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Topic: ATTN Earl, Russ, C.J. Bob, QM Dd disper at Tulagi orSearlesvillei |
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Shaneo2
Advanced Member
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Posted on: Jan 7, 2009 - 10:39pm
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Hummmm,
One a closer look I think I can make out the Quonset huts, pretty much right where I would imagine- interesting.
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Nathaniel Smith
MASTER
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 Posted on: Jan 8, 2009 - 2:31pm
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This is a picture of Bau Island from Earl Richmond's collection. It is based on a newspaper clipping he had that he let me scan. This goes along with Ted's posted picture of the same drydocks. The caption to the newspaper images reads:
Bau Island, Rendova, PT Base 1943. Ron 5! When that Ron is mentioned many of you start remembering your boat and places like Rendova, Vella Lavella, Treasury, Tulagi-Russel Is, and Bougainville. If you were Ron 5 how about helping out at PT Boat headquarters? Just drop us a line containing the number of your boat, a list of your old shipmates’ name, ranks or rates, addresses, college attended and any other information you may have, so we can complete the boat crew list for history.
natsmith |
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Shaneo2
Advanced Member
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Posted on: Jan 8, 2009 - 7:28pm
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Here is some oral history from Rutgers:
http://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/Interviews/indexes/branchindex_navy_pto.html
go down the link to Samuel Frankel
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TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Jan 9, 2009 - 6:10am
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Shane;
the aerial picture showing both Lumbari and Bau is the only one that has a date on the back and it reads Aug. 1943, but while I have some doubt that is was taken in then, simply because one has to ask, where are all of the boats? Elements of RON 10, RON 5, and RON 6 should be all over this photo as only RON 9 had moved to Lever Harbor, everybody else was at Lumbari. Motor Torpedo Base 11 was opened in January 1944 as a main repair and overhaul base. Commodore Moran also moved his whole staff up from Tulagi. Judging from the presence of three drydocks, I'd say it's a good bet this photo was taken after Jan 1944.
Take care,
TED
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Shaneo2
Advanced Member
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Posted on: Jan 9, 2009 - 7:41pm
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Ted,
I would have to agree late 1943/early 1944, would seem more likely. The shot though I do not think would show alot of boats, as it really does not cover that much water area and is aimed (if one followed it across) towards Munda.
That little Island in the background is as shown on Google Earth is part of Pau Island. The Southern bit of that inlet I snorkeled around alot looking for moorings, we were told of one.
That mooring block still had the chain connected laying out on the bottom..it was in very good condition and on its side. I have a hunch that it may have been partialy buried in the sand before the tsunami.
I found no others- the water was very clear and we could see the bottom all across. The mooring we found I was told by locals (whom it was passed down by elders), was for Barges and not PT's- so I was out of luck.
In the small inlet Nathanial shows on Bau Is., I think the white area is fill, as when one compares the curves of 1943/44 to the straight lines on Google Earth- I am inclined to think that....plus it would explain the erosion of the bank along that bits of shoreline I saw this October.
There is another bit of chain we followed heading out to deeper water. I did not have scuba at the time, so we never got to the end, as it was too deep.
I think some of the stuff we found was exposed from the buried seabed due to the 2007 Tsunami, including the wood bits of the PT 164, over near Lambari Island.
The quality of the wood was very good and partialy buried, most bits having very little marine growth, and every hole we saw had a screw in it- some of the very exposed (screws) were in poor condition - some in very good condition.
There was very little debris, as I told Frank it was blown to bits by ex-pats (so the story goes), looking for metal off it post WW-2- some wiring we saw was stripped also.
The locals said there was more in the 1990's, and reckon the Tsunami exposed some bits- and destroyed/moved others- Those US jeeps and such I took pictures of in 1981 are no longer there, or just bits- that picture is on this site a few pages back.
There are the remains of the road on Bau- now mainly a trail. Further down the Island we saw the remains of the garbage dump- old rusty bits and several bottles all around. The ground was very swampy there and I was not going to die looking for garbage.
All of Rendova Harbor in my opinion should be made into a historic site, before it is deveolped. It has "barely" changed since I was there 27 years ago.
The is almost "no trash" from very few families there, and probably the most trash is left over from the US troops such as barrels, bottles etc. What is under the sand and buried ashore would be an incredible find...
I mentioned earlier there is a WW-2 Higgins type landing barge, sunk in shallow water off Bau we were shown- good snorkeling- just be careful as the Salt Water Crocs are all over I was told -at night and early morning.
I will be returning in the near future and hope to uncover more clues...
Regards
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CJ Willis
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Jan 10, 2009 - 8:38am
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Ted: We were in drydock there in February 1944. The photo showing the docks looks like the location when we were there. We were in the west (right hand ) dock. One half of our crew scraped, sanded and repainted the bottom of 242. The other half of the crew was on R & R in New Zealand. If my memory serves me right I believe the quonset hut that you can just see the corner - up from the dock where the two boats are tied was the chow hall. When we were not in drydock we tied up to bouys out in the lagoon.
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TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Jan 10, 2009 - 5:15pm
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C.J.
If that is your boat in the right hand Drydock, then you have nailed the time frame, but from what I have here, I can't even tell if it is a Higgins or a ELCO. This is a xerox, the real photo is at PTHQ.
Take care,
TED
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CJ Willis
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Jan 10, 2009 - 5:45pm
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Ted: I can't tell if it is a Higgins or Elco either. Chances of it being our boat would be pretty slim. We were only in drydock at that time for 3 maybe 4 days but that right hand dock is the one we were in.
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TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Jan 10, 2009 - 8:13pm
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Dick;
Can you possibly enlarge these? Looking at Earls picture I think, and this is a visual stretch here, but it appears the two boats at the Dock are Higgins PT's, the boat in the left drydock might be an ELCO 80' with a tent rigged on the bow, the boat in the middle drydock I don't know but it looks smaller with possibly a tent on the bow also, the boat in the left might be C.J.'s PT 242, the drydock is certainly larger. the two single boats at the piers: the boat with the LCVP underway behind it might be an ELCO, it also appears to be a crane or something on the pier, the other boat looks like another Higgins. I think you will loose the resolution of the pictures, but could you try and work your magic on this and the ones I have in the photobucket account.
Thanks a million,
TED
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TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Jan 10, 2009 - 9:47pm
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Gentleman;
Check out the photos now on photo bucket, I did some zooming and stuff.
TED
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