Battle Stations: PT Boats (War History Documentary)
2014 ж. 26 Сәу.
2 360 048 Рет қаралды
Battle Stations: PT Boats (War History Documentary)
These boats were WWII's most heavily armed fighting boats. Screwed and glued together on a hull made of wood, they were nicknamed "The Devil Boats of the Night".
I miss THIS History Channel.😢
my father was a radio operator on a PT boat... Not sure the number ... He really enjoyed our visit to the PT boat museum in Fall River MA.
Believe it or not I learned about PT boats from the tv show McHales Navy PT 73. Loved them ever since
It's a pity the History Channel seems to have little interest in this "HISTORY" programming any more. Thank you for sharing.
My Dad was the Skipper of PT-65. He passed a few years ago at age 94, what a great guy. The only time I saw him cry was during the funeral for JFK. Still miss him a lot !!!
I tip my hat to your dad. Well done sir.
@@watsisbuttndo829 Thanks much !
I wish the History Channel would go back to showing shows like this, getting a little tired of the "Reality Shows".
Never gonna happen. It would require competent management, and like most other Suits they are having too much fun running a good thing into the ground for what little cash they can squeeze out of it quickly. And, if people knew more about their own history, it might be harder to manipulate us.
Diversity, Liberalism, and Political correctness is more important to these fiends. Turn off the TV, and use your time teaching your children reading writing and arithmetic, because their brains are being dumbed to a Liberal stupor if you let them go to school.
@@totallysmooth1203 I agree with that and for your info I don't have a TV at home only at work where I am a Firefighter, and secondly we did home school our kids.
@@patrickholland6848 All this got going under Lyndon Johnson. He truly destroyed the American civilization.
@@totallysmooth1203 Seems your mind is wasted with Republicans lies. Sad. so sad. Soon your racist leader Trump will be wasting at Rikers Island
As long as McHales Navy continues, the PT boat won’t be forgotten!
If only the history Channel was still this good
They been taken over by social justice warriors. Gag me with a spoon...
@@phillipbrewster969 They have been taken over by Ancient Aliens and UFO's and all that crap!
You mean you don't like Goober and the Scrap Pickers?
It is sad. But i get why they have away(money) but it was nice to learn about all this random crap. And not just crap that's random
@DanOfTheWild smart whites??? Yeah,that is just plain ignorant,illogical and racist ....Quite disgusting and pathetic
My Dad Captained a reconditioned PT as a fishing boat in Florida. The boat was known as the Fastest Fishing Boat In Florida ca;1956? Hemingway was a passenger to Biminy on several occasions...
My dad was the second officer of a standard oil Tanker (aviation gas) during WW-2. He told me that whenever a PT boat pulled up along side after having escorted them to their destination the PT crew would ask if they had anything good to chow on. Standard Oil Co stocked those Tankers with the best chow possible and they would always share it generously with the PT Boat guys.
Very interesting. Thanks for relating it.
Thank you for sharing. My dad served on pt but my mom didn't like him talk about it.
Thats an interesting story most people don't realize that PTs were short range Boats they were shipped to the south pacific and the Mediterranean on Liberty ships because they ate too much gas.
The fact they showed "acquired" aircraft ball turrets just proves these guys turned anything into an armament improvement.
Oh that's nothing one crew "borrowed" a anti tank gun. These boats where flexible and the crew was wanting to make the Japanese as misrible as possible
I watch this video - have been watching - every 12 to 16 months....and I never get tired of it! It's like visiting an old friend. If I win a big lottery I should like to buy some time on a restored PT!
I miss watching Battle stations a lot this was my favorite show to watch on TV
My uncle was a MoMM1c on PT132 and later Chief Motor Mac on PT116. He received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star in the Philippines. He had quite story. God Bless our heroes.
