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» Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic: Frank Ryczek, Jr.’s Tulagi Diorama Photos
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=635



Photos of Frank Ryczek Jr.’s, master piece dealing with the base at Tulagi and Ron 10.


[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Frank%20Ryczek%20Jr/Tulagi-16.jpg[/image]

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Frank%20Ryczek%20Jr/Tulagi-02.jpg[/image]

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Frank%20Ryczek%20Jr/Tulagi-04.jpg[/image]

[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Frank%20Ryczek%20Jr/Tulagi-14.jpg[/image]


SEE 19 MORE IMAGES HERE:

[url]http://s130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Frank%20Ryczek%20Jr/[/url]



Frank Andruss Sr,, scanned the images from photos given to him by Frank Ryczek Jr. Those scan where then cropped/sized, I also PhotoShopped them a little to pop them and then I uploaded to Photo Bucket.

Great job on the diorama,

Dick . . . .





Posted By: Dick | Posted on: Mar 4, 2008 - 9:38am
Total Posts: 1417 | Joined: Aug 27, 2006 - 6:36pm



Dick

Your the best for putting these on the message board for me. Now that I see the quality of the pictures, glad you did this before you got my E-Mail. Nice job Frank, the Diorama looks awesome.



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Mar 4, 2008 - 11:03am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am



Ahoy there Dick and Frank A.-

First of all, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to both of you guys for putting these pictures of my diorama on the message board. The pictures look great, nice and crisp!

I'll be displaying this diorama once again in May for Memorial Day weekend at the World War II Soldier's Show and Military Display at Fort Clinch State Park located in Fernandina Beach Florida within berracks building #1 along with other models depicting WW II built by members of my ship modeling club, The Pirate's FLAG Modeler's Club of Fernandina Beach. If any PT boaters are in my area, come on out and check out the displays and the live "blank" firing of the weapons used in both the European and Pacific areas of the war. There is a small fee to enter the fort (by carload) and another small fee to enter the fort.

Thanks again guys!

Frank Ryczek, Jr.
Modeler/Friend RON 10 PT- 169 "ZEBRA SNAFU "

HIGH TIDES ALWAYS!

YOUR FRIEND THROUGH SCALE SHIP MODELING AND PT BOAT HISTORY!

Posted By: FRANK | Posted on: Mar 4, 2008 - 4:39pm
Total Posts: 349 | Joined: Oct 7, 2007 - 2:09pm



Having had the wonderful chance to see the diorama in person, I can say that it is a master piece! Such detail and attention to all aspects of life on the base. It is awesome! Thanks again Frank!



Posted By: colleen | Posted on: Mar 5, 2008 - 6:03pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



Hi Frank
That's one beautiful diorama you have there.
So much going on . I only did 1 boat in stripes that was hard enough for me & you've done 2 . I like the wavy stripes .
Keep up the great work.


s.symonds

Posted By: muddyfields | Posted on: Mar 6, 2008 - 6:00am
Total Posts: 96 | Joined: Mar 1, 2007 - 7:09am



Ahoy there Muddy and Colleen-

Thank you both for the kind words guys.

Muddy fields- I had a very old picture of the 196 up on the step and in black and white. To me, the stripes looked like zebra stripes like I did on the 169! Upon doing a little more digging in an old issue of SEA CLASSICS magazine I found a very nice shot of the 196 showing her in wavy stripes. I further learned that when the 196 was launched in Bayonne, New Jersey, and being she was the last of the contract boats, a special treatment of factory equiped camofladge was applied. There were eight wavy lines just aft of the chart house on both sides of the hull ! When one of the co-workers first spied the 196 he quipped, "She looks like an octopuss!!!" Elco dubbed her "ELCOPUSS" as her nick-name which appears on my model. When she arrived in the South Pacific she was re-named- "GREEN DRAGON".

Colleen- Many thanks to you and your sister for taking a guided "tour" of my workshop/garage when you were visiting Jacksonville. I know you both were thrilled to see the diorama. Sorry that I couldn't take the whole display down under the circumstances with my operation to my knee, but you guys did get an eyefull of the sick bay up close! Colleen, you made my day! Thank you and your sister for the visit! The folks on this board are some of the nicest folks anywhere! When are you coming back to Jacksonville? The welcome mat is out!
Frank Ryczek, Jr
Modeler/Friend RON 10 PT-169 " ZEBRA SNAFU "


HIGH TIDES ALWAYS!

