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CJ Willis
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Posted on: Jul 23, 2012 - 8:18am
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Frank In races, we could hold our own with other Higgins boats but you know Elco's could beat us just about all time especially if they had a good bottom and good engines. In a race they seemed to plane out better. No one could keep up with those 77 footers though. They could really go and beat anyone even the new Elco 80's.
C. J. Willis |
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PeterTareBuilder
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Posted on: Jul 23, 2012 - 9:16am
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Quote:
Frank In races, we could hold our own with other Higgins boats but you know Elco's could beat us just about all time especially if they had a good bottom and good engines. In a race they seemed to plane out better. No one could keep up with those 77 footers though. They could really go and beat anyone even the new Elco 80's.
C. J. Willis
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I can see it now! Frank with a 1/72 scale Revell PT kit is heading over to Stan's to ask stand to build Frank a Higgins, a 77' Elco and put all three of them on a base in a racing diorama.
Cheers
"Give me a faster PT boat for I'd like to get out of harm's way!" |
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Jerry Gilmartin |
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Posted on: Jul 23, 2012 - 11:38am
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One of our vets from PT238 Maury Hooper told me a story of the big race held on July 4th 1945 where four squadrons of PT Boats Ron 16, Ron 20 and 2 others, (one of which had a 77 foot Elco) all based in Mindoro had a race over a course of 10 miles out at sea. There were 2 boats marking the starting gate and two boats marking the finish. Maury's boat the 238 had to "steal" new sparl plugs and magnetos to tune the boat up. They also permanently defeated the overspeed trip. The whole crew off watch went up onto the bow and laid down, and all the guns were made as aerodynamic as possible. They were up to the last mile about 3 boatlengths ahead of the 77 foot Elco, when the Elco jumped a wave and here engines ttripped on overspeed. The PT238 won the race by 5 boatlengths. The Quartermasters timesd the race and they had covered 10 miles in 8 minutes and the engines were turning at 3200 rpm (max rpms were supposedly 3000. 10 miles in 8 minutes is 75 mph. Maury is the fastest PT Boater! Jerry PT658
Jerry Gilmartin |
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Will Day
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Posted on: Jul 23, 2012 - 1:36pm
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Great stories, guys!!
Will |
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Frank J Andruss Sr
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Posted on: Jul 23, 2012 - 2:25pm
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Not a bad idea about the three boats, although with all the projects that STAN has to do for me, that would be way down the line. At the moment, he is building me a paper PT-109, and working on the WWII PT BOAT SCOOTER.
C.J., I had heard from many of the Veterans about how fast those 77 Footers were, and that 80 Footer could plane out pretty quickly, but I don't think any of them could beat Elco's first 70 Footers, which had to be pretty darn quick...................
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Jerry Gilmartin |
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Posted on: Jul 23, 2012 - 3:41pm
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Frank,
Just to be accurate, you should make sure on the race diorama to display the 78 foot HIGGINS boat in the FRONT of those slow Elco boats! Ha Ha! Jerry
Jerry Gilmartin |
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EARL RICHMOND
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Posted on: Jul 23, 2012 - 3:49pm
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not surrtr if anuome coulf tifre yhr bullnose.i think if anyone was gtrr he was ASKED TO DOM IT.IT WAS DONE MOSTLU WHRN LEAVING T HE COVE TO GO ON PSTROL.ESPECIALLY FTER A STORM WHEN ALL THE DEBRIS EAAS IN THE WATER,
THE JAPANESE GAD A THING ABOOPUR TAKING LOGS AND CUTTING A POINT ON ONE END THEEN PLACING THE OTHEER WEBD DIWN ON THE BOTT OPM.THIS WAS DOBE FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPALLING THE BOATS,.I DION,T RTRMEMBER GHEARING OF ANY OF THEM BEING IMMPALLED THOUGH
earl richmond |
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Frank J Andruss Sr
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Posted on: Jul 23, 2012 - 4:00pm
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Jerry
Just for you, I might have that HIGGINS out in front, but only by a inch, Ha, Ha. Earl thanks for your take on the riding up front on the boats and the Japanese tricks to try and snag one of the boats. Boy, those Japs sure must have hated those PT BOATS................
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Bob
MASTER
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Posted on: Jul 24, 2012 - 6:13pm
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I agree with Jerry.
Bob |
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