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ť Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
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ť Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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ť Topic: RON 12 Boats 190/193/194
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=1200

Looking for anyone who might have served with Lt. Torbert (Torby) Macdonald in RON 12 aboard PT 190, 193 or 194. question-:]

Posted By: Bob Bateman | Posted on: Jan 31, 2009 - 3:01pm
Total Posts: 3 | Joined: Jan 31, 2009 - 1:52pm

Bob, Sam Goddess was a radioman on the 195 boat. He is the squadron historian and may have any information that you want.
The last I know, he lives in Bethlehem, Pa.
You possibly can get his address and phone number on the people search on the Internet. In case you cannot get him, I may be able to get that information. I used to e-mail him, but we haven't contacted each other in quite some time. I believe I have a list of everyone who served on the PT 195 which, Sam gave me. I'm sure he has the names and rates/ranks of all the crews of all the boats in ron 12.
I was a replacement on the 195, but only from May,1945, until it was burned at Samar in the fall of 1945.

Russ Pullano

Posted By: Russell Pullano | Posted on: Jan 31, 2009 - 5:44pm
Total Posts: 131 | Joined: Oct 23, 2006 - 7:31am

Correction.... Sam was on the 194 boat not the 195.

Posted By: Russell Pullano | Posted on: Jan 31, 2009 - 5:46pm
Total Posts: 131 | Joined: Oct 23, 2006 - 7:31am

I was not on the Torbert MacDonald's boats, but I would like to add a little information regarding Torbert. It may be of interest to others on this message board. I believe that Torbert was Jack Kennedy's roommate at Harvard. He was a U. S, representative from Mass. He died at a relatively young age in 1976.

Posted By: QM | Posted on: Jan 31, 2009 - 5:50pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Bob, I guess I must thave been asleep. I didn't notice that you are a new member to this board. WELCOME ABOARD !
You will find that the people who post on this board are the nicest, cooperative, and knowledeable source of PT history that can be found anywhere. You will read wonderful storie. See many pictures of PT boats. Pictures of bases. Restored PT boats. Correspondence from Modellers, second and third generations, exhibitors. There is nowhere where you can get more people totally dedicated to the preservation of history of the mosquito fleet.
You are in for a very memorable ocassion ENJOY !!
Russ

Posted By: Russell Pullano | Posted on: Jan 31, 2009 - 6:35pm
Total Posts: 131 | Joined: Oct 23, 2006 - 7:31am

Russ and QM;
Thanks for your reply. Yes, Torby was JFK's room-mate (3 years at Harvard) , or as the story began...Jack Kennedy was Torby Macdonald's room-mate (Torby was the Captain of the Harvard football team a member of the Harvard Track Team and the Harvard Baseball Team. He gave up a Rhodes Scholarship to have a go at playing for the Yankees.) It was through JFK's brother Joe that they heard about the PT Boat Program.
Torby was my mother's younger brother.

Posted By: Bob Bateman | Posted on: Feb 1, 2009 - 3:01am
Total Posts: 3 | Joined: Jan 31, 2009 - 1:52pm

Bob

Would you contact me off site please at mosquitofleet@comcast.net
Thanks........

Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Feb 1, 2009 - 4:33am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am

Bob;
Contact me also. use the little envelope at the top of this message. I can also give you Sam's e-mail. I also have a RON 12 commissioning program, listing all RON 12 officers at the Commissioning ceromony, that Sam and Bill Costello gave everyone at my Special Boat Unit when we envited a group of RON 12 members out on our MKV SOC.
Take care and WELCOME ABOARD!
TED

Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Feb 1, 2009 - 6:22am
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am

Ted

You just reminded me that I have the original Ron 12 Commissioning Booklet from the Yacht Club. I have it in my Exhibit along with a few pictures. I will dig it out (among the many Museum Containers) and try to see what I can find............

Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Feb 1, 2009 - 8:15am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am

Dear Sir,

I recently heard about my Great Uncle Duane D. Sheldon who was a Pharmacist Mate 2nd class on the PT boats in the Pacific. I tried a google search, and came up with a "Gunner Sheldon" on the PT 193. I have generated a letter for the Textual Reference Branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, but I'm not sure how much information they will give. I don't have a social security for him, as he died in the early 70's. Could you please help me locate which PT boat Phm 2 served on? Again, his name was Duane D. Sheldon from Battle Creek, Michigan. Thank you for your help!

Sincerely,

Paul E. Sheldon
Hm3/USNR

Posted By: Doc | Posted on: Nov 21, 2009 - 5:53pm
Total Posts: 1 | Joined: Jun 15, 2023 - 12:14pm

Dear Sir,

I recently heard about my Great Uncle Duane D. Sheldon who was a Pharmacist Mate 2nd class on the PT boats in the Pacific. I tried a google search, and came up with a "Gunner Sheldon" on the PT 193. I have generated a letter for the Textual Reference Branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, but I'm not sure how much information they will give. I don't have a social security for him, as he died in the early 70's. Could you please help me locate which PT boat Phm 2 served on? Again, his name was Duane D. Sheldon from Battle Creek, Michigan. Thank you for your help!

