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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic:
William H Posey & PT 41
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=4969
I am seeking any information on my Uncle; William H Posey SC1C who served with Lt. Buckley in Ron 3 on PT 41.
I've read he joined the USN in '37 and went MIA/POW sometime in '42. My grandfather was told of his official death right after the war ended.
He received posthumously the silver star, and purple heart along with appropriate campaign medals.
I am trying to create a memorial for him and any information,pictures or memories will be gratefully accepted.
Thank you
Posted By: RJC 1990 | Posted on: Dec 16, 2020 - 3:28pm
Total Posts: 12 | Joined: Dec 16, 2020 - 10:46am
Welcome RJC! I'm very happy to hear about your project to help keep your Uncle's memory alive. Hopefully the experts here will be able to help you. Below are a few links for some basics available online.
PT 41 was a very famous boat, she carried MacArthur and others to safety early in the war. Some of her history basics and photos can be found here: [url]http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/05041.htm[/url]
A more in-depth look can be found in this PT book classic At Close Quarters available to read online. It has a wealth of information and is considered a PT Bible: [url]http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/CloseQuarters/index.html[/url]
I don't have any images of the 41 in theater, just a few of her being transported aboard the tanker Guadalupe like this Sept 1941 shot. Note that it is slightly different than the similar photo seen on navsource:
You may run across this one that Al's research found to be doctored:
Good luck with your project and please share if you find anything interesting! [:-cheers-:]
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Dec 17, 2020 - 8:20am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
Thank you so much for the info!
I'm looking forward to digging into Lt Buckley's book!
Posted By: RJC 1990 | Posted on: Dec 17, 2020 - 2:34pm
Total Posts: 12 | Joined: Dec 16, 2020 - 10:46am
Found some interesting photos of RON 3 PT 41 and PT 31. All were taken on or around 12.10.1941 at the Torpedo Squadron 3, Cavite Navy Yard, Philippines.
The most interesting to me, is the one of PT 41 preparing for action.
Below is the link for the source of these pics and others.
[url]https://news.fsu.edu/news/arts-humanities/2016/11/30/75-years-later-pearl-harbor-still-teaching-lessons-war/[/url]
Hopefully others will find these interesting as well.
Posted By: RJC 1990 | Posted on: Dec 18, 2020 - 3:17pm
Total Posts: 12 | Joined: Dec 16, 2020 - 10:46am
RJC
Welcome to the PT boat forum! Hope you can find some info about your uncle and get a better understanding of what these men went through to preserve the freedom we enjoy today. For that I thank your family for their sacrifice! Thanks for posting the photo’s you found. Looking through them and the captions these look like what they say they are. The only thing that looks odd is the photo of PT41 at the dock looks to be a later model ELCO PT boat? Could some of these photos be from a movie or documentary? I’m sure others will comment that have more knowledge than I do.
Thanks!
Jeff
Posted By: Jeff H | Posted on: Dec 18, 2020 - 5:33pm
Total Posts: 32 | Joined: Jun 7, 2019 - 6:00am
The boat that is labeled as PT-31 is a 70' Vosper, complete with radar, which wasn't on any 1941,42 77' ELCO, The other photos seem to be from the movie They Were Expendable. Pt-41 is most assuredly an 80' ELCO boat.
Posted By: Stearman | Posted on: Dec 18, 2020 - 9:03pm
Total Posts: 150 | Joined: Nov 1, 2017 - 9:38pm
Jeff H;
Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the info!
Steerman;
Sad to see a state university with incorrectly stated photos.
I appreciate the information and identification.
Posted By: RJC 1990 | Posted on: Dec 19, 2020 - 5:11am
Total Posts: 12 | Joined: Dec 16, 2020 - 10:46am
Yep Stearman, you nailed it they appear to at the least be mostly TWE movie stills. That's a great PT movie by the way RJC.
Even the dockside shot is a TWE still:
From the movie, Andy Small ID'ed the docked boats and you can see the landmarks are the same as in the above image:
2 more from the FSU site, you can see a microphone boom in the upper right on the 1st one, not sure if the 2nd was from the movie:
From the movie:
I was going through a bunch of screenshots I took of TWE and noticed this .50 cal smoke ring. I'm not sure what's at the tip of the barrel, it almost looks like the bullet coming out but I don't know if that's possible without a special camera setup. It could also be some powder flash:
Lightened up, and John Wayne at the wheel:
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Dec 19, 2020 - 6:09am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
Makes you wonder how many other historical items are incorrectly labeled. You often see fake and fantasy items in Civil War displays and they can fool you if you dont have an eye for them.
Looks like its the same with WW2. These items have been labeled as part of a vets collection, and purported to be taken during the war.
So it does make one wonder.
Thanks to everyone. Lots to be learned on this forum
Posted By: RJC 1990 | Posted on: Dec 19, 2020 - 6:21am
Total Posts: 12 | Joined: Dec 16, 2020 - 10:46am
To show you how ingrained the fake Hollywood films can become. Just watch any news program when they commemorate Pearl Harbor. You will see footage from John Ford's movie December 7th, complete with Dauntless dive bombers with meatballs on the sides and wings!
