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 Author  Topic: PT 103 in the Solomons
Roy Forbes

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Roy Forbes  Posted on: Jul 24, 2015 - 2:48pm
Does anyone have a photo of PT 103 after it arrived in the Solomons? I have several of her state side but have never seen any taken later on and don't know if any exist.

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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: Jul 25, 2015 - 7:41am
Roy;
Here you go. I have not seen many photos of PT 103 later that 1942, maybe PT HQ has some.

jVMHi.jpg
LT jg Joe Roberts PT 103

jVXXO.jpg
LT jg Joe Roberts PT 103 and LT George Cookman & LT Henry Montgomery's PT 107

jVlGk.jpg
LT jg Dick Kersey's PT 105

jVI2I.jpg
LT George Cookman and LT Henry Montgomery's PT 107

jVTOn.jpg
ENS. Sid Hix's "Lil Duck" PT 108

jVs5A.jpg
PT 105 bow late 1943(Rendova - Torokina)

jVxdo.jpg
PT 104 RON 18 1945


Take care,
TED




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Roy Forbes

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Roy Forbes  Posted on: Jul 25, 2015 - 9:39am
Thanks Ted, those were perfect !


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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, 2015 - 9:52pm
Hi guys,
Those photos of the boats refueling were at Panama. At this time they were overall 5d (Measure 1). At least that's what I was told. Love the late war 104 photo Ted. adding that to my collection.
Dave

David Waples

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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: Jul 27, 2015 - 7:25am
Dave;
Actually, this refueling was during their infamous roundtrip excursion from Panama to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador(1625.4 nautical miles or 1871.8 statute miles Round trip). Shortly after this they shipped out for Tulagi.
Take care,
TED


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MN Gal

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of MN Gal   Send Email To MN Gal Posted on: Sep 13, 2015 - 5:46am
Hello All,
I sent this link to Jack Duncan in an email because he was the Torpedo Man on the PT 103 in the Solomon's. I have attached his response. He also had a really nice photo of a box Kodak brownie camera with the email but that photo did not show up with my copy and paste of his email, so you can imagine one as you read.
Greetings to all,
Julie

From Jack Duncan:

Thanks, Julie, and you can pass this on to your forum buddies if you'd like,


Modern-day folks with cameras everywhere have a hard time realizing that in our era and place, cameras were contraband, big Kodak boxes, film would deteriorate in the climate and processing was crude or illegal at best. Now, try fitting one of those in your already-stuffed sea bag. Then there are those big rolls of film that after exposure could not be taken to the corner drug store and sent on for processing. All outgoing mail being censored, you couldn't very well send exposed film back home ----- so ----

Vintage Box Camera Kodak No 2A Brownie Film Camera with Lens



We have very few photos until much later in the war than Bob's dad and I experienced in 1943 and 1944, Most of the photos you found were taken from tenders or other escorting ships and possibly might have been taken as Official Navy Photos. Guessing about that, too.


I believe those pix might have been when elements of Ron 5 were sent to the Galapagos Islands while in Panama. The Ron lost PT109 to PT114 when those six boats were detached and sent to Tulagi as part of Ron 2. They were replaced with PT62, 63, 64, 65 and PT318 and PT319 from Ron 4 to bring Ron 5 back up to 12 boats for transit to the South Pacific somewhat later. While I served with that original crew, I came along later as a replacement. Never met nor learned the name of the guy I replaced and neither did he leave me a "turn-over" log.


More expensive cameras and even 35mm were available at prices far beyond the affordability of common folks. Our family camera was this Kodak 2a Brownie. As were most family cameras.



We didn't even have computers or telephones that call home across the globe and take photos, too, it might surprise many. It was food, ammo and gas we needed and sometimes water, so superfluous stuff like historic photos seldom happened.


Now, Navy Air had Photographer's Mates so the Airedales might capture their daring-dos, but not us swab-jockeys. And how can you tell if there's a fighter pilot in the room? He'll tell you.


So, when artists like Roy and other modelers want details, we few left have to delve into recesses of what's left of our brains to dredge up items long-forgotten. Someone asked me years ago where we stored our cranks to crank our tubes outboard for firing. Even that took a few concentrating minutes -- then! oh, yeah, there were clamps to hold them atop the dayroom canopy. Another question was concerning something about the linkage on the butterfly valves that closed our mufflers. No idea! The cranks were my job as Torpedoman, but the mufflers were just there to simply climb aboard after swimming -- and DAMN IT, be careful not to bend the linkage -- that from the Motor Macs. And sometimes, especially I remember at Treasury, sea snakes liked to hide between the mufflers and the transom, so someone would have to throw you a line to climb back aboard.


Don't remember doing that much swimming at Rendova, but at Treasury to visit another boat across the inlet arm, just dive in. Rendova we were all lined up, usually nose in on Bau Island unless anchored out or alongside the dock at the Base. Tulagi had saltwater crocodiles, so that's why we stayed out of the water when tied up "back up the river," which was just an arm of the bay.


And, now, with my 90 year old brain hurting from digging around for ancient details, what was it I had for breakfast??? Never mind, gotta run fix lunch for M5 who has allowed me to do the cooking ever since we hitched our wagons together almost 1/2 century ago. She liked my cooking; I liked her legs.


Regards and hugs,

Jack

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jack,

I thought you might like to see some of these photos posted of PT 103

Julie

http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?fid=102&cid=101&tid=3868&pg=2&sc=20&x=0



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Roy Forbes

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Roy Forbes  Posted on: Sep 17, 2015 - 8:46pm
Hi Julie,
That's funny you sent this link to Jack. The reason I started the post was I was building a PT 103 for Jack's Birthday party last month and my wife was doing her magic making Jack one of her special cards that was adorned with these photos of his boat. It was quite a hit with the crowd !!


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rmmelvin

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Sep 19, 2015 - 10:53am
I noticed that in a number of the photos the boats had their torpedo tubes run out to the "Fire" position, even though they clearly were not in a combat situation. Was that something that was standardly done, crank them out and leave them, to save time when the sh*t did hit the fan?

Bob

To understand the present, and to hope to comprehend the future, you have to first understand the past. Without history, there is no context upon which to base any understanding.

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Dick

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Dick   Send Email To Dick Posted on: Jun 7, 2019 - 6:44am

Ted . . . .

The post has been updated per your request.

Dick . . .




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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: Jun 9, 2019 - 8:57am
Thanks Dick!
Take care,
TED


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