/06/20/pt-boat-war/

watch at the 00:12 mark.

This has me intrigued. I'll have to go to the archives to check out the MTBSTC muster reports.

Possible scenario:

Looks like he joined end of October 1943. Went to boot camp, gunners mate school then Melville. Possibly went to ORAN after he was transported there by the Shamrock Bay. Was an extra body there at COM MTB NAW. Rode with some Ron 15 boats (or whoever) when they needed someone (as you notice, RON 15 is not on his service record and not on their muster reports so wasn't officially assigned). Then, since they didn't need any more PT boaters, they sent him back to the states. Then he was assigned to 7th Fleet, then to the Portunus.


Total Posts: 598 | Joined: Dec 28, 2006 - 3:02pm | IP Logged

newsnerd99

New Member
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jan 21, 2012 - 8:12pm
Based on the paperwork, that'd be my guess. Nice find Charlie!

Grandson of James J Stanton
RON 15 PT 209 and RON 23 PT 243
Check out: www.pistolpackinmama.net

Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered | IP Logged


Lock Topic

 

Forum Legend

New Member

Reply to topic

More than 25 posts | Full Member

Reply to topic with quoted message

More than 50 posts | Advanced Member

Edit Message

More than 150 posts | MASTER

View profile

More than 300 posts | TOP BOSS

Email member