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Topic: Wanted: Picture of ELCO 80-ft PT-107 |
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Robert Gosnell
New Member
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Posted on: Dec 2, 2013 - 6:36pm
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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 |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Dec 2, 2013 - 11:23pm
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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 |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Dec 2, 2013 - 11:23pm
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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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TED WALTHER
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Dec 3, 2013 - 5:39am
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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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Robert Gosnell
New Member
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Posted on: Dec 3, 2013 - 12:42pm
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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
New Member
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Posted on: Dec 3, 2013 - 1:05pm
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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.
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Robert Gosnell
New Member
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Posted on: Dec 3, 2013 - 1:16pm
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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.
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Jeff D
Moderator
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Posted on: Dec 4, 2013 - 1:54am
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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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