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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: ron 31
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=4937

Hi,
Any help finding any info and photos of ron 31 or pt 454. My grandfather Lucien Cance served with ron 31 pt boat 454. He passed in 2016 and I do not have much info on his service.
He was a great man and I would not be the man I am today without his guidance.

Frank

Posted By: FRANKL | Posted on: Jun 21, 2020 - 2:09pm
Total Posts: 8 | Joined: Jun 21, 2020 - 12:01pm

PT 454 started in Ron 30 and transferred to Ron 31.
[url]http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/CloseQuarters/PT-A.html[/url]

PT 454 started in Ron 30 and transferred to Ron 31.
MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT SQUADRON 30

Commissioned February 15, 1944; decommissioned November 15, 1945.

Squadron Commanders:

Lt. Comdr. ROBERT L. SEARLES, USNR -- February 15, 1944-October 1945
Lt. Comdr LAWRENCE F. JONES, USNR -- October-November 15, 1945

PT 78' Higgins
450 -
451 -
452 - Placed in service February 15, 1944. Transferred to Squadron 4, March 23, 1944.
453 - Placed in service March 14, 1944. Transferred to Squadron 31, May 11, 1944.
454 -
455 - Placed in service February 15, 1944. Transferred to Squadron 31, May 11, 1944.
456 - Placed in service March 11, 1944. Placed out of service November 15, 1945.
457 - Placed in service March 15, 1944. Placed out of service November 15, 1945.
458 - Placed in service March 18, 1944. Placed out of service November 15, 1945.
459 - Placed in service March 23, 1944. Placed out of service November 15, 1945.
460 - Placed in service March 27, 1944. Placed out of service November 15, 1945.
461 - Placed in service March 28, 1944. Placed out of service November 15, 1945.

Squadron 30 had action in the English Channel area during the period June 1944 to June 1945. It was then returned to the United States for reconditioning and reassignment to the Pacific, but the war ended while the squadron was still in New York.

MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT SQUADRON 31

Commissioned April 5, 1944; decommissioned December 17, 1945.

Squadron Commanders:

Lt. JOHN M. SEARLES, USNR -- April 5, 1944-October 1945
Lt. Comdr. FRANK B. GASS, USNR -- October-December 17, 1945

PT 78' Higgins
453 -
454 -
455 - Transferred from Squadron 30, May 11, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.
462 - Placed in service March 29, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.
463 - Placed in service April 1, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.
464 - Placed in service April 5, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.
465 - Placed in service April 13, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.
466 - Placed in service April 17, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.
467 - Placed in service April 20, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.
468 - Placed in service April 24, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.
469 - Placed in service April 28, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.

--475--

PT 78' Higgins
470 - Placed in service April 29, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.
471 - Placed in service May 5, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.
472 - Placed in service May 11, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.
473 - Placed in service May 16, 1944. Placed out of service December 17, 1945.

Squadron 31, assigned to Pacific Fleet, had action at Treasury Island in the Solomons during October and November 1944; at Palau, in the Marianas, during the period December 1944 to February 1945, and at Okinawa during the period June to August 1945. The squadron also based for a time in San Pedro Bay, in the Philippines, but had no action from this base.

Posted By: Gary Paulsen | Posted on: Jun 22, 2020 - 4:58am
Total Posts: 249 | Joined: Feb 14, 2009 - 6:31am

Thankyou gary for the reply I did not know it was transferred from ron 30 to 31, also I left a letter out of my grandfathers name it is Lucien Cance

Much apricated

Posted By: FRANKL | Posted on: Jun 22, 2020 - 3:08pm
Total Posts: 8 | Joined: Jun 21, 2020 - 12:01pm

Welcome Frank! It sounds like your Grandfather was a good man. I take it that he did not talk much about his service. That is true of many veterans and very understandable.

I have quite a few photos but none of the 454... sorry. Hopefully someone else will. Good luck with your research. [:-cheers-:]

I added the 'c' to your Grandfather's name in your first post.

Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Jun 24, 2020 - 5:11am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am

Thank you jeff, he was a good man.

Posted By: FRANKL | Posted on: Jun 24, 2020 - 6:52pm
Total Posts: 8 | Joined: Jun 21, 2020 - 12:01pm

Found this on ancestry,com

Draft card photo
http://ptboatforum.com/PhotoGallery/images/jYFbO.jpg
Enlisted 19-11-43

Recieved into Ron31 14-5-44
Service #8164081 S1c

Transferred to CNOB Okinawa for Discharge 1-12-45 SC3c(T)

Posted By: Gary Paulsen | Posted on: Jun 28, 2020 - 9:49am
Total Posts: 249 | Joined: Feb 14, 2009 - 6:31am

Yes Gary that is him and my great grandmother Anita, thank you for finding it. it looks like his rank was a SC3c(T) , I am not sure what that is?

Posted By: FRANKL | Posted on: Jun 28, 2020 - 12:09pm
Total Posts: 8 | Joined: Jun 21, 2020 - 12:01pm

Frank
Your grandfather must have had some culinary skills as he was promoted to Ships Cook. A good cook was one of the most treasured members of the crew.
Gary

Posted By: Gary Paulsen | Posted on: Jun 29, 2020 - 6:16am
Total Posts: 249 | Joined: Feb 14, 2009 - 6:31am

Yes it all fits, my grandfather was a excellent cook and on his draft card it states under employment the childs company in NYC which was a well known restaurant chain.