YOUR FRIEND THROUGH SCALE SHIP MODELING AND PT BOAT HISTORY!

Posted By: FRANK | Posted on: Mar 6, 2008 - 8:19am
Total Posts: 349 | Joined: Oct 7, 2007 - 2:09pm



Frank: The 196 was also named SHAMROCK and PURPLE SHAFT at various points in her existence.

Will

Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Mar 6, 2008 - 8:59am
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm



Frank R.
You did a marvelous job of recreating the base at Tulagi. I can't imagine the hours you must have spent with all the detail. Thank you for your time to further the knowledge ot P.T. Boats for future generations. Our 242 boat was at Tulagi for about 2 weeks around New Years 1944. At that time it was the major overhaul base for all the Solomons. We had been in a gun fight with some Jap barges off Bougainville (they lost) and had the head blown off one of our torpedoes. We were sent to Tulagi to get retrofitted for new Mk 13 torpedoes and new engines. We lived aboard the boat so I don't remember much about the buildings on the base. We did eat at the chow hall. I do remember the hugh bill board sign on the high bluff as you entered the harbor. "KILL JAPS, KILL MORE JAPS, KILL ALL THE YELLOW BELLIED BASTARDS" signed Adm. Bull Halsey. Also the sign over the dock "THROUGH THESE PORTAL PASS THE BEST MTB FLOTILLA IN THE WORLD".
Thanks again Frank for your patriotism.

C. J. Willis

Posted By: CJ Willis | Posted on: Mar 6, 2008 - 9:45am
Total Posts: 464 | Joined: Nov 5, 2006 - 5:02pm



C.J.

Have you ever thought about sharing your War Time experiences by putting your thoughts on Film or Audio Tape? You seem to have retained so much of what happened 62 years ago, and I for one would love to have a copy of your experiences. For that matter, I would hope more of you would do this as well. It would be a great wasy for us PT Boat Fanatics to feel what you felt in those days, and well, sort of walk in your shoes...............



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Mar 6, 2008 - 12:37pm
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am



Ahoy there CJ-

This diorama is NOT counted by hours that I put into it but rather by years- 10 + and still counting. I'm thrilled that you like what I did with it. It is still a work in progress- still refining- still tweaking the details and keeping it free of dust and cobwebs which is an on going process.

Just to let you know, I used a lot of actuall photos that were sent to me by veterans such as yourself who served on Tulagi. Do you have any photos from your service days on Tulagi that you would be willing to share not only with me, but as Frank A. has stated in the thread, it's all about you guys who were there. This here diorama would have never came to light if it were not for the help of servicemen, PT boaters and the like who have helped with the photos. Thanks again for the kind words!

Frank Ryczek, Jr.
Modeler/Friend RON 10 PT-169 "ZEBRA SNAFU "

HIGH TIDES ALWAYS!

YOUR FRIEND THROUGH SCALE SHIP MODELING AND PT BOAT HISTORY!

Posted By: FRANK | Posted on: Mar 6, 2008 - 3:59pm
Total Posts: 349 | Joined: Oct 7, 2007 - 2:09pm



Frank A. and Frank R:
No I have never thought of putting my experiences on film or tape. I write the comments that I put on this board mainly from incidents and places you guys bring up which reminds me of experiences and places we saw and did while on P.T. 242. I enjoy reading all you historians, modelers and PT vets comments about P.T. Boats. The Navy and P.T.'s took 3 years out of my life which I will never forget however it taught me discipline, perserverance and patients which has been beneficial all my life. It was duty, honor and love of country to serve. Also I have been blessed with the best wife in the world for over 63 years.

I have no pictures of Tulagi. None of my crew had a camera. I do have a picture of our P.T. 242 crew taken by the Squadron 19 photographer.

C. J. Willis

Posted By: CJ Willis | Posted on: Mar 6, 2008 - 6:59pm
Total Posts: 464 | Joined: Nov 5, 2006 - 5:02pm