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 Author  Topic: PT 164 Rendova Harbor
Shaneo2

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Shaneo2  Posted on: Apr 17, 2008 - 10:45pm
Hello thank you for your service. I am looking for information on PT 164, which is supposed to have sunk in Rendova Harbor.

When I enter the Lat./Long on the incident it shows to be on Rendova Island, any vets out there with a better Lat/Long or relationship of where in the Harbor.

Regards


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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: Apr 17, 2008 - 11:57pm
There is a photo of the destroyed PT 164 in Rendova Harbor on page 121 of "At Close Quarters - PT Boats in the United States Navy," the official history of the PT boats by Captain Robert J. Bulkley, Jr.

Dick Keresey, the skipper of PT 105 who was nearby when PT 164 was hit by a bomb during the Japanese air raid on Rendova Harbor on August 1, 1943, describes watching the bow of the 164 being blown sky-high in his book "PT 105."


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Shaneo2

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Shaneo2  Posted on: Apr 18, 2008 - 6:51pm
Thank you for the info on the PT 164...

I will follow up with alittle more information of my interest. I have the Lat/Long of two PT's that were foundered/sunk etc. in Rendova Harbor.

One PT 117 was beached and I guess destroyed (?) on Lumbari Island

Lat 08 24' S Long 157 19' E

I know that one is long gone, but the PT 164 is supposed to have sunk, this I was wondering if any vets here (who were there) would be to help give a better general idea of where in the harbor it went down ?

Its Lat/Long shows it sinking inland "on" Rendova Island according to Google Earth.

Regards


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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: Apr 19, 2008 - 12:38pm
PT 117 was destroyed during the same Japanese air raid on Rendova on August 1, 1943 as the 164.

A photo of PT 117, "beached, with a gaping hole" in her starboard bow and her starboard forward torpedo thrust almost all the way out of the tube, is at the top of page 121 of "At Close Quarters - PT Boats in the United States Navy" -- right above the photo of the destroyed PT 164 I've already mentioned in my previous post.

The hulks of those boats may have been sunk off Lumbari Island or in Rendova Harbor somewhere (?), but I'm sure everything salvagable would have been stripped from them to use as replacement or spare parts for other PT boats.

Someone else on this site may have further information on the final disposition of PTs 117 & 164...maybe even someone who was there, and knows for sure!


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Gary Szot

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Gary Szot   Send Email To Gary Szot Posted on: Apr 19, 2008 - 1:14pm



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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: Apr 19, 2008 - 4:51pm
In those areas, the boats that were sunk or beached pretty much stayed there where they were. Little has changed over the last 65 years or so in these areas. I am pretty sure if someone had the time and the money to tour these areas. they would find many items that were deep sixed or pushed into the jungle. Unless these areas were built up for tourisim of some sort, the have not changed. Little is out there in the way of pictures taken recently. I wrote to several people in the Solomon area and no one has any pictures of the old places, although several say they still exist. I can not imagine a place like Base 17, which was the largest PT BOAT BASE ever constructed is still not there in some form or another.

Large barges such as the FEMU unis simply did not get shipped home that I know of. I have a picture of several hundred packard engines that were just scrapped, and I have spoken to several men who were in charge of the stripping of the boats that said many items were simply bulldozed into the jungle. 20MM Cannons, 40MM Cannons sometimes were dropped right into the water. One must also remember that the flow of material to these War Zones was tough to stop, and I am pretty sure with most thinking about going home many items for the boats were simply left to rot.

Unless we can find someone that has toured these areas or knows the whereabouts of the old Bases, we will not know what's out there. I think it would be really exciting to go to one of these places and still see the old docks, or buildings, shacks, parts, and places that we all have read about. I wish I had the time and money to take the trip, although the heat would probably knock me out. I really think this part of PT BOAT history has been pretty much untapped. Imagine what it must be like to ply the waters in the Slot, or pull into one of these forward bases. Oh well, they say it doesn't cost anything to dream..............


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Shaneo2

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Shaneo2  Posted on: Apr 19, 2008 - 7:00pm
Frank,

Thank you for your reply. I have been to Rendova Harbor in 1981. I was 15 at the time and did not know the history as well as now.

I toured with some locals they showed me only some stuff on the mainland
(Rendova), and out on some small motos in the harbor.

I saw several Jeeps (engines/tires removed), a couple 6x6 beds, and Am-track body, a body of a DUKW ...I also was shown were some Arty placements were.

The natives found old fuses (charges ?), lying in stream beds, put a lighter to it and it would instantly burn.

I also saw at least one wrecked barge and found lots of morter rounds in jungle and in clear laggon water.

One of the motos had cement foundations for building and a well...

I never made it to Lambari or Bau (?? spelling). I heard of dive shops out of Munda looking for the 164, but no luck.

The Lat/Long is of no help either.

I am considering a visit there this Fall if my job permiits it and if someone has an idea of where PT boat base areas are - let me know and I will try to get over and take photos.

To make it easier bring up Rendova Harbor on Google Earth and give *Lat Long speccifics*, as that will make my task easier.

Even in 1981 it was very hard to get throught he bush that had grown back.

I will try to post some photos, but may take awhile for me to figure out the process here.


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Shaneo2

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Shaneo2  Posted on: Apr 19, 2008 - 7:05pm
I forgot to mention in my previous post. In the picture of the PT 164 it looks as if that is taken on one of the small motos (Islands), as notice how you can almost see to the other side....whereas the PT 117 is/was supposed to have beached on Lambari- which is a more substancial moto.

My native guide seemed to suggest that the PT boats also used the small motos in the harbor.


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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: Apr 20, 2008 - 4:48am
How can we find out the exact positions of those Bases. I am sure after 65 years, most PT BOAT VETERANS have no clue where they were, but only the areas, such as Rendova, Tulagi. Samar, ect. Would the Navy department have those coordinates of the old areas of operations. I, like most folks on this board have crude maps showing where the bases were in the Pacific, but nothing in pin point form that I know of. I would love to have photos of these areas should you make the trip, but I personally have no clue as to exact locations.


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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: Apr 20, 2008 - 7:51am
I just went to Google earth, and pulgged in the coordinates, The Island that the coordinates land(the puple dot) on is Lumbari Island and if you go the short distance to the water that is the spot. This small indentation on the island is where the PTHQ was located. The island next to it with the two buildings at the left hand side of the first cove is Bau Island and yes those are original PT boat base buildings. Rendova Island is the big island to the south of them. So the coordinates are somewhat correct, it is the right Island. In a letter Bob Kelly wrote me that Lumbari was kidney shaped. Also the boats were moored of the island in the harbor area between Lumbari and Bau nested three boats to an anchor bouy. Hank Brantingham also years ago, drew for me a small map on a Garfield stickey. The main reason they left Lumbari was because it was just a island of mud when the rains came, plus Bau was more protected with its own cove. I have xerox's of the aerial photos PTHQ has in there collection of this area.
Take care,
TED


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