Thank you

Posted By: FRANKL | Posted on: Jun 29, 2020 - 12:32pm
Total Posts: 8 | Joined: Jun 21, 2020 - 12:01pm

Awesome glad I could help shed some light on his service. Maybe you could check photos of the bases he served on to see if you can spot him. Many cooks also worked on the base mess halls.
Gary

Posted By: Gary Paulsen | Posted on: Jun 29, 2020 - 12:48pm
Total Posts: 249 | Joined: Feb 14, 2009 - 6:31am

Frank my Dad was in MTB RONS 2, 3, and 31. There is a fair amount of information out there. If you have not written for his records from the National Archives, I recommend doing that. I got over 70 pages of my Dad's records/documents. I mostly got his medicals but as I went through them, I found when his rank changed and where he was at different times. Ancestry has many records/documents available, especially if you add Fold3. Although it is out of print, you might find a used one, there is a book written by the commanding officer of MTB RON 31, It is called Tales of Tulagi by CDR John M Searles, USNR (Ret). If you want to honor your Grandfather, you can add him to the WWII Memorial for free. If you want some first hand stories, you can look up the Library of Congress Veterans' History Project and search for PT Boats, Motor Torpedo Boats or USS PT Boats (there are some men who appear in more than one and others that are only on one or the other. These are interviews by the men who served.
I hope some of this helps,
Grace

Posted By: Grace | Posted on: Aug 6, 2020 - 6:36pm
Total Posts: 4 | Joined: Aug 6, 2020 - 3:21pm

Grace, thank you for all the information, I did check out the library of congress veterans project and found John Kearney 8 videos and watched all of them as he served with the 31 squadron like my grandfather and wow what a man he was and as i was watching them he reminded me of my grandfather, he never does say what boat he was on though? I will look into adding my grandfathers name to the ww2 memorial as well as the other research you suggested.
Frank

Posted By: FRANKL | Posted on: Aug 8, 2020 - 4:15pm
Total Posts: 8 | Joined: Jun 21, 2020 - 12:01pm

I was in Kingston ny a couple weeks ago and saw 5 pt boats
And several engines.

Posted By: FRANKL | Posted on: Aug 29, 2020 - 7:59am
Total Posts: 8 | Joined: Jun 21, 2020 - 12:01pm

Thanks Frank. Nothing a few tons of cash can't fix up... :(

Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Aug 30, 2020 - 5:39am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am

Pretty sure the Elco PT boats gasoline capacity was 3000 gallons vice 4000 shown on sign at Kingston. Not trying to nitpick but want to make sure we strive for accuracy.

Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Aug 30, 2020 - 9:57am
Total Posts: 1472 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm

The top speed reminded me of the old PT boat poem:
Oh, some PT's do seventy-five,
And some do sixty-nine;
When we get ours to run at all
We think we're doing fine

Posted By: Stearman | Posted on: Aug 30, 2020 - 8:07pm
Total Posts: 150 | Joined: Nov 1, 2017 - 9:38pm

Wasn't a section removed from the 77 footer, making her shorter? Wish I had gone into computers back in the day, If I was lucky I would be a billionaire! This Elco 77 footer and the USS Olympia would be where I would have put a chunk of change!

Posted By: Stearman | Posted on: Aug 30, 2020 - 8:13pm
Total Posts: 150 | Joined: Nov 1, 2017 - 9:38pm

Sorry, Frank, I just found that you had responded in August. The notification was in my junk mail.
John Francis 'Jake" Kearney was Skipper of PT 40 however, he skippered both Elco and Higgins PT Boats and I am trying to find out some of the other PT Boat numbers he skippered. From what I am finding on MTBRON 31, PTs assigned were 453, 454 (Tufts, Nikoloric, DePala) 455( Bechtel, Nilkoloric), 462 Furbay, icks, 463, 464 A.E. White, 465, 466, 467 Kernell, 468, 469 (R.S. Swan,) 470 (Blanchard,) 471, 472( Nikoloric), 473 (this I believe was one of Kearney's) I have no proof thought. As you can see, it looks like they skippered multiple boats. Is there any way to exchange emails? I have some pictures on Ancestry that I found after Dad passed in 2009. I got in touch with Jack Searles, their CO and a good friend of my Dad, and he tried to identify them for me. He did identify some. I had the honor and pleasure of speaking to him between my Dad's death and his. If you belong to Ancestry, perhaps you can contact me personally that way? A small, out of print but available as a used book, is Tales of Tulagi by CDR John M. Searles, USNR (Ret.) He was the Commander of MTBRON 31. It might not tell you anything specific but if you are interested in what your Grandfather experienced and saw, it is a good book. Thank you for watching Dad's Library of Congress Veterans' History Project. I hope it gave you a little more information on what your Grandfather saw and experienced.
Good luck, Grace

Posted By: Grace | Posted on: Sep 27, 2020 - 11:58am
Total Posts: 4 | Joined: Aug 6, 2020 - 3:21pm