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Topic: Engine room communications |
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PeterTareBuilder
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Apr 19, 2011 - 6:55pm
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Ahoy there mates.
We need a 1/32 scale styrene Higgins boat so we can go crazy super detailing it with these wonderful images and drawings.
Cheers from Peter
"Give me a faster PT boat for I'd like to get out of harm's way!" |
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Drew Cook
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Apr 20, 2011 - 1:29pm
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This is apropos of nothing other than the observation of a non-PT boat enthusiast on the engine room communications system of WWII PTs:
While watching last May's TCM broadcast of "PT 109" with my youngest brother on our brother-in-law's huge-screen TV, my brother was quite amused by the motor macs having to change the gears when prompted by the bridge's annunciators.
He laughed quite spontaneously and exclaimed "They had to throw the levers like trained monkeys!"
I would never have thought of it that way, but, he got a kick out it...
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Jerry Gilmartin |
TOP BOSS
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 Posted on: Apr 20, 2011 - 7:23pm
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Shipmates,
Here is a drawing of the Higgins PT Boat Engine Order Telegraph. Notice it shows the 3 words, AHEAD, STOP, and ASTERN. These 3 words are repeated on the Engineroom Gage Board. That is what the arrows point to when they are moved by the telegraph. I was not aware that the Elco Telegraph has the letters A, N and B. That must mean AHEAD, NEUTRAL, and BACK I am just guessing on that one. I hope this helps. Jerry PT658 Portland
Jerry Gilmartin |
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Jeff D
Moderator
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Posted on: Apr 21, 2011 - 12:40am
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According to Dick and Al's Elco drawings, the indicators on the bridge throttle quadrant spelled it out too Jerry, although slightly different; "Ahead, Neutral, Astern".
Shortening these to "A, N, A" in the engine room confused the monkeys so they had to go with "B". But they thought that meant "Banana" and it pissed them off when they didn't get one so they were replaced by humans.
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Drew Cook
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Jun 30, 2011 - 4:03pm
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I wanted to share this rare and seldom-seen photo of JFK in PT 109's cockpit since there was a discussion of the 80' Elco boat's throttle quadrant in general and the speed control lever in particular.
The photo is from the book LIFE in Camelot - The Kennedy Years, edited by Philip B. Kunhardt, Jr. (Little, Brown and Company, 1988), and I've never seen it published anywhere else --even the curators at the JFK Library & Museum don't have a copy of it in their JFK photos from the South Pacific. It was obviously taken at the same time as the other two famous "JFK in the cockpit of PT 109" photos.
Drew
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Will Day
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Posted on: Jun 30, 2011 - 11:21pm
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Thanks for the pic, Drew.... I don't think I've ever seen it before either.
Will |
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Drew Cook
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Jul 1, 2011 - 12:51pm
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You're welcome, Will. I've always liked that photo, but have never seen it published anywhere but that book.
I think its kind of neat to see the 26 year-old JFK's hands actually on the wheel and throttles of the 109...
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Frank J Andruss Sr
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Posted on: Jul 1, 2011 - 1:37pm
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Great Shot Drew, I wish it was available for reprinting because it would really go great with my planned Kennedy Exhibit...........
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Drew Cook
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Jul 3, 2011 - 1:34pm
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Frank,
The JFK Museum & Library folks speculate that a developed print of the photo may have been sent to an unknown family member or friend, who provided it uncredited.
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