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Topic: "PT King" website -- new material |
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Drew Cook
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Feb 19, 2013 - 4:06pm
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For those PT boat veterans/historians/authors/buffs/modelers who haven't surfed Gene Kirkland's outstanding "PT King" PT boat website lately (like myself) -- take some time and visit.
Gene has recently added some excellent new photos and text to his great site.
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Will Day
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Feb 19, 2013 - 9:42pm
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It really is one of the better sites. . .
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Jeff D
Moderator
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Posted on: Feb 20, 2013 - 8:51am
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Wow, great update thanks Drew for pointing it out. There is lots of new content and high resolution images. Thank you very much Gene. It's like PT porn for me.
I noticed a great image of an extended depth charge rack: http://www.pt-king.gdinc.com/images/div23.jpg We were discussing them a while back. The image is on the Miscellaneous Views page on this page: http://pt-king.gdinc.com/index2.html
I also noticed this entry from the 109's deck log:
18-22 Dec. (1942) Installed radar set.
Does this mean that the original mast was long gone when she was sunk? I'm also under the impression that the 109 was slated to have radar installed (a different type?) around the time she was sunk. Is there any fact to that?
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Drew Cook
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Feb 20, 2013 - 4:29pm
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Jeff,
I think the radar installed on the 109 was the multiple-antenna type shown in Gene's photos of PT 28, except that the antennas were placed on the foredeck of the 109 instead of on the charthouse like on the 28.
The experiment wasn't successful, and the primitive radar setup was soon removed from the 109.
I don't believe this brief radar experiment would have had any effect on the 109's A-frame mast (if it was even there) one way or the other, as the radar antenna were on the foredeck.
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TED WALTHER
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Feb 20, 2013 - 5:39pm
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Drew and Jeff;
I read this set was removed off a PBY (damaged wreck) based at Halavo. It was tested and was the tests were "Inconclusive at best" mainly unsat, because of the bow rising at speed and movement when in sea state. I believe this is written in Bryant Larson's PT 109 bio.
As for the later Radar(SO-A, probably as I think the SCR-517, "Beehive", was already deemed sub standard), the only thing I have seen or heard was in the movie PT 109. But it might have been so, since 109 at the time was the only RON 2 80' Elco left.
Take care,
TED
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Drew Cook
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Feb 21, 2013 - 3:21pm
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Jeff and Ted,
The only reference to any JFK-era radar for the 109 I ever remember was a line in the movie "PT 109," when Cliff Roberston as JFK remarks (to the actor playing Maguire?) "I hear we get radar next month," during the last patrol of August 1-2 '43.
I'd have to go back through all the books and articles about the JFK-era 109 to see if a possible or upcoming radar for the boat was ever mentioned. If it was, I don't remember it.
As far as a mast, I've often expressed the opinion I don't think the A-frame -- or any other -- mast was present on the boat under JFK, and probably hadn't been for some time before he took command.
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