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Topic: New member that lived on PT #614 in the 50's |
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John R
New Member
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Posted on: Oct 25, 2025 - 8:53am
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I am a new member and I am amazed that there are so many PT lovers out there.
When I was 7 years old in 1949 my mother said one dqy lets get a boat and sail away from all of this. Music to my father's ear so they went off looking for a boat and found PT # 614 in Flushing Bay. It was owned by 2 navy officers who wanted a farm. We happen to have a 125 acre Christmas Tree farm so we exchanged the farm for #614 and no money exchanged hands. So my family consisting of my older sister who was 10, my younger sister who was 5, and a 160 lb Great Dane now had a PT for home.
This was the start of our Caribbean adventure that my mother wrote about 70 years ago and I self published in 2023 titled Libby's Way: A Family's Caribbean Adventure. The book is available on Amazon and a fascinating read.
We traveled down the inland waterways to Florida with 3 Packard engines that were costing us 75 cents a mile. We replaced 2 of the Packard engines with Lathrop diesels in Miami. My father then got the idea to do Drive - Up Movies to the Bahamians so off we went to Bimini and the out island and showed Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rodgers and Looney tune cartoons to the Bahamians who had never seen movies before.
The next adventure was to get all the equipment and trucks needed and sail off to Port au Prince Haiti to build a charcoal factory in the mountains of Haiti where we lived for the next 2 years. By now you get the idea that my parents were very adventurous. Anyone who has read the book all have said what a crazy adventure you should make a movie of it.
So that is exactly what I am in the process of doing. I ran across this great forum to see if there were any PT's out there available. I guess I should leave this lenghty explaination but am open to any dialog that it may generate. Thanks for the time .......
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Total Posts: 5 | Joined:
Oct 21, 2025 - 4:32pm | IP
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Jerry Gilmartin
TOP BOSS
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 Posted on: Oct 27, 2025 - 6:12pm
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Just FYI,
I have already spoken to John and read this letter to the crew of PT658. We are trying to get him to come out and visit the 658 in the near term future. We sadly will be unable to allow the 658 to be used in any motion picture productions due to our charter. I am posting that info here to preclude numerous suggestions that he contact the 658, since he already has done so. Unfortunately he still needs your help in finding other options besides our boat. I hope he can post some of his photos here, I saw them and his parents boat was definitely an 80ft Elco! The transom still had the 6 mufflers etc. Please reach out to John if you can assist him.
Here is a photo taken last Thursday when we placed PT658 on the cradle for over winter repairs to hull. (Regular Upkeep)
Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR |
Total Posts: 1515 | Joined:
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Dick
Moderator
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Posted on: Oct 31, 2025 - 2:33pm
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Shown here are some photo send to me by John, about the book "Libby's Way and the family's Caribbean Adventure" and photos from it. Please enjoy the Elco PT 614.
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Andy Small
MASTER
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Posted on: Nov 1, 2025 - 3:43pm
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Hi John,
I'm the lead volunteer at the PT Boat Museum in Fall River, MA as well as on the board at ptboatsinc. We have the sister boat, PT-617. She is out of the water in a building, and I don't know what the legal situation is and don't think there are any restrictions, but I know our destroyer at battleship Cove has been a co-star in several movies.
Andy
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Total Posts: 273 | Joined:
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John R
New Member
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Posted on: Nov 5, 2025 - 4:46pm
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Andy thanks for the response. Yes pt#617 would be identical to what we lived on. As I get further along in the movie process I will see if they can use your wonderful boat. Are people allowed down below to see the innards of #617? I will definitely keep in touch in the near future
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Total Posts: 5 | Joined:
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TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Nov 13, 2025 - 12:19pm
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Hi John;
Welcome aboard!
What happened to PT 614 and when and where was it sold?
Take care,
TED
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Total Posts: 3100 | Joined:
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Gerry McGovern
Advanced Member
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Posted on: Nov 13, 2025 - 1:54pm
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Hi John, what an awesome experience you had! I can only suggest heading up to Kingston, NY where there are several PT-Boats in various sates of disrepair (some much worse than others). BUT, one of the boats is the ex-PT-615 (80' Elco and likely the sistership to your familie's boat)! She might be worth a look at for what you are looking for. I am not gonna lie, she needs a lot of work, but the hull was more intact than the others there. The ex-PT-486 is also there (also an 80' Elco), but her structure has been compromised and it might take quite a bit more money to get her floating.
Former crew member of the Big Blue Sightseer ex-PT 486 |
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John R
New Member
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Posted on: Nov 16, 2025 - 1:41pm
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Ted our PT 614 was sold to the president of Haiti in 1952 for $5000. which we needed to keep the charcoal factory alive . No idea what happened to it after that
but it was still in great shape.
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John R
New Member
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Posted on: Nov 16, 2025 - 1:44pm
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Gerry thanks for the post on the PT's in Kingston NY. Sounds like a road trip once we get past the winter in upstate NY.
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Gerry McGovern
Advanced Member
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Posted on: Nov 17, 2025 - 5:56am
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John, look up Fleet Obsolete in Kingston, NY for more information.
Former crew member of the Big Blue Sightseer ex-PT 486 |
Total Posts: 88 | Joined:
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