Hand Salute . . . Ready Front 🇺🇸
@@paulsuprono7225 9m?0 po 9 if ob
What was your uncle's name? I would like to check my PT roster. Thanks👍🇺🇸
@@paulsuprono7225 🇺🇲 Our true HEROES ! NOT the over-paid premadonnas that we call heroes of today ! The boats themselves, are true heroes, badly warn, but still pushing on ! These crews, and the equipment they were running, pressed on, in the extreme face of real danger, no glory expected ! But yet, they answered the call ! 🇺🇲
BBgtþģ
I have 2 PT boat V 12 Packards and they are a work of art.
my dad use to build pt boats as a sea bee andd actually had the blue prints for many years . I think he saaid they could build a boat in 6 days total except the engines were alwayyys back ordered
I like the way they chose a German ship as the thumbnail image for a PT boat documentary.
As a guy I know would say it's history but deserves to be remembered
Thanks. I've always appreciated the Motor Torpedo Boats.
"Give me a fast ship for I plan to go into harms way" "in harm's way" is one of John Wayne's last movies in Black and White. It was shot in 1959 (the same year I was born) and came out in 1960. 61 years ago it was my father's favorite movies, and he made sure I saw it. This was in the time when there was no VHS or CDs. Watch it, it's worth it.
Why bring up Marion Morrison? He never served but served himself.
@@brianpeck4035 WTF are you talking about?
@@Buzbikebklyn1 John Wayne was a racist, a homophobe, a wife beater and a fake soldier. They've even deemed him unworthy and removed his name from an California airport
@@tommypetraglia4688 I'm not doubting anything that was said about him, I'm just making the point about the saying and how it was like the movie.
@@tommypetraglia4688 Ernest Borgnine really served at least. Had a thing for the ladies...
You say: "Burned unceremoniously." I say: "VIKING FUNERALS FOR THESE AMAZING BOATS."
My father was on MacArthurs staff from Australia onto the end of the war. While watching this documentary my brother spotted him standing next to the general. Wow after 75 years. After the war my father raised several PT,s that had been scuttled in Manila Bay. Once raised and the Packard’s replaced with diesel he sold them to General Chiang Kai-shel.
Awesome!
So much value thrown away. Foolish. Mybfriends father said he burnt aviator boots in England so not to hurt industry sales with army surplus
Back when the History Channel actually did history. I just wish that had given some more detailed descriptions of the boats' combat operations against cruisers and destroyers.
Because of a movie, "They Were Expendable", I fell in love with PT boats. Too bad none exist, they would have made great speed cruisers today. In fact because of John Wayne, Robert Montgomery, Ward Bond, Stewart Granger, others in WW2 Navy based movies &, my Uncle Joe (ADC), I joined the Navy, retired Aviation Electrician's Mate Chief, served will pride! Still proud of the Blue & Gold. My mother cursed them because I joined. My father I caught beamed with pride. He served with the Army in Burma in WW2.
This is the best PT Boat documentary I have ever seen.
@@walterdove8727 I am surprised not to have seen this before now! But I'm glad I finally did. It was great.
Watched McHales Navy a lot back when. Good show and showed the PT Boat a lot.
My father was Chief Engineering Officer (Commander) on a PT Boat in the Philippine sea. One night he went on deck for some fresh air and fell overboard c/- safety rail having been removed. In the water for 4 hours and thinking all was lost when a spotlight appeared and he was picked up. When the crew realised he was missing they turned the boat around and followed the phosphorescence trail (tropical waters) back until they found him. O.M.G. Didn't matter about tides or currents because the phosphor trail moved with them. Was I ever meant to be here. }}}:-O
🤔😉everything has a reason, my dad was in the Army Air Force and lost all of his mates by the end of the war that he had started out with, my dad loved to watch “ McHale’s Navy” and told me about JFK and the PT boats, I appreciate your dad’s service, among the greatest generation !!
We are all meant to be.
My bad natural born sheppard's
Great story, thanks for sharing it.
