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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic:
Request for Information on Fathers PT Boat
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=3410
Hello,
My name is Jeannie McNally and I am the daughter of Jack McNally ( J.F. McNally) who was a Lieutenant JG of a PT Boat back in WW2. Unfortunately he passed away in 1984 and I recently received, through relatives, a photo album with quite a few pictures of his time in the Philippines, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and over near the Majuro Atoll. He spent 4 years in the Navy and according to a newspaper article he headed home ( NY) in May 1945. I really do not know his boat number and if the troop or squad of 61 helps that is the only info I have.
I know he has attended some of the former PT reunions back in the early 80’s. If you wouldn’t mind pointing me in the right direction as to how I could find out some more information that would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much.
Posted By: Jeannie | Posted on: Nov 11, 2013 - 8:23am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Jeannie,
There is a John F McNally listed in the Knights of the Sea book. Sorry no other info there.
Gary
Posted By: Gary Paulsen | Posted on: Nov 11, 2013 - 8:40am
Total Posts: 249 | Joined: Feb 14, 2009 - 6:31am
Gary,
Thank you for trying.
Jeannie
Posted By: Jeannie | Posted on: Nov 11, 2013 - 8:50am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Hi Jennie,
I was wondering if you have asked for his records from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO ?
When I first started, I didn't have much more to go on than you do.
If you haven't already done so, I would start there.
Julie
Posted By: MN Gal | Posted on: Nov 11, 2013 - 12:15pm
Total Posts: 126 | Joined: Jan 4, 2012 - 7:57am
I have a very bad copy of a photo of the 11th graduating Officers class at Melville, which I'm having trouble posting. If anyone has a good photo, I think that Mr. McNally is in the front row.
Steve
Posted By: Nuge210 | Posted on: Nov 11, 2013 - 6:17pm
Total Posts: 323 | Joined: Jun 4, 2008 - 7:50am
Hi Jeannie,
Is it possible to scan the photos and share them with us? We would love to see them.
Dave
David Waples
Posted By: David Waples | Posted on: Nov 11, 2013 - 8:11pm
Total Posts: 1679 | Joined: Jan 2, 2007 - 9:55pm
Hi Jeannie,
Yes I agree if you could scan and post some of your photos to this message board we could all help and are very likely to spot small details that would give us ideas of where to focus. Consider posting any photos showing the PT Boats or the base or other hardware he was around and we could tell what model of boat, and possibly narrow down our search to only a few boats in a specific squadron. Any numbers or symbols or even names of other crewmen would help us to figure it out. Please consider doing this and use the power of the board! Good luck in your search! Jerry
Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR
Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Nov 11, 2013 - 8:17pm
Total Posts: 1472 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm
Thank you and I'll do the best I can . I need to make sure I can get the pics away from the plastic.
Jeannie
Posted By: Jeannie | Posted on: Nov 11, 2013 - 8:27pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Hi,
I was able to scan several pics into a PDF file but I don't see where I can attach this? Any guidance would be great.
Thank you.
Jeannie
Posted By: Jeannie | Posted on: Nov 12, 2013 - 11:55am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
The scans actually came out OK even with all the plastic stuck to them. My Dad had a few annotations under the pics and I really don't know if the pics are of his boat or another boat in a platoon but I'm sure you will recognize the Class type.
Posted By: Jeannie | Posted on: Nov 12, 2013 - 3:04pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Jeannie, it is very tough to ready any numbers on the boats, however we are seeing two types of boats in the photos. One in which he shows a HIGGINS PT BOAT, and the other an ELCO PT BOAT. This is just a guess on my part, but it looks like the boat at the dock where he writes Guantanamo Bay, looks to be PT-450. if this is true, this was a Squadron 30 boat, and was in the English Channel from 1944-1945. This squadron was returned back to the United Sates for re-assignment and reconditioning for the Pacific, but this never happened, because the War had ended while the boats were in New York. It is the best guess i have, providing i am getting the boat number correct.