Posted By: Stearman | Posted on: Dec 19, 2020 - 8:22pm
Total Posts: 150 | Joined: Nov 1, 2017 - 9:38pm
Oh you do make a point!
Completely forgot about the Pearl Harbor footage,
Posted By: RJC 1990 | Posted on: Dec 20, 2020 - 7:15am
Total Posts: 12 | Joined: Dec 16, 2020 - 10:46am
RJC;
There used to be a mostly complete “Final Disposition “ list of personnel for MTB RON 3, at West Point. Their archives website, I can’t seem to find it now with Google search. I found it years ago while searching for info on Grover DeLong. Fortunately, I made a copy of it, and I have it on thumb drive at home. I am currently on travel, when I get home I will forward you a copy.
Take care and Happy Holidays,
TED
Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Dec 20, 2020 - 7:45am
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am
Ted
Thank you so much!
Please travel safe, and Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Posted By: RJC 1990 | Posted on: Dec 20, 2020 - 10:19am
Total Posts: 12 | Joined: Dec 16, 2020 - 10:46am
We've seen the same with PT memorabilia RJC, sellers will claim a PT relation to jack up the price.
I wonder if Navy sailor Roy Gerald King, whose photos are on the FAU site and who wasn't a PT man, had a hand in TWE's production. That would explain why they were with his collection.
Yah Stearman, in this 'They Were Expendable' still, the Zero is actually a T-6 Texan:
[image]http://www.pt103.com/images/TWE_50cals.jpg[/image]
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Dec 21, 2020 - 5:48am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
Has anyone advised FSU of the error of the documentation? It seems that finding the error is just the first step in correcting the record. For history to be accurate we all have a responsibility to admit to, and point out so that they may be corrected, false and/or misleading historical evidence and accounts.
Just my opinion.
Posted By: JEno | Posted on: Dec 21, 2020 - 5:59am
Total Posts: 73 | Joined: Oct 13, 2019 - 9:52am
JEno
Yes I am looking into the reporting this and pull together all the evidence to support that they are not as purported.
Posted By: RJC 1990 | Posted on: Dec 21, 2020 - 7:11am
Total Posts: 12 | Joined: Dec 16, 2020 - 10:46am
The fourth shot is not even a PT boat.
Will
Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Dec 21, 2020 - 9:18pm
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm
The other boat is not a Vosper. It's a 63' Miami Shipbuilding Co. ARB (crashboat).
Posted By: alross2 | Posted on: Dec 22, 2020 - 2:55am
Total Posts: 993 | Joined: Oct 30, 2006 - 8:19pm
Good catch on the crashboat!
Posted By: Stearman | Posted on: Dec 23, 2020 - 8:13pm
Total Posts: 150 | Joined: Nov 1, 2017 - 9:38pm
RJC;
I am home now. FYI SC 1/C William H. Posey (NSN: 2622622) was originally assigned to PT 35.
However, as time went on many crewmembers operated on different boats to meet operational commitments.
Send me an e-mail address, using the little envelope above, and I will send you copies of what I have.
Take care,
TED
Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Jan 5, 2021 - 10:16am
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am
Thank you sir!
Just sent you an email
Posted By: RJC 1990 | Posted on: Jan 6, 2021 - 4:23pm
Total Posts: 12 | Joined: Dec 16, 2020 - 10:46am
As a historical note on this forum there was a large discussion thread, 10-years ago, posting about the boats used in the movie, such as PT 41:
[b]They Were Expendable movie:[/b] - Original 2011 post by [b]Victor Chun[/b]
The Link below actually starts on Page2 Where I comment and mark-uped many screen captures I made from the movie, followed by other member postings. I noticed a marked-up photo I did back then describing the boats in some Facebook posting, see the image below, couple of replies further below from Jeff D. I hope other interested in the boats and movie will read all or our discussion back then by making a link to the Original Posted started by Victor Chun in 2010.
[url]http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?fid=102&cid=101&tid=2413&st=10&nd=20&pg=1&sc=20[/url]
Similar subject matter continued on December 2015 -
Original post by [b]Ted Walther[/b]
Some additional photos were posted by [b]Charlie (29navy)[/b]
[url]http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?fid=102&cid=101&tid=3968&st=0&nd=10&pg=1&sc=20[/url]
Hope all will enjoy.
Dick . . .
Posted By: Dick | Posted on: Jan 23, 2021 - 2:27pm
Total Posts: 1417 | Joined: Aug 27, 2006 - 6:36pm
I see the Magic Photo Fixing Fairy came by! Geez that had to be a lot of work... $#@!&* photobucket... Thank you Dick for all you do for us.
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Jan 25, 2021 - 6:41am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
You know Jeff . . . .
About halfway through with all the photo relinking, what a hassle, I wished I hadn't - But stuck with it anyway, because it was an active topic back then and a lot of work went in to it, way, way back in the ole' days.
Dick . . . .
Posted By: Dick | Posted on: Jan 25, 2021 - 1:34pm
Total Posts: 1417 | Joined: Aug 27, 2006 - 6:36pm