No money in preserving history Higher profits in reality shows
As a toys model collector when I was a kid one of my favorites was the PT 109 I had enough Model toys to start my own little army. Those were the days.
My father was a Boatswain's Mate on the U.S.S. Wachapreague, which was a P.T. Boat Tender. They would rendezvous with P.T. Boats at various spots in the South Pacific and resupply them with everything from toilet paper to torpedoes. P.T. crewmen would also use the ship's facilities to shower, shave, etc., as the P.T.s had pretty spartan accommodations.
Back when the History Channel was actually about history.
Thank You for this great video, as a son of a fisherman from the east coast of Canada I fell in love with the PT Boats the first time I saw them on the old black & white T/V when I was a kid and now that I’m in my mid 60’s (retired army) Still have that love for the AWSOME PT BOATS , and it broke my heart when I learned that some soul less jerk ordered them to be destroyed, what a shame, I salute all of the brave men who sailed on them, men with nerves made of steel.
My dear father served on a MTB in the the Med and was mentioned in dispatches, thankfully i still have his bronze oak leaf. Still missing you .
Hand Salute . . . Ready Front ! 🇺🇸
Send my respect for your dad.
MiD…British understatement at its best; a legacy to be proud of for sure.
The only command that could look at submarines and call them _Ritzy._
Just an excellent video. Excellent! Thank you.
I was born on an MTB in 1947 and didn’t ever sleep ashore till 1954. I went to school talking about gangplanks, bunks, cabins, bulkheads, galley and portholes. Other kids talked ‘funny’
thats pretty cool. Be cool to hear more of your story
I was sort of the same deal born in the back of 3 Stingray I talk about split windows fuel injection and four and floor and kids said I talked funny.
Best internet comment in a long long time 😅
My dad drank torpedo juice when he was in the Navy from 50-53. He told me they drained it from the gyrocompasses on the torpedoes. It made for some interesting sights during gunnery practice.
And the torpedoes missed every target. No juice!
My uncle Leo Piersall served aboard PT 532. In late 1944, maybe November, they received 5 inch rockets. Shot out of 4x4 launcher, they could shoot 16 rockets in seconds. He mentioned they weren't too bad to reload. A Devil Boat is a rocket equiped patrol boat. They were very effective and gave these 80 foot plywood craft a punch they did not have prior. Also in April 1943 they began installing radar set on some boats; one out of four or six. By the time October came around and PT 532 launched all PTs were equipped with radar. This greatly aided navigation as many boats were lost to reef hangups. Also they could separate from a target to reload the rockets and track and reacquire it with radar. Fewer barges escaped at night from radar equiped Devil boats in November 1944 compared to Guadalcanal two years earlier. Radar in 1943 and rockets in 1944. I imagine being found in the dark of night was devilish for the Japanese. Especially by a rocket boat - Devil boat.
Settlehowar
I have seen a video of a restored PT boat. The rocket launchers are 4x2 configuration with one on the Starboard and Port Bow.
General MacArthur "I have returned" .. No General.. We have returned
My Father who in the Pacific Theater from beginning to end the horrible conflict called WWII, had nothing but good things to say about the craft & crews of these warships. He was a Tech IIII Sargent radio operator ( with a target on his back ) on "All" those islands. Thanks so much for sharing this information. James.
adding radar was a huge improvement...being out there in the black of night was pretty scary without it....
Excellent documentary about the PT Boats. They save McArthur, they take him back. They were the first to inflict the fatal blow to the Japanese aircraft bombing Pearl Harbor, they were the force to be reckoned with in the Pacific and the Atlantic and beyond. Then to be unceremoniously destroyed by the same government they fought the war for in WW2. Reminds me of the way some of our veterans have been treated, disposable.
Eh, actually, IIRC, didn't McArthur land from an LCP/LCVP, or similar landing craft, rather than from a PT boat, at least on his return to Luzon...?
Well there are those pictures of him walking down a ramp of some landing craft but I'm sure that was all photo-OP type pictures.