Posted By: Frank Andruss | Posted on: Nov 12, 2013 - 4:28pm
Total Posts: 3964 | Joined: Feb 9, 2007 - 11:41am
I just received this class photo from Steve. My Dad is seventh from the left on the first row. 11th graduating class at Melville.
Posted By: Jeannie | Posted on: Nov 12, 2013 - 5:18pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Hi Jeannie,
Thanks for sharing those photos. Don't worry about trying to remove them, they came out just great. That may be the only late war Elco I've seen with rocket launchers, 4 torpedoes, and a 20mm on the stern instead of the 40mm Bofors like we usually see. You can always count on seeing something new with each newly discovered set of photographs.
Can you make out any of the boat numbers from your photographs?
Thanks for sharing!
Dave
David Waples
Posted By: David Waples | Posted on: Nov 13, 2013 - 4:56am
Total Posts: 1679 | Joined: Jan 2, 2007 - 9:55pm
Thanks for sharing, Jeannie
Will
Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Nov 13, 2013 - 7:43am
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm
Frank;
You are correct PT 450 was an original RON 30, but she 451 and 452, were transferred to RON 4 prior to RON 30's deployment to Europe. So this could be a RON 30 shakedown photo, or a RON 4 training trip to Cuba photo. RON 4 did "T.A.D."(Temporary Additional Duty orders), boats to Miami Shakedown. Didn't you tell me that there were some speed tests that LCDR Alan "MONTY" Montgomery have in his "Wheel Book" from Miami, that pertained to a 450 class boat?
Take care,
TED
Take care,
TED
Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Nov 13, 2013 - 2:22pm
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am
According to what I've got, John F. McNally attended Melville 11th Class (officially, Class 2-43) which was from Feb 8 - March 8, 1943 adn he was assigned to RON 17 upon Graduation.
Charlie
Posted By: 29navy | Posted on: Nov 13, 2013 - 5:36pm
Total Posts: 600 | Joined: Dec 28, 2006 - 3:02pm
Hi ,
Great information from everyone and it is really appreciated.
Thank you.
Jeannie
Posted By: Jeannie | Posted on: Nov 13, 2013 - 7:12pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Good luck Jeannie, I hope you are able to find out more about your Dad's service. And thank you for posting the images!
The Elco 80' boat with the 4 torpedoes has the forward turret of a 367 or earlier boat. The engine hatch looks like a 187 plus boat. It's hard to tell but the turrets might have the upper protective shield found on boats up to about PT 317.
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Nov 14, 2013 - 5:02am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
Jeff;
Thanks for taking the point, my guess was a 350-366 series boat, maybe RON 18, 25, or 27. The Jack Mcnally 009 photo further down is probably the same boat at a later date, Summer 1945. Enlaging the photo shows two numbers on the port side cockpit bulkhead, that appears to fall within this number range.
Take care,
TED
Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Nov 14, 2013 - 5:37am
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am
I found one more photo.
Jeannie
Posted By: Jeannie | Posted on: Nov 14, 2013 - 12:12pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
All;
I zoomed the McNally 009 photo in photobucket x 200 first, then x400, and this photo is not the same boat at a later date, it appears to PT 169 RON 10 1944-45, taken from another boat.
you guys take a look and see if you agree.
Take care,
TED
P.S. if you guys agree, then the first Elco probably IS a RON 18, RON 25 or RON 27 boat, since these RON's operated on joint patrols together with RON 10, at Morotai and Balikpapan.
Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Nov 14, 2013 - 1:37pm
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am
Definitely a different boat.
Will
Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Nov 15, 2013 - 10:29pm
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm
It would be interesting to find out which Ron's the men in the 11th ( 2-43 ) class were ordered to. As Charlie stated for John McNally, it was Ron 17. Ted Meredith, who is front row, fifth from the left, says that eight classmates went to Ron 21 ( Joe Burk is one of them, 4th from R, front row ).
Gene Foncannon is third row, tenth from the left. The only on Ron 15 man that I know in the photo is John Steinson, back row, sixth from the right.
