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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: Two names my dad told me from PT331
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=3421

I went to the nursing home to see my dad. I told him about the forum and I was going to print off the pictures of his boat and see if could remember any of the men in the pictures. He told me the names of his two best friends on the boat. They are John Cannon nicknamed Beak and Pete Porter. My dad said they were from South Carolina and he was too.

Posted By: Joey | Posted on: Dec 3, 2013 - 10:27am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Good Job!
I hope you can get those photos printed and let us know if he comes up with any other memories. The photos might spark some stories we would all love to hear.
Your so lucky to still have him here and you are able to ask him questions. Our father died young, before we knew he was on the 156. We now have so many questions and we only get to guess what it was like for our father. We get to imagine what it was like for him through others stories.
Give your dad a hug for me.
Regards, Julie

Posted By: MN Gal | Posted on: Dec 6, 2013 - 5:05am
Total Posts: 126 | Joined: Jan 4, 2012 - 7:57am

Found additional unknown PT-331 crew shots.

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Wayne%20Traxel/pthelm.jpg[/image]

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Wayne%20Traxel/StbdTorpedoPT-331.jpg[/image]

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Wayne%20Traxel/Port20mmPT-331.jpg[/image]

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Wayne%20Traxel/40mmPT-331.jpg[/image]

Hope these help

Wayne

Posted By: Wayne Traxel | Posted on: Dec 6, 2013 - 8:04am
Total Posts: 248 | Joined: Oct 11, 2006 - 5:40am

Wayne;
Interesting photo of the 40mm, I notice it has no steel plate on the deck. the lack of weight distribution here must have really damaged that deck.
Take care,
TED

Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Dec 6, 2013 - 8:19am
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am

Thanks to everyone for their help. Still have not seen a picture that my brothers and I can say 100% is him,but we have seen some possibilities. My niece has some photo enhancement software and she is going to try to see what she can do to enhance some of the photo's we think might be him.

Posted By: Joey | Posted on: Dec 6, 2013 - 8:42am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Found and scanned more PT-331 crew Photos.

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Wayne%20Traxel/PT-331EvenMoreUnknowns.jpeg[/image]

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Wayne%20Traxel/PT-331Unknown.jpeg[/image]

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Wayne%20Traxel/PT-331MoreUnknowns.jpeg[/image]

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Wayne%20Traxel/PT331Officer.jpeg[/image]

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Wayne%20Traxel/PT-331Crew.jpeg[/image]

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Wayne%20Traxel/PT-33140mmGuncrew.jpeg[/image]

Only other shot I have of 40mm mount on PT-331

Ted, Have too noticed and wondered about the lack of deck strengthening around the base of the 40mm mounts on 331 and 323 myself. This 40 mount has a round base + sits lower to the deck. From what I've discovered is that Ron 21, CO, CDR. Bowling, obtained the mounts from the Royal Australian Navy after seeing the 40's on Harlee's Ron 12 boats. Don't know if these mounts were installed by the Australian or US Tenders/Base force. I really don't know the time period that these photos were taken but am guessing that it was while Squadron 21 operated in New Guinea. Kind of looking for answers from Joey's father.

Wayne

Posted By: Wayne Traxel | Posted on: Dec 6, 2013 - 9:47am
Total Posts: 248 | Joined: Oct 11, 2006 - 5:40am

Great photos. What stands out to me is the missing armor plate behind the cockpit

Posted By: Jeff Sherry | Posted on: Dec 10, 2013 - 3:42pm
Total Posts: 84 | Joined: Oct 30, 2006 - 8:04pm

I'm currently modding an Italeri PT-596 to PT-490 (more work than I first envisioned)

She too doesn't have the armour plate behind the wheel. It seems quite common, I imagine crews removed it to make access to the helm better and sacrificed the protection it offered.

Also PT-490 at least had the low 40mm circular mounting, I haven't found a clear image but both look very similar, the whole gun assembly seems to sit much lower than on the usually seen mounting.

Thanks for posting these pics by the way, Purely from a modelling point of view they give so much detail and perspective of life aboard these vessels.

Brave young men indeed.

Keith

Never to old to learn something
Doesn't stop me forgetting the obvious though

Posted By: Kornbeef | Posted on: Dec 11, 2013 - 12:04am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

When I was researching for my build of the 495 boat, I also found that it had the "Army" mount. It was lower and circular sitting in a square not much larger than the circle.

Posted By: ducati650 | Posted on: Dec 11, 2013 - 8:10am
Total Posts: 450 | Joined: Feb 19, 2007 - 10:01am

I've used Bronco's superb Bofors kit instead o Italeri's (I now have 3 of these Italeri 40mm's spare to be cannibalised) I kind of cheated and used the carriage centre as my gun mounting. What images I have are really unclear of what sat under the gun other than the circular base.

Any way this is hijacking the thread. So I'll be quiet.

Keith

Never to old to learn something
Doesn't stop me forgetting the obvious though

Posted By: Kornbeef | Posted on: Dec 12, 2013 - 12:38am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Remember reading about an alternate mounting base for the 40 mm from a deck gun many years ago. Located the info in Volume 2 of Allied Coastal Forces of WW-2 by John Lambert & Al Ross in 1993, Page 224. "US 40mm Mark 3 gun". The first part of the article notes the lower height of the 40mm's installed on 77'er gunboats PT's 59,60 and 61 + the later bow 40mm mount on PT-174. The article, by Al Ross, I believe, describes the Mark 3, as a single 40mm navalised version of the standard manually-operated US Army M-1 anti-aircraft weapon. Al also went on to mention the this mount could be directly bolted to a standard 3 inch/50 deck gun foundation. I'm researching Ron 21's PT-323 and believe it's 40 may have the same base.

Wayne

Posted By: Wayne Traxel | Posted on: Dec 12, 2013 - 8:20am
Total Posts: 248 | Joined: Oct 11, 2006 - 5:40am