@@garykarr3948: Nope! As far as I'm aware, the photo op was exactly what he did; the he grumbled later about having wet feet etc. I believe the troops had themselves a good laugh at that one...
Mc Arthur dead would have save 1000s of people in his the ill-decided ego-campaign to take phillipines prematurely because of his promise...
The US Navy should have given all those PT boats to the Philipino people to use as a local patrol/customs boat. Knowing the Philipino people, those boats might STILL be sailing today.
No. They were plywood... My old man was on the 168... The sea around RP is full of nasty worms that eat wood boats... Good idea though... I was in the navy during Vietnam... Knowing the navy I wouldn't be surprised if a few of them found their way into the hands of some people their or Indonesia.... If it's not bolted down it will disappear... Old navy saying... John. V. Conti E4 D116174.....
One was given to a Cargo Cult leader Pacific Islander who like every boat owner in history was joyful to get one and then joyful to get rid of it . In his case he had no idea of the amount and the quality of the fuel that it drank ! Thirsty boats they were !
The US Navy was wasteful , At wars end they pushed many F4U corsairs over board . The Brits did not want to pay for the lend-lease planes so the US Navy made them disappear. It is really sad.
The Navy didn't want to pay for the upkeep. Many were burned to the keel.
They were worn out after 5 years.
Back a long time ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth, When I was a second class Boy Scout, I became sick ( probably heat exhaustion) while at my first summer camp on Catalina Island of the left coast, my leaders somehow got me a ride back to the mainland on a decommissioned modified PT boat for civilian use. What a great ride.
McHale's Navy PT 73 did a lot for the US Navy !
My favorites are the programs that feature the brave men that were there. Model makers around the globe will never let the Mosquito Navy be forgotten.
The obvious key to their success was speed and manoeuvrability. They might lack all the shooting power of a destroyer, but they made up for it with a supreme hit and run capability. What a great story.
FYI: The original name of the naval vessel called "destroyer" was "torpedo boat destroyer".
My father in the early years of WW 2 was a sergeant of the MP assigned in the harbor of Cebu City, Philippines when he was ordered to organize a rescue party for the PT boat that was hitb by a Japanese sea plane. Those PT boats had just delivered General MacArthur in Zamboanga in southern island of Mindanao for an escape plane to Australia.
When the History Channel was just THAT, about history! !
WOW!!!! A TRUE American HERO and LEADER, right up there with Ike! RIP Vice Admiral John D. Bulkeley!!!!
PT boats are awesome, idk why but they just kick ass and the fact you can arm and even armor them to be epic killers even more
An engrossing documentary. Historical footage and modern digital effects are used seamlessly to tell a story that stays focused on the men who crewed these boats. Current History Channel producers might take notice.
Agreed!
They wont though
Why bother when you can just make a show about a pawn shop? AHC still has good shows. So many pertain to WW2 that AHC should stand for Adolt Hitler Channel, not American Hero Channel. Reality tv has ruined many of the channels I watched as a kid. I remember when TLC was The Learning Channel. Now its just little people and obese people. Thank god for KZhead.
Folks, History Channel is now owned by Paramount, is a 'reality tv' channel and is broadcast with 24 minutes of commercials per hour. Notice that at least 10 min would be edited out of any older content.
A lot of the PT boat's success throughout the war would not have been possible without the "Intelligence" passed on by the "Coast Watchers" throughout the islands, of Japanese ship movements.
Absolutely. Reporting then hiding in jungles They are still finding left behind radios in the Philippines islands
Coast watchers were also stationed in remote areas in the Northern Territories and North Queensland in Australia also New Guinea, often a lonely task requiring a considerable skill and endurance. In Australia a considerable number were Indigenous Aboriginal men who were very adept in these remote posts.
PT 305 and PT 658, both Higgins-built PT boats, have been fully restored and are running. The 658 in Portland, Oregon and the 305, on Lake Ponchitrain in New Orleans.