Ted Meredith went to Ron 7, and eventually took over the 129 boat.
Steve
Posted By: Nuge210 | Posted on: Nov 16, 2013 - 8:02am
Total Posts: 323 | Joined: Jun 4, 2008 - 7:50am
Hi Everyone!
Thank you for all the responses. I have a request in with the PT Boaters Organization in TN and I'm hoping to get the group and boat number , if this is possible,in the next few weeks. Your information has been invaluable and I'm certainly learning a lot. As soon as I learn anything new I will post it.
Jeannie
Posted By: Jeannie | Posted on: Nov 16, 2013 - 8:41am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Steve;
Gene Foncannon went to Skipper PT 108 RON 5, then PT 374 RON 38.
Take care,
TED
Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Nov 16, 2013 - 9:59am
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am
List of assignments, I'll see if I can paste it here.
Lloyd F Anderson, Jr - RON 17
Ralph A Arnold - RON 19
Joseph Bakura - Radar
Joseph C Beckman, Jr - RON 4
James R Boyd - RON 26
Kenneth E Bryant - RON 19
Joseph W Burk - RON 21
Joseph M Butterworth, jr - RON 19
Oliver B Cragar - RON 8
William F Crawford - RON 19
Bernard A Crimmins - RON 21
Thomas W Dalton, Jr - RON 19
Alan N Drew - RON 17
John M Eastham, Jr - RON 21
Edwin K Enterline - RON 5
Eugene B Foncannon - RON 3
Harry C Fraser, Jr - RON 4
Phillip M Furbay - RON 4
William P Hall - RON 21
Alex C Ham, Jr - RON 2
Norbert G Hartman - RON 2
Basil Heatter - RON 26
Smithy Higgins, jr - RON 5
David W Hildner - RON 1
Alma Hue Jewkes - RON 26
John I Jones - NOT PT
George L A Kelly - MTBSTC
Byron F Kent - RON 17
Robert L Lanning, jr - RON 21
Richard H Lewin - RON 5
Stuart A Lewis - RON 21
Edward H Lockwood - RON 17
Kenneth DMalloy - RON 21
Robert E McCarthy - RON 17
Robert S McConnick - RON 17
Hoyt W McFall, Jr - RON 17
John J McGlynn - RON 5
Alpine N McLane - RON 19
George J McManus - RON 17
John F McNally - RON 17
William N Mead - RON 17
James E Meredeth - RON 7
Hans S Moller, Jr - RON 19
Joseph E Murray - RON 17
Roger W Nelson - RON 5
Clyde K Nichols - RON 4
Albert J Nugon, Jr - RON 19
John E O'Leary - RON 26
Louis E Smith - RON 21
Raymond R Smith - NOT PT
John A Steinson, Jr - RON 4
Thomas O Tarbox - RON 17
Vance W Torbert, jr - RON 3
Posted By: 29navy | Posted on: Nov 16, 2013 - 1:53pm
Total Posts: 600 | Joined: Dec 28, 2006 - 3:02pm
Keep in mind that these were the assignments that were initially proposed. Things could have changed on the way to their assignment. NOT PT indicates that they did not pass the course and are being assigned to the Fleet but not to PT service. The one that says RADAR was assigned to a radar course and then will be assigned to a Squadron after the course.
(Thanks for the assist, Dick)
Charlie
Posted By: 29navy | Posted on: Nov 18, 2013 - 6:15am
Total Posts: 600 | Joined: Dec 28, 2006 - 3:02pm
Hi PT Boaters,
Alyce Guthrie from the PT Museum just provided some updated info to me regarding my Dad's assignment . It was PT boat 234 in the Ron 17 you mentioned.
Thank you again for everyone's efforts in helping me out.
Jeannie
Posted By: Jeannie | Posted on: Nov 21, 2013 - 10:29am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Jeannie;
Go to :http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/05234.htm
and see a photo of your Dad's boat, 1944-1945.
Enjoy!
Take care,
TED
Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Nov 21, 2013 - 4:33pm
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am