Sincerely,

Paul E. Sheldon
Hm3/USNR

Posted By: Doc | Posted on: Nov 21, 2009 - 5:55pm
Total Posts: 1 | Joined: Jun 15, 2023 - 12:14pm

The only Sheldon that I find on my roster is William B. Sheldon, GM 1/c who was on PT 193. Pharmacist Mate would be an unusual rate for a member of a boat crew.

Posted By: QM | Posted on: Nov 21, 2009 - 6:40pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Thank you for follwoing up, I kind of figured that was an small assignment for one Corpsman, but things were different then. I spoke with my living Uncle Duane concerning this, and the only additional info. he could give was that he did indeed fight the Japanese in the Pacific theatre, and when he was being shipped back home he through his kit and gear into the ocean. He was originally studying to be a doctor when he went in, and after his service walked away from everything medical.

Do you know how I could find out where he served, whether it be with the Marines, or on board a larger ship? Thank you.

Paul

Posted By: Doc | Posted on: Nov 22, 2009 - 4:56am
Total Posts: 1 | Joined: Jun 15, 2023 - 12:14pm

As a relative you may be able to obtain copies of your great uncle's service records. My dealings with the Navy Department regarding records have been only by US Mail. Will someone with computer search knowledge please post procedures for requesting records via computer?

Somewhere I have some information listing all of the original squadron personnel. I will find the list and check names and rates. We may have had corpsmen on the squadron base force. They may have been assigned to a base. We had corpsmen at the base sickbays. Base force personnel sometimes went on patrol with the boats, but there probably no records of their patrols.

Posted By: QM | Posted on: Nov 22, 2009 - 5:51am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Ron 12 had three PhM's on its original roster. None were named Sheldon.

Posted By: QM | Posted on: Nov 22, 2009 - 7:48am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Check out this sight on the internet to see what it takes to get service info on line.
http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/index.html

Good Luck
Gary

Posted By: Gary Paulsen | Posted on: Nov 22, 2009 - 8:56am
Total Posts: 249 | Joined: Feb 14, 2009 - 6:31am

For what it's worth, the tender Hilo had a Pharmasist's Mate aboard in early 1943.

Allan

Posted By: Allan | Posted on: Nov 22, 2009 - 8:17pm
Total Posts: 161 | Joined: Sep 18, 2007 - 7:07pm

Gentlemen,

Thank you for all of the leg work, and research that you've done for me in recent days. This site is so EXCITING for history buffs like myself who feast on the knowledge and stories that you share. It's terribly disturbing that more effort has not been put forth into saving these stories before the "greatest generation" passes away.

I hope the small boat squadrons are taking a cue from what you are doing here, while they still have the ability to remember.

Getting to my original point: I have heard from the niece of Duane Dee Sheldon (my aunt) who told me that he indeed was in the Navy, and the Pacific from 1942 - 1946. He was a Corpsman, but that's all I know. Scuttlebut had it that he served on or with PT boats, but I can't seem to find that information out. I have recently contacted NARA per your information (thank you) and I'm waiting to hear from them. Do you know of any deck logs or muster logs for that period of time, so I can verify that he did indeed serve with PT boats, whether on a tender or not.

I got the impression that he saw lots of action, because upon leaving the Navy he gave up his dream of being a doctor. He'd seen enough blood and action to not want to do it as a career. I did not get the impression that he served with the Marines, so who knows what he did.

Thanks again for your help, and may everyone have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.

Posted By: Doc | Posted on: Nov 25, 2009 - 5:29am
Total Posts: 1 | Joined: Jun 15, 2023 - 12:14pm

Doc

Remember that Navy Corspman did in fact serve on every Beach front in the Pacific and on all Navy Ships. The Navy Corspman did serve with the Marines when hitting the Beaches. If I were a betting man, I would guess he was attached to a Squadron working as Base Force or attached to a working Tender, or did both. His service would be more valuable with the Base Forces working his rate there , then being attached as a regular crewmen on a PT BOAT.

Do you have his discharge papers or DD-214. I have many of them which list service schools attended, and several that list PT BOAT SQUADRONS and what TENDERS they served on. Most did not list what PT BOAT they were attached to. ...........

Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Nov 25, 2009 - 5:54am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am

PT Boats, Inc has an extensive list of PT boaters. Email ptboats@ptboats.org to request information. In looking for an email link on this site I noticed there is a link to navy records at the bottom of the home page.

It is mostly a guess on my part, but I suspect that your uncle may have been involved in some of the marine landings which were much more traumatic than most of our PT operations.

Posted By: QM | Posted on: Nov 25, 2009 - 8:50am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Frank,

I am actually trying to get that information right now. Sadly, I didn't know my Great Uncle, and I've been told that I was to be named Duane too. That means I would have been the 3rd generation Duane Sheldon to serve in the Navy, but my parents changed my name to Paul, and so broke the tradition. I still served in the Navy, as a Corpsman, but didn't get to carry on the name.

Anyway, I am now waiting on the NARA to get the records to me, hopefully they survive. Were injuries severe and common enough of PT Boats to change someone's mind from medical school. I remember from my time frame that I did a lot of sick call, suturing, and emergency stuff, especially with the Marines. I did not get to take part in Desert Storm, though I volunteered, and this latest venture happend 10 years after I was out. At least I know the joy of serving, and the brotherhood of Marines, too!

Posted By: Doc | Posted on: Nov 25, 2009 - 8:55am
Total Posts: 1 | Joined: Jun 15, 2023 - 12:14pm