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 Author  Topic: Would boats fly their flag on night patrol?
David Waples

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Waples  Posted on: Feb 13, 2017 - 5:57am
I have a question for you all. I'm wondering if the crews would fly the flag on night patrol? I certainly see it during the day but don't have any references for evening operations.
Dave

David Waples

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CJ Willis

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of CJ Willis  Posted on: Feb 13, 2017 - 7:32am
David: We never took our flag down day or night. It was up until the wind whipped the stripes down to about 6 inches long from the blue field then we would replace the flag. I brought home one of these flags from 242. It's in the museum in Boston.

C. J. Willis

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Drew Cook

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Drew Cook  Posted on: Feb 13, 2017 - 2:00pm
C.J.,

Did you fly the flag from the flagstaff on the stern, or the mast behind the cockpit?


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CJ Willis

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of CJ Willis  Posted on: Feb 13, 2017 - 4:51pm
We flew it from the radar mast just under the ball..

C. J. Willis

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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: Feb 13, 2017 - 7:01pm
CJ,
That's exactly what I needed to know. Thanks so much.
Dave

David Waples

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StorkClub

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of StorkClub  Posted on: Feb 17, 2017 - 2:58pm
Any chance you recall what size the flag was? Did you fly 5x9 foot ensigns?

In memory of my grandfather,
Russell Joseph Klein
RM3c, USNR
Ron 15 and Ron 36
PT 527

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Andy Small

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Andy Small  Posted on: Feb 17, 2017 - 3:36pm
Size 11 was used (2.37 x 4.50)


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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: Feb 18, 2017 - 2:03pm
Before he took his "last patrol", I spoke to our Maury Hooper of PT238 Higgins RON 20 and he said they flew their flag from the radio antenna. They flew the largest size flag they could to avoid being mistaken as a Japanese boat by our illustrious fighter pilots. Several "friendly fire" incidents involving PT Boats happened during the war in the Pacific. Here is a photo showing the flag flying from the radio antenna. I don't know what size it was but it was much larger than what could be flown from the radar mast, This is the same reason the crews would paint a large white US Star on the decks so you could see it from the air. This may have only been something that was done on the Higgins boats, since the Elco radar mast was mounted up higher on top of the Day Room canopy and presented less of an obstacle to vision for the skipper at the helm than did the flag mounted on the Higgins Radar mast.
Jerry

PT238 off Palawan 1945


PT254


Possibly PT238 hard to read number


Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

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Will Day

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Will Day   Send Email To Will Day Posted on: Feb 18, 2017 - 3:40pm
Yeah, I have pictures of the 247 boat, among others, with the flag flying at night.

Will

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Drew Cook

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Drew Cook  Posted on: Feb 18, 2017 - 6:19pm
Jerry,

Great shots of 78' Higgins PTs at sea "in the forward area." Thanks for posting them!


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