The PT Boat Forum
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ť Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboard.cgi?cid=101&fct=showf

ť Forum Name: PT Boats - General
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboard.cgi?fct=gotoforum&cid=101&fid=102

ť Topic: What's with the inaccuracies with pt-309?
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=4072

From all the restoration photos it had seemed that pt-309 was restored very well and very accurately. The wing on top of the charthouse which was restored the right way was removed and replaced with another, which is not the right shape.
Also the gun tub rings and the oh Frankie have been gone from the boat as well.
just recently the oh Frankie was put back on the boat, but the charthouse wing still remains inaccurate.
Look at pictures of her restoration, and compare them to pictures now.
Can someone explain this to me?
ThePTboater

Posted By: ThePTboater | Posted on: Apr 24, 2016 - 7:19am
Total Posts: 136 | Joined: Jan 17, 2016 - 1:28pm

Gee, don't know. Why don't you ask THEM?

Will

Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Apr 24, 2016 - 10:18pm
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm

Because we have a perfectly good forum right here.
ThePTboater

Posted By: ThePTboater | Posted on: Apr 25, 2016 - 8:07am
Total Posts: 136 | Joined: Jan 17, 2016 - 1:28pm

Yeah, I have to go along with my old friend Will. I say old friend because He been a senior member of this board nearly longer than myself, and that's hard to do because I created it (over 18 years ago). Going to the source is the simplest way to find out about their restoration and reasoning behind their various decision, like 658, 305, 309, 617 and the 796. The PT 309 folks don't participate on this board. But I'm sure they wouldn't want to hear direct criticism.

Dick . . .

Posted By: Dick | Posted on: Apr 25, 2016 - 9:21am
Total Posts: 1417 | Joined: Aug 27, 2006 - 6:36pm

Right on, Richard....

Will

Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Apr 25, 2016 - 11:38am
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm

Agreed.

Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Apr 25, 2016 - 11:57am
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am

Hi Nic,
The guys who did the original resto were called the "Defenders of America Naval Museum" (now defunct) and they were based out of the suburban Houston area in a little town called Kemah, Tx., I think.Anyway, they were bankrolled on the PT309 project by the Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, TX about 100 miles inland, (due west of Austin Tx) So when the DOANM crew completed the restoration, the Nimitz museum took possession of the boat, as was the contracted understanding. This was a source of contention, and developed into a "falling out" of sorts between the two groups. This may explain why the two 6-71 Detroit Diesel engines installed into the engine room by the DOANM were removed by the Nimitz Museum. It also may explain other modifications made to the boat by the Nimitz Museum. Truthfully, I had not noticed the changes that you specified in your OP, but I had never looked carefully at that spot in any Before and After pictures. You have a good eye for details. I think I recall that current Forum Member Jim Melanson was loosely affiliated with the DOANM, and he may be able to shed more light on the details of the situation that developed there in Texas. I personally toured the PT309 at the Nimitz Museum back around 2005, and was able to go inside and take photos. I got the impression during my visit, that the Curators at the Nimitz Museum do not have the same amount of focused and specific knowledge for exact PT Boat related details like those possessed by the guys of the DOANM. Maybe somebody there at Nimitz had made decisions that were based on little or no research before they made those changes of which you speak. It certainly seems possible. You may want to use Dicks Link to the "Internet Wayback Machine" and look for past renditions of the DOANM website to get more details for yourself.
I hope this was helpful.
Jerry

Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Apr 25, 2016 - 6:17pm
Total Posts: 1472 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm

I wasn't trying to criticize the work they did, I was just wondering about the changes, I saw different pictures where it was different and was just curious as to why those were changed.
Don't think I'm hating on what they are doing, as a matter of fact I'm actually thinking about visiting the 309 hopefully in the next couple of months.
I just was curious why those things were removed.
ThePTboater

Posted By: ThePTboater | Posted on: Apr 25, 2016 - 7:16pm
Total Posts: 136 | Joined: Jan 17, 2016 - 1:28pm

Also thanks for the info Jerry, you have basically answered a part of my question.
I respect those who have restored these old boats, I had seen post resto photos of 309 and how it looks today and wondered why so many things were different, no bad comments or criticism were meant from this...
ThePTboater

Posted By: ThePTboater | Posted on: Apr 25, 2016 - 7:21pm
Total Posts: 136 | Joined: Jan 17, 2016 - 1:28pm

http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/120530903.jpg

http://www.sturmgewehr.com/dalbert/Nimitz/PT309-1.JPG

Posted By: ThePTboater | Posted on: Apr 25, 2016 - 7:30pm
Total Posts: 136 | Joined: Jan 17, 2016 - 1:28pm

Hi Nic,
I understand your question was just out of curiosity and was not meant in a negative way. Perhaps the title of your post is a little critical by calling it "inaccuracy"? Maybe? Anyway I looked at the photos and that windscreen has always bothered me as well. It just looks wrong since it is too blocky and not faired in properly. We went to great lengths in Oregon to recreate and rebuild our own windscreen and it is more complex than you might think since you have several compound curves going on where it meets the top of the charthouse. We had to bust out the blueprints we could find of the charthouse construction and it was a pretty involved process so I can understand if some "Joe Volunteer" in Texas who was rebuilding the PT309 Windscreen may not have had access to those blueprints like we do. There was also a lot of trial and error "fitting up and trimming" needed as well.
Jerry

Here are the pics that Nic is talking about posted as a clickable link

[url]http://www.sturmgewehr.com/dalbert/Nimitz/PT309-1.JPG[/url]

[url]http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/120530903.jpg[/url]

Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Apr 25, 2016 - 10:56pm
Total Posts: 1472 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm

That's the thing that confuses me Jerry, when pt-309 was restored it had the correct windscreen, but since it has been replaced with the blocky one, I'm not sure why, it's always bothered me as well.
ThePTboater

Posted By: ThePTboater | Posted on: Apr 26, 2016 - 6:32am
Total Posts: 136 | Joined: Jan 17, 2016 - 1:28pm