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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: HERE IS ANOTHER NICE PHOTO: MYSTERY BOAT OF THE DAY!
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=3559

Guys;
We have not done this in awhile.....Mystery Boat of the Day!
I recently "found" this on flickr, any ideas as to its identiy?
Here is what I can see:
37mm, 20mm, and motar on bow, it looks like single .30 cal on bothside bridge "wings"(armorplate), of course, twin .50's in both turrets, SO-A radar MK Xlll's in forward racks only(so this would be late 44-early 45), large style engine room hatch/vent with American Star and Bar on it, and MAN is this boat all about its 40mm!!
Take a look extra 40mm ammo cans secured to the after torpedo racks, and two(maybe three) 40 mm ammo racks on engine room cover. then the two depth charges on stern. it also appears that this is a "low" mounted 40mm. Camo looks like Measure 31/5P unless that is just shadow.
Looking at the photo, it sort of looks like the forward .50 is on the same line as the cockpit console. but it just might be the angle of the photo.

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Ted%20Walther/PTBOATUNDERWAY.jpg[/image]
I looks like the photo was taken from a ship, while the boat was passing by its Starboard side. Could this be a RON 12 boat, or is it a later series?
Take care,
TED

Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: May 9, 2014 - 8:56am
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am

Well I'm not even going to venture a guess but I love the photo Ted. You got my imagination working here for the next video. I just love the angle of the photo with the boat at speed. Thanks for posting it.

Posted By: Roy Forbes | Posted on: May 9, 2014 - 4:15pm
Total Posts: 371 | Joined: Sep 5, 2012 - 4:57pm

Ted,
I don't see anything different that what you have pointed out. That's a very interesting looking boat though. I wish we had a number?

By the way, what are those blocks on the bow. I've seen them in photos before but not sure what they are used for??

Dave

David Waples

Posted By: David Waples | Posted on: May 9, 2014 - 8:49pm
Total Posts: 1679 | Joined: Jan 2, 2007 - 9:55pm

it's very similar to PT-155 but some noticeable differences. Interesting how they both stow the 40mm cans in the stern torpedo roll off rack. Same low 40mm.

David Waples

Posted By: David Waples | Posted on: May 9, 2014 - 9:03pm
Total Posts: 1679 | Joined: Jan 2, 2007 - 9:55pm

Strikingly similar to the PT's in the top down shot of the PT-490-495 when they are all tied up together. Life raft placement etc on the front decks.
Before the extra 20MMs etc were fitted though

Always tantalising trying to decipher these images.

Keith

Posted By: Kornbeef01 | Posted on: May 9, 2014 - 10:20pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Forgot to add that the rear 50 turret spray shield is missing as is PT-490's and I assume a few other boats in that group might have been the same

Posted By: Kornbeef01 | Posted on: May 9, 2014 - 10:22pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Well its not a RON 12 boat, while looking at photos of RON 12 boats I just noticed something,,,,,ALL the RON 12 boats have removed their forward .50 cal turret depression rails and have field fabricated two small ones in place, some boats also have field modified after turret depression rails, which are larger than the factory ones. As per the photos I have, this appears to have been done at Morobe and RON 12 boats carried this modification until the end of the war. PT 187 was in RON 12, and had this mod done to it, however, it was transferred to RON 9 and the full depression rails were refitted. PT 146 was originally in RON 8 and had its original factory depression rails, but when it was transferred to RON 12, they were modified to resemble the other RON 12 boats. I think I need another thread for this one. I will post photos later supporting this.
Take care,
TED
P,S, Dave, Those "Blocks" could be several things, after looking at this photo, I am thinking the ship is a tender, so they might have just UNREP/resupplied from this tender or the one behind it(I am guessing this is around Oct 1944), the blocks could be 20mm/37mm/.50 cal ammo boxes the haven't been stowed yet. or they could be other boxed articles, maybe fenders also(just at odd angle), or they could actually be blocks, these are used sometimes during UNREP when you have to do an emergency breakaway, in this case, because of aircraft attack. When moored to a ship during UNREP. When the ship horn is blown Five short blasts of the ship's whistle are sounded and word is passed on the 1MC (eg. "Emergency breakaway, Emergency Breakaway, port side"). The mooring lines will be placed on the blocks and chopped with a fire axe(so not to damage the deck) and the boat will move away as fast as possible.

Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: May 10, 2014 - 7:48am
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am

I've always thought it was a Ron 9 boat....

Will

Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: May 10, 2014 - 11:00am
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm

I've seen the blocks before. If you have Victor Chun's original book on page 59 thee's a photo of PT-523 and it has the blocks on the fore deck as well. I'm sure they float, just not sure what they are used for.

The boat in question also has the rope line around the port 20mm. Also pretty unusual to see in the field. It's an interesting subject whichever she is.

Dave

David Waples

Posted By: David Waples | Posted on: May 10, 2014 - 11:44am
Total Posts: 1679 | Joined: Jan 2, 2007 - 9:55pm