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 Author  Topic: Esso Tankers & PTs
Patrick Matthews

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Aug 24, 2016 - 4:40pm
My dad worked for Esso, so my sibs and I were pleased to come across the book "Ships of the Esso Fleet in WWII".
A scan of it was on Google, but only in "snippet view"... you could see a few lines of text here and there, not the whole book. I contacted Google with a request to open it up, as it was surely in the public domain now... and they did!

You can look at the book here:
https://books.google.com/books?id=e3JMAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Use "Search in this book" on the left side of the page... put in "PT" or "MTB", and find numerous mentions of PTs being carried as deck cargo.

Patrick Matthews
Matthews Model Marine
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Patrick Matthews

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Aug 24, 2016 - 4:55pm
For example, a brief description on p.200 of unloading 6 PTs... "crane alongside", took a day to discharge cargo and get all 6 PTs afloat.

Sounds like typical practice would be to have a crane barge come out, pick each boat off the deck, and drop it right into the water.

Just imagine how a new crew and officers must have felt- excited for sure- when they were first plopped into their new waters!



Patrick Matthews
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Patrick Matthews

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Aug 24, 2016 - 5:02pm
p. 68:

"On the run from New York to Aruba we carried PT boats on our spar deck. Upon arrival at Aruba we took on a bulk cargo and proceeded to Cristobal where we delivered both. We usually carried four PT boats their officers crews and maintenance force totaling about 120 men. When these boats were taken on at New York they were fully loaded manned supplied and ready for action The only remaining detail was to put fuses in the torpedoes. All in all we carried sixty nine PT boats south to the Canal and three north to New York.

Well Armed Tanker
Most of the Navy men slept in their boats The twelve senior officers were quartered in the hospital and extra rooms and we quartered some of the men between decks. As a general rule eighteen extra motors were part of the cargo. Each PT boat had three motors and was equipped with four torpedoes and four anti aircraft guns. The guns could also be used against submarines."

Patrick Matthews
Matthews Model Marine
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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: Aug 24, 2016 - 8:40pm
Pat;
THANKS!! A few years ago Frank asked about ships that carried PT's transported by ship as deck cargo to Panama then to the war zone. Well, I have been working on that list ever since, I currently have info on 31 squadrons, some is partial, some are complete. I breezed through it and I saw several names that are familiar, especially the F.Q. Barstow, which owns the record of carrying PT Boats, This ship carried 69 PT boats from NY to Panama, and 3 PT's back North.
On Page 325, the Esso Baltimore is carrying 4 boats of RON 29 to Oran.
4 Other RON 29 boats were transported on the SS Pan Maryland, the other ship, I have not discovered yet.
Take care,
TED


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Patrick Matthews

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Aug 25, 2016 - 9:48am
The picture of Esso Baltimore headed for Oran:



Patrick Matthews
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Patrick Matthews

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Aug 25, 2016 - 10:50am
I asked at Steel Navy where the picture might be located. Rick Davis replied:

"Likely the original photo is in the 80-G collection of Misc Official USN photos at NARA in College Park, MD.

It may be possible to find the ship by looking up the ship's name in the card catalog there. But, if the ship was unknown to the photographer (merchant ships would "normally" display a sign that could be flipped out with the ship's name for ID purposes while in the USA waters or radio comm would get the ship's name), it would take a lot of digging otherwise. Having a date helps. It appears that this is a Recon Blimp (ZP) photo or a Patrol aircraft photo, some of those blimp guys took a lot of photos and capture some interesting views. Hence there are 100s if not 1,000s of these photos taken during WWII in 80-G. Also, most convoys with tankers originated from Hampton Roads, VA especially from 1943 onwards heading to North Africa/Med or some units would vector off to UK after the midway point. "


Could be there are more like this...



Patrick Matthews
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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: Aug 25, 2016 - 1:21pm
PAT;
In the photo that you posted I can clearly see Thunderbolts on the stern of the two aft boats(so they are PT 557,558,or 559 and maybe 556 or 560, we need more photos, if this one exists, there is probably 5-12 more).
Your are correct, RON 15, 29, and 22 left from Norfolk to the Med.
But so did RON 5, 6, 7, 10, and 11. They ran down to Norfolk from Brooklyn, and some stayed in the Norfolk area up to 2-3 weeks waiting on ships, to take them to Panama.
The photos of PT 109, 107, 108. and 110 on Joseph Stanton, and photos of PT 111, and 112 on USS Tallulah (AO-50), (probably 113 and 114 are also onboard aft, but I can't find a full photo of the ship) and photos of PT 103 and 105 on a tanker, where all taken at Portsmouth Naval Ship Yard.
Using www.fold3.com I have been able to search the war diaries of 3rd Naval District, Brooklyn Navy Yard, 5th Naval District, Norfolk Naval Base, Naval Weapons Depot Norfolk-St, Julien's Creek, 15th Naval District, Naval Activity Canal Zone-Balboa, I have also looked at many USN tankers,etc. All have entries on individual PT boats.
Thanks again,
TED
P.S. too bad Standard Oil and Pan American Oil didn't have a similar book written, if they did, I could get a lot closer to finishing this list.


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Patrick Matthews

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Aug 25, 2016 - 1:39pm
Maybe they did!
And actually, Esso ("S.O.") IS Standard Oil (of NJ).

But I did some previous work researching Texaco tankers... they had a big fleet, and must have also been employed by Uncle Sam. Their tanker Ohio was lent tot he Brits, who famously used her in Operation Pedestal, a Malta run. I didn't find a book like this, but the Texaco Marine Div. was quite proud of their history... might be something out there, for them and other firms.

But regardless, any other good photos will have been taken like this one, by USN fliers... and these should all be in NARA. Might be worthwhile to comb through what might be hundreds or thousands of these convoy images.

Patrick Matthews
Matthews Model Marine
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Nuge210

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Nuge210   Send Email To Nuge210 Posted on: Aug 25, 2016 - 4:16pm
This is why I love this board.....


Steve

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Nuge210

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Nuge210   Send Email To Nuge210 Posted on: Aug 25, 2016 - 4:16pm
This is why I love this board.....


Steve

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