I'm glad to hear that. I was wondering that exact thing. Love to see one sometime.
You can actually purchase a ride on one thru the National World War 2 museum in downtown New Orleans, LA. Reservations are not required but are recommended.
@@mikebowen3315 Yep, PT 305, an actual combat veteran of the Mediterranean Theatre. There are some excellent videos out there about the boat.
Great documentary, every one, man & boy heroes. The segment on JFK demonstrates his humanity as a worthy President, in my humble opinion.
Life on the PT boats must have been very exciting but terribly uncomfortable. You had to be young and a little crazy to serve on one them.
I think specially in the south pacific it would have been great duty and of most soldiers were pretty young but I think life on a PT which has a station would be a lot better than a WW2 submarine where you are confined in a small closed space specially when under attack by depth charges.
In 2023 any of these men would be 98 years old or older. My farther passed away summer of 2022. He was 95 years old. He graduated in May of 1944 but didn’t turn 18 until December. He joined the Navy and did basic training and Radio School in Sampson NY. By the time he shipped out, the war was coming to a close. He was on APA 188 on his way to the Philippine when they dropped the bombs. He was among the youngest WW2 veterans.
My dad in the late 50s bought two from the US Coast Guard (Engines and Guns removed) pull them out of the water and burnt them and hired a bunch of us boys to pick up all the brass crews and copper wire. He took this metal to New Orleans and sold it to the scrap metal buyers. There were Thousands brass screws and hundreds of pounds of wire.
What a great video but such a sad ending for the PT boats...
The Greatest Generation. God Bless All of You.
my grandpa used to brag about how these boats worked like everything. they were generic, made in great numbers, were powerful, look absolutely fantastic hydrodynamic, and cheep to make. he still wondered how a war machine made of simple wood: yep, wood,--could do such wonderswow. thanks 4 posting
The Brits made a quite deadly aircraft of wood, the DeHavilland Mosquito. Powerful fighter bomber with speed to spare.
@@jamessweet5341 thanks, but no need for any proof. these boats are proof enough. man can make anything and everything into a deadly killing machine, OR into a lovely helpful piece of comfort
In Fall River, MA can be found The PT Boat Museum. There are several PT's on static display. Good part of the museum is you can Join them. It is a sort of a club.
Fall river,,, I know that city from another event that happened there long ago. Very cool about the Patrol Torpedo boat museum there.
Thanks, BB! I'll have to go see it!
If you haven't been to Fall River, it's worth the trip!
@@tarasbulba3190 Agreed! So sad the PT parts were closed for renovation when I went some years ago but intend to return just for them!
@@samsilberstein8758 You will be pleased. Hope you make it there. Enjoy and Good Luck!!!👍
A member of my VFW Post 5220, was a PT Sailor. Great Guy, Fair winds and following sea my friend RIP.
Much like the light bomber, the De Havilland Mosquito - not only also made of wood, but the roles and properties were quite comparable.
That's why it was called the "Mosquito Fleet"
"They Were Expendable" is a great book about the PT boats in the Philippines.
Great book! Read it years ago.
Is it what the movie is based on ?
@@charlesfiscus4235 Yes, the movie is loosely based on the book.
@@thorinpalladino2826 just like anything they're loosely based
I read that book as a kid with a big world atlas alongside. Followed all their movements through the islands.
Some great pre-war footage in this.
It's sad they were eventually set ablaze but A) the motors were pretty well worn out, and B) there is a reason few boats are made of wood today. They were simply not built to last. Wood becomes waterlogged and rots. The frame construction used would have accelerated that process. Water was trapped between the frame members, and salt water at that. You could not take a waterlogged boat and put it on land to store it, when it dried out it would loosen screws. I see a lot of comments about the navy could have done this or that, but it would cost more to maintain them. They lasted for a few years and then self destructed almost by design. "Restoring" old wooden