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 Author  Topic: pt-109's life raft
David Henning

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Henning  Posted on: Jul 26, 2012 - 8:36pm
I am currently working on modifying the old Lindberg 1/64 scale PT-109 to more closely resemble a 103 class boat (while I save up my money for the future Italeri 1/35th PT-109). I have found your message board to be a wealth of information and inspiration. The PT103.com website has been a fantastic source for making scale corrections and David Waples (?) Revell kit reincarnation is superb!
I posted this question on FineScale Modelers forum, only becase I could not locate my username and password for this message board, any info you can provide would be fantastic:

Did PT-109 still carry the std life raft on board after mounting the army 37mm on the foredeck? If so, where is the probably mounting location-on top of the day room or the charthouse? I know most later boats mounted it on the charthouse-but it just doesn't look right. I don't recall seeing any mention of it in Donovan's or Tregeski's(??) books, but it has been many, many moons since I read either.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

David Henning
Redfield, AR


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David Waples

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Waples  Posted on: Jul 26, 2012 - 8:57pm
Hi David,
Thanks for the comments about the Revell kit. Very much appreciated. I'm also looking forward to the Italeri release. There's no discussion about the life raft. Some of the others here may have more information. I do know that JFK had found a small one man dingy. Probably something similar to what is on the deck of PT-107 in this photo. This would have been taken around the same time period as well when the boats moved up to Rendova. When I exchanged messages with Mr. Keresey he told me that they just put it where it was out of the way. He specifically mentioned on top of the day cabin.

Have fun with your build!
Dave



David Waples

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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: Jul 27, 2012 - 9:35am
In all the accounts of the 109's ramming and sinking, I don't believe there is any mention whatsoever of the boat's issued life raft, either of the raft's presence on board or its placement.

As Dave mentioned, per author Robert J. Donovan in "PT 109 - John F. Kennedy in World War II," crewmen Maguire, Mauer, Harris and Kowal "scrounged" a small dingy with an outboard motor at Tulagi, just before moving up to the Russell Islands, keeping it on the stern of the boat under a tarpaulin.

The crew of the 109 apparently had this dingy at their disposal while stationed in the Russells, but there is no mention of it after the boat moved up to Rendova, or in any of the accounts of the ramming/sinking/shipwreck saga.


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David Waples

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Waples  Posted on: Jul 27, 2012 - 5:21pm
He probably traded it to the 107 crew for chocolate. I'm kidding of course.

David Waples

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David Buck

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Buck   Send Email To David Buck Posted on: Jul 28, 2012 - 5:51am
Great photo David it is interesting to note that a number of times on this notice board the question of how the Torpedo tubes were set on Boats that had left there Base.

There has been a number of times that the 109 Boat has been mentioned in this manner.

This photo should assist those with this question in mind as this boat is being taken under tow but her Torpedo tubes are swung out ready in case they need to be fired and yet the Fiftys have their canvas covers on.

Being such an early Photo of such an early Boat this does seem to show what the mind set was toward the fact that there was a need to have the tubes set in their firing position.

D.buck

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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: Jul 28, 2012 - 5:08pm
I would have thought that in the forward area, if the boats weren't just slowly under way or idling around or near their docks or moorings, if they had to travel any distance at all at sea -- they would have cranked their (loaded) tubes out into firing positions.




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Frank J Andruss Sr

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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: Jul 28, 2012 - 8:32pm
As the boats operated at night, I would guess most boats would have already had their torpedo tubes cranked out into the firing position. Cranking them out while running into a juicy target would have wasted precious time, not to mention, in the black of night in the South Pacific, I would think it would be fairly tough to see what you were doing. Like anything else we have discussed on the board, I would think some boats might not have followed the practice of training the tubes outward ahead of time............


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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: Jul 28, 2012 - 10:25pm
This would seem to be one of a series of shots showing Ron 5 boats getting ready to do underway refueling, which begs the question of why the tubes would be swung outboard (also shown on shots of the other boats). All turret weapons appear to be covered.

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: Jul 29, 2012 - 9:08am
Just a guess, but I think the guns could be quickly uncovered and made ready for action in seconds by their gunners.

From the vintage film footage of the process I've seen, it was obviously more involved and time-consuming for the torpedomen to unlock, crank the tubes out, and lock them into firing position, not to mention loading the black powder charges for the impulse chambers on the tubes.

I wouldn't think that training the tubes out for firing was something that would usually have been done at sea.


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Frank J Andruss Sr

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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: Jul 29, 2012 - 10:30am
In talking with several gunners mates, the guns were often covered when not on patrol to simply try and keep the salt water spray out of the gun parts. The salt played havoc with the guns moving parts, and were broken down after each patrol to oil them. Ammo exposed to the salt was not reused according to one GM'1 Wallace McNeish.


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