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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic:
Fireman Duties?
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My late uncle served aboard PT 369 as a Fireman 1st Class.I would like
to know what the duties of a fireman were.
Thanks,
Mark Kiene
Posted By: Mark Kiene | Posted on: Oct 13, 2006 - 7:30pm
Total Posts: 11 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 4:04pm
Mark:
I believe the Firemen duties were part of the engineering or construction groups. Things like lighting off Boilers, operating pumps, motors and turbines. They could record the readings of guages, maintain and clean engineering machinery and compartments: stand security and fire watches. Firemen, if I remeber were E-1 in paygrade, which were ratings of a Seamen, when in recruit training. I hope this helps. I think I am right about the duties ( my memory sometimes goes South )
Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Oct 14, 2006 - 12:48am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am
Mark: I served as a Fireman 1 class aboard the PT 612 and my duties were working with the packard engines on board. There were three engineers aboard, one MoMM 1class, One MoMM 2class and myself.
We operated the engines, maintained them and as operators we shifted the gears as called for from the cockpit by whoever was on the helm. We also were on hand when we were refeuling and all had battle stations when not in the engine room.
Hope this helps you
Posted By: Eldon L Olds | Posted on: Dec 7, 2006 - 12:19pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Mark: What was your uncle's name? I have a PT-369 crew photo taken in 1944.
Will
Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Dec 7, 2006 - 5:16pm
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm
Eldon,
Tell us what is was like to shift the gears. I understand it was some sort of a nerve wracking ordeal. I remember the description of the first docking procedure in "PT 105" by Kearsey and it seemed quite complicated to learn.
Marty
Marty Johnson
2nd Generation
PT 168 RON 10
In Memory of LT(JG) Martin A. Johnson
Posted By: Marty Johnson | Posted on: Dec 7, 2006 - 8:32pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
This is for Marty Johnson in regards to shifting gears on the Boats. Under normal circumstances it was not to bad of a job, but, let something go wrong and is was a little ticklish. Normaly you got the info as to what engine to put into what gear via the annuncerators on the engine room panel. It could go something like this, port engine forward, starboard engine forward, then center forward. Port and starboard engines were shifted by pushing the levers forward and the center was pulled back. no sweat. we sat on a seat on top of the starboard engine and the two outer engines were set in the boat backwards and went to the screws through a vee box and the center was set in a forward position and had a straight shaft to the screw. Hope this is clear to this point because now we are going to havce trouble. We have run in to close to something, like an aircraft carrier, which happened to us in the Brooklyn Navy Yards while decommishing. This is were the fun begins, you have to get all three engines in reverse at the same time. You pull the port and starboard levers back and at the same time you push the center lever forward with you left foot. I went through that manuver twice while on the 612, it was scarry because you had no idea what was happening topside so all you could do was shift the gears and hang on because you knew you were going to hit something.
Hope this is of some help. Eloon.
Posted By: Eldon L Olds | Posted on: Dec 12, 2006 - 6:23pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Wonderful description, Eldon. I can't imagine what it was like being down in the engine room during action and not knowing what was going on topside,but having to respond quickly to orders from above. Tell us about the "announcerator"....was that what you called it? How could you even hear the orders with what I imagine was a tremendous amount of noise from the engines?
Thanks again,
Marty
Marty Johnson
2nd Generation
PT 168 RON 10
In Memory of LT(JG) Martin A. Johnson
Posted By: Marty Johnson | Posted on: Dec 12, 2006 - 9:50pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Marty, must appologize for a couple of errors in my reply to you.
I misspelled the word annunciators, they were dials on the engine panel board, one for each engines and were marked for different actions, really easy to understand. No chance for error if you responded with the correct action. The second error was the procedure for shifting gears, after 60 plus years and a late night hour I had the shifting going in the wrong direction. To go forward you pushed the center lever forward and the two outboard levers were pulled back. Normally the signals came down for one engine at a time, but, sometimes things are not normal and things happen different, such as a emergency all reverse. This where the fun get going. You would pull back the center engine with your hands and at the same time push forward the two outboard engines with your feet. we also controlled the mufflers from the engine room, nothing more than a butterfly in the exhaust piping. they were only to be used in idleing and if the helm increased the speed without telling us to open the mufflers we were to open them without the orders.
Look out for mistakes because I do make lot of them and do not catch all of them. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Eldon.
Posted By: Eldon L Olds | Posted on: Dec 14, 2006 - 5:15pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Eldon, actually I misread the word and thought it said announciators. In my mind I pictured a hose with a funnel at both ends for shouting back and forth. Thanks for the clarification.
Wow, Good thing I wasn't handling the gears as I'm one that constantly has to think which is right and which is left.
Marty
Marty Johnson
2nd Generation
PT 168 RON 10
In Memory of LT(JG) Martin A. Johnson
Posted By: Marty Johnson | Posted on: Dec 14, 2006 - 8:33pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Dear Mr Olds,
I would like to thank you for your reply as to what a firemans
duties were aboard a PT Boat. I now understand more of what my
uncle did in the engine room aboard PT 369.
Thanks Again,
Mark Kiene
Posted By: Mark Kiene | Posted on: Dec 15, 2006 - 9:10pm
Total Posts: 11 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 4:04pm