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 Author  Topic: Wanted: Picture of ELCO 80-ft PT-107
Robert Gosnell

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Robert Gosnell   Send Email To Robert Gosnell Posted on: Dec 2, 2013 - 6:36pm
Years ago, I saw a picture in a book about PTs taken of PT-107 apparently preparing to be towed by a tender or other large ship. The photo was taken from the fantail of the large ship. In the photo, several men are forward of the
cockpit and PT107 shows plainly. One of the men in that photo with a tatoo
on his left upper arm is my father; Leland Gus Gosnell. Dad was the original
gunner's mate on PT107, RON 5. As an aside, I had the privelidge of working on the 658 boat at Swann Island...I commuted from Everett, WA circa 1996.
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the PT boat vets, touring the boat and doing my
small part in restoring her. BTW, when my father made GMC while in the Solomons, he was transferred to Melville as a GM instructor for part of 1944 and was then transferred to RON 13 at Borneo. He was present at the surrender of the Japanese forces on Borneo at Kuching, Sarawak in late 1945.

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  Jerry Gilmartin

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jerry Gilmartin   Send Email To Jerry Gilmartin Posted on: Dec 2, 2013 - 11:23pm
Hi Robert,
I am a current member of the restoration and operating crew of PT658, in Portland OR. I would like to be the first one to extend an official invitation for you to come back for a visit!. I really think you would get a big kick at seeing how far we have come since 1996.
I found the photo you are describing I think. It was in the book called "At Close Quarters" on page 56. It is called "RON5 Boats refueling" Here it is. I hope this is helpful. I look forward to seeing you come visit the PT658 in the near future! Take care, Jerry



Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

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  Jerry Gilmartin

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jerry Gilmartin   Send Email To Jerry Gilmartin Posted on: Dec 2, 2013 - 11:23pm
Hi Robert,
I am a current member of the restoration and operating crew of PT658, in Portland OR. I would like to be the first one to extend an official invitation for you to come back for a visit!. I really think you would get a big kick at seeing how far we have come since 1996.
I found the photo you are describing I think. It was in the book called "At Close Quarters" on page 56. It is called "RON5 Boats refueling" Here it is. I hope this is helpful. I look forward to seeing you come visit the PT658 in the near future! Take care, Jerry



Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

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Jeff D

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jeff D   Send Email To Jeff D Posted on: Dec 3, 2013 - 2:48am
Greetings Robert and welcome. There's some other shots of the 107 on the PT King web site: http://pt-king.gdinc.com/PTsquadronfive.html



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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: Dec 3, 2013 - 5:39am
Robert;
Does the guy with the fender(on the right) look familiar? He has a tatoo on his right forearm.
Take care,
TED



p.s Is that big older guy CDR Henry Farrow RON 5 CO? I just found out after RON 5 he went to new construction and took command of USS ROBERT H. SMITH DD-735 / DM-23
Aug 4 1944 - May 11 1945.

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Jeff D

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jeff D   Send Email To Jeff D Posted on: Dec 3, 2013 - 5:40am
I had this image, from what might be the same series as the image Jerry posted. It's too large to post so here's a link: http://www.pt103.com/images/ptpics/pt107_Bow.jpg



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Robert Gosnell

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Robert Gosnell   Send Email To Robert Gosnell Posted on: Dec 3, 2013 - 12:42pm
Thank You, Jerry. This is not the photo I had seen; but the balding man
in the dingy is my father. Dad had been in USMC 1925 - 1929 and would have been 36 years old in this photo. Crew members used to call him pops or Gus.
I used Picasa 3 to brighten the photo to make a positive ID.

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Robert Gosnell

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Robert Gosnell   Send Email To Robert Gosnell Posted on: Dec 3, 2013 - 1:05pm
Thanks for the photo, Jeff. Yes, the balding man closest to the bow is my father. I used Picasa 3 to brighten the pic for positive ID...he had been in
USMC 1925 - 1929...the tatoo on his left shoulder is the USMC insignia.
When RON 5 left for the Panama Canal Zone via Cuba, CO of PT107
was the actor, Robert Montgomery. Later COs of the 107 boat were
Farrow, Cookman, and Efferingham. Lt. Cookman was KIA on another
boat out of Rendova one night sometime after loss of the 109 boat.

Fly Navy

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Robert Gosnell

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Robert Gosnell   Send Email To Robert Gosnell Posted on: Dec 3, 2013 - 1:16pm
Hi Ted,

Yes, I think that is Henry Farrow; but the guy with the tatoo is not my dad.
The only tatoo he had was of the USMC emblem on his left shoulder. This
appears to be an early photo of the 107...as there is no dingy mounted
foreward of the cockpit. While still based at Tulagi, they went over to
Henderson Field on Gudalcanal and commandeered a 37mm out of a
wrecked P-39 and jury rigged it forward of the dingy...they were being
outgunned by heavily armed Japanese barges...that helped even things.

Fly Navy

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Jeff D

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jeff D   Send Email To Jeff D Posted on: Dec 4, 2013 - 1:54am
Great Robert, I'm glad you found some photos of your Dad. And thanks for sharing some of his history with us.



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