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 Author  Topic: Elco 70 FT. Color Photo
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: Mar 2, 2011 - 1:39pm
Ted I knew about the non Mufflers in the first boats, but I know that Elco had contracts with several outside vendors, including Van Bleck Company, which made the majority of the muflers for the boats. Installing them was an Elco Job, but again we are finding out that it is possible that some work might have been done in other locations. Still, it makes no sense to me that the boats would have the mufflers installed so far away, when they certainly had qualified personel to do the job right on site. In speaking with my friend, Andy Shannahan, who worked at Electro Dynamic, he never heard of anyone other than Elco installing the mufflers, and was almost certain Elco did all of the painting on the earlier boats. He will do some research for me in the coming days and try and find out more. The biggest problem is no one is alive anymore to ask, and most of the companies that provided parts for Elco are long gone from the area.


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alross2

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of alross2   Send Email To alross2 Posted on: Mar 2, 2011 - 2:45pm
Having PTs worked on at Fyfe's Shipyard at Glenwood Landing, NY was apparently a common practice. AT CLOSE QUARTERS mentions that PT 71, 72, & 199 were overhauled there prior to being shipped to England. It also indicates that the 70' CPB boats that eventually became PT 368-371 were sent to Fyfe's for installation of ELCO fittings. This photo, cropped from a photo taken durng RON 18's commissioning (March 1943), shows a second series 77' ELCO in a cradle at the yard.


In his history of RON 37, Leo Brown writes:

In reference to her being painted gray, it was accordance with the contract between ELCO and the U.S. Government, which specified the gray.
It was only after the boats were completed and delivered that the determination as to which theatre of operations they would serve in was made. If they were destined for Europe, the gray paint was fine. But if slated for the Pacific, after acceptance by the Navy, they would be sent to a boat yard for painting in the green camouflage then being used in the Pacific island campaigns. The latter was the case for RON 37 boats. As they were accepted they were sent to a boatyard out on Long Island for the additional work. If memory serves me right, it was at the same yard that the bow 20m/m was installed and possibly the radar and additional radio gear.

Al


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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: Mar 2, 2011 - 3:53pm
Al
Thanks so much for the information as well as the photo. Still, why the need to send these boats to FYFE'S when Elco had everything it needed to complete these jobs right on site. They had more than one PAINT SHOP on site, not to mention 19 buildings which housed everything they needed to complete the boats. I hate to pound this into the ground, but it just makes no sence to me to drop a boat into the basin, than take it to another Ship yard, take it out of the water, dry it out, paint it or overhaul it when the Elco Naval Division had the resources to do it right on site. Orders for the boats were certainly known in advance, so why the need to repaint them. I guess this will remain a mystery unless we happen to find someone who really understands the process at Elco and the need to ship out unfinished work.


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Will Day

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Will Day   Send Email To Will Day Posted on: Mar 2, 2011 - 4:27pm
I guess one thing to remember is that during the "early days" there was a lot that was not too well organized (a lot of OTJ training). I would imagine that many things were done ad-hoc and at various facilities until set standards were put in place. Look at how disorganized some of the early crew training was...

Will

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alross2

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of alross2   Send Email To alross2 Posted on: Mar 2, 2011 - 4:43pm
Farming jobs out to other yards has been a common practice for years and continues to this day. For instance, in 2003, Hodgdon Brothers down in Boothbay built SCHEHERAZADE, a large luxury sailing yacht. French & Webb, up here in Belfast, was subcontracted to build the cockpit because they were esteemed for their joinery.

Because few civilian boats were built during the war, boat yards needed work and the war effort required lots of production. It made sense to have one yard concentrate on construction and have other, smaller yards do work that might otherwise slow down production at the primary yard.

Al Ross


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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: Mar 2, 2011 - 5:32pm
Now this makes sense. If the reasons were as Al mentioned to speed things up and farm out some of the work to smaller boat yards, than we have a BINGO. I would guess that many smaller yards were all trying to obtain a piece of those Government contracts and this would be a good way for everyone to get a little bit of the Pie.


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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: Mar 3, 2011 - 9:17am
BINGO!!!!
Speed things up and spread the wealth brother.

And as Al said; not all RON assignments were set in stone and some where assigned after shakedown. If you remember RON 29 boats were originally in Measure 31/5P during their shakedown. RON 37 was commissioned on 5 June 1944, so they were probably also slated to head to England, if things went south over there. However, in a color photo taken near Bayonne sometime in the weeks after D-Day, clearly shows the boat in what looks like Measure 31/5P.
TED



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