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The PT Boat Forum ª PT Boats of WWII ª  PT Boats - General

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 Author  Topic: Warhead supports for Mk XIII torpedoes?
ducati650

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of ducati650   Send Email To ducati650 Posted on: Jan 26, 2008 - 7:27pm
In looking at the photos of PT 169 in Johnson's book, I saw something I could not ID under both warheads in the bow photo. They looked like supports of some kind but I have never heard of them. While looking for clues i found a photo from Wayne Traxel in Al's book page 213 that points out the unusual warhead supports.

Does anybody know anything about these? The "things" on the 169 sure look like the supports in Wayne's photo.

Thanks,
Ed


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Wayne Traxel

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Wayne Traxel   Send Email To Wayne Traxel Posted on: Jan 27, 2008 - 8:25am
Well, I'll be darned, have had that photo for years and never noticed the structure. I'm not sure what it is either, my guess its a stop or some kind of guide. There is an excellent photo of this structure on Page 67 in the Johnson book. The same picture is in Connlley's PT Boats In Action page 33 which is a little lighter and shows more detail. The same photo appears in Chun's second book, page 110 and shows even more detail. It appears in the Chun book that the structure was padded where it comes in contact with the torpedo. Last year I received a photo of PT-174 from Jerry Gilmartin and his better January 1944, photo shows that 174 had them as well as 169 during this time period. Later pictures of 174 show that the structures were removed.
Not much help as to what the structure actually is but at least there's a good photo of its appearence. A Torpedoman may have the answer.

Wayne Traxel

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ducati650

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of ducati650   Send Email To ducati650 Posted on: Jan 27, 2008 - 9:16am
Thanks Wayne. I just saw another photo in At Close Quarters, part 2 page 36, that shows it really well.

I'm going to model the 169 boat and am gathering data. These will be a nice, unusual, feature. Now, if I just knew what color she was in the Jan '44 photos in johnson, 106/107.

Any insights anybody has would be appeciated.

Ed


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Frank J Andruss Sr

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank J Andruss Sr   Send Email To Frank J Andruss Sr Posted on: Jan 27, 2008 - 10:58am
In one of my Maintanence Books, it shows this as a Torpedo Stabilizer for the Mk-13 Torpedo. The Head of the Torpedo which contained the Warhead and charge, needed to be a bit more stable when crashing thru the waves, so they came up with this Torpedo support, which kept the torpedo from rocking in the rack, and would also help in the launching or roll off of the torpedo by keeping it more level.....


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Wayne Traxel

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Wayne Traxel   Send Email To Wayne Traxel Posted on: Jan 27, 2008 - 11:57am
Thanks Frank,

I to need to make 4 of them as well for my RC PT-174 circa January 1944. Its always nice to know what an item is and its function when you make them.

Any chance that manual show a drawing of that Torpedo Stabilizer?


Wayne Traxel

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ducati650

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of ducati650   Send Email To ducati650 Posted on: Jan 27, 2008 - 5:14pm
In looking at the photos of the stabilizer I realize that in all but Wayne's photo in Al's book, the racks shown looks like a prototype with long or entended lower rails. The Mk1 mount didn't have these.
In Wayne's photo the rack is a Mk1.
I will guess that initially there were concerns that the warhead end needed support but there concerns were unfounded and they were discontinued.
Another guess may be that the supports were there not to support the Mk XIII torpedoes but to support the longer torpedoes where the warhead would be much further from the rack. It seems to be a myth that the longer torpedoes could not be rolled. One photo of the169 shows a long torpedo in a roll-off rack and the torpedo section of Al's book near the photo on page 213, talks about long torpedoes carried in the Mk1 rack. Maybe the supports were not needed once there were enough Mk13 fish for the boats that there was no need to carry long torpedoes.
Any thoughts?
Ed

Well, so much for the last idea. I just saw a photo in Chun of a med boat in Bastia with a load of long torpedoes in Mk1 racks and there are no supports that I can see. I guess they found out they didn't need them afterall.


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Will Day

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jan 28, 2008 - 7:07am
Part of the inconsistency in the various photos may simply be due to the fact that various "fixes" for different problems (real or imagined) were tried out on an ad-hoc basis throughout the war by various units both Stateside and Out In The Area. Armament mixes are a great case in point.

Will

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