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Topic: PT'S IN THE ALEUTIANS |
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kendall strehle
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Posted on: Mar 13, 2008 - 1:52pm
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hello
it been awhile but reading about the cold conditions i remember what my dad told me that the ropes on deck were so huge from the ice. but i have to ask does anyone have pictures or something with the crash boats? as my dad was on one. sorry but i gotta keep looking about those crash boats and maybe they were with the seaplanes? anyone?
thanks
kendall p. strehle
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Rm2c Ron 16 PT 221
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Posted on: Mar 14, 2008 - 6:29am
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Jerry, I remember my Dad talking about the Panama Canal. Do you have any reference or info on PT 221.
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Paul Bacon
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Posted on: May 2, 2008 - 5:29pm
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Here is a quick write up of what I remember of my dad's stories from serving on PT 221.
My dad died in 1989, but I remember some stories he told when I was a kid. I have always been a WWII amateur historian, but haven’t done all that much research to find out specific information about my dad. I just remember some of his stories. (not really sure how accurate my memory is,
so don’t be surprised if a get some details wrong.)
anyway, my dad was Richard (Dick) Bacon. He was going to Syracuse University and playing football and track when the war broke out. He enlisted with a buddy, (can’t remember his name), but they served together on PT 221. Dad told stories of his experience taking his boat through the Panama canal and going up the West coast, stopping in San Francisco and Seattle on his way to the Aleutians.
I remember his story of building a jetty and while operating a dump truck dumping rocks off the end of the jetty, it collapsed and the truck went into the drink as he put it. He just barely lived through the experience. Not sure exactly where this took place, just a kid’s memories of a father’s stories.
When I grew up in Seattle, my dad used to point out a bar in downtown Seattle and told us that he had been thrown through the plate glass windows next to the entrance. On his way to the Aleutians he stopped at the bar and it was a navy bar, but on the way back he stopped in again and it was an army bar, when he walked in they grabbed him and threw him through the front windows. His boat was on the way to the Philippines at that time and luckily he wasn’t hurt too bad from the window episode.
In the Philippines, he told of living up remote rivers during the day and coming out at night to hunt Jap barges. He also told a story of a American destroyer that was badly damaged and abandoned but hadn’t sunk, so they were told to sink it. He had to go onboard to be sure nobody was left.
Another story he told was of a P-38 that chased a zero into a cloud and everyone was shooting at the Zero and didn’t expect the P-38 to come out of the cloud first, and they shot the P-38 down by accident. My dad helped drive the boat and manned the twin 50’s in the cockpit. He always
seemed to feel badly about this incident.
My dad didn’t talk about combat too much, and I found out late in his life that his buddy that had enlisted with him from Syracuse, was killed right next to him. He was hit by a 5 in shell and killed instantly. From the same incident my dad suffered shrapnel wounds down one whole side of his
body and died with pieces still in him. My dad was certainly traumatized by this and didn’t ever give much detail to this story.
My dad suffered bouts of Malaria all his life, and had reoccurring funguses that cropped up all his life too from being in the jungles of the Philippines. I remember when we were growing up that you couldn’t try to shake my dad awake or you might get punched. You stood across the room and
yelled to wake him.
I have researched enough to know that war is not glamorous, and affected veterans all their lives. I also realize that if not for the sacrifices of these veterans, our world and specifically the US, would not be the pleasant place we are blessed with today. I keep the legacy alive for my two sons and they have a healthy interest and appreciation of the sacrifices that allow us such a great existence today.
I hope my information, sketchy and incomplete as it is, helps to also keep the legacy alive for other PT boat kids and grandkids. Wish I remembered more, and maybe some others will add to my own story. I have no memorabilia that was left to me. My dad didn’t save much. I only have my own memories of his stories.
Paul Bacon (son of Dick Bacon, pt 221) |
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Paul Bacon
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Posted on: May 2, 2008 - 5:34pm
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By the way, my two brothers both went to the Aleutians in the 80's and worked on King Crab boats. Yea, exactly like the show Deadliest Catch. My dad had much sympathy for the conditions they faced. I will ask them if they remember any specific conversations about my Dad's experiences of being up there that they might remember. I know from all their stories that you can't exagerate the conditions. It's nasty up there....
I only remember my dad talking about almost dying when the dump truck he was driving to build a jetty went in the drink.
The pictures are great, and I am sure one of those boats is my dad's PT 221
pb
Paul Bacon (son of Dick Bacon, pt 221) |
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Rm2c Ron 16 PT 221
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Posted on: May 3, 2008 - 7:22pm
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Paul,
I have a picture of your Dad.
Post your Email and I will send it to you.
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David Buck |
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 Posted on: May 4, 2008 - 3:10am
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Hi, Frank if you can get hold of the History Channels program "The Bloody Aleutians " it has some very sharp B/W shots of the Higgens Boats under power in the harbour. About 6 differant boats are in the shot. Good hunting.
D.buck |
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Frank J Andruss Sr
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Posted on: May 4, 2008 - 3:43am
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Thank You David, I will check it out when I have time.
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Paul Bacon
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Posted on: May 4, 2008 - 11:37am
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Just a quick posting. My email address is bacon@hp.com or pbacon3@yahoo.com. Any pictures you have will be a delight and a treat to my whole family. Greg sent me a crew picture, and I am sure you have seen it as well. My dad is dead center in the last row. He was 6'3, so not surprising they put him in back....
thanks in advance for any pictures you might have.
sincerely,
Paul Bacon
Santa Cruz CA
Paul Bacon (son of Dick Bacon, pt 221) |
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Rm2c Ron 16 PT 221
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Posted on: Jul 23, 2008 - 1:00pm
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Just a quick obsevation.
Ron 13 boats included PT73 - 84. I noticed that PT5 was in the picture by the airplane. Does this mean PT5 went with Ron 13 and 16 to the Aleutians?
Just curious since my Dad was in Ron 16.
Mike Crawford (Son of Rm2c Jack Crawford)
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Will Day
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Posted on: Jul 23, 2008 - 4:27pm
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No. PT-5 was not an operational boat.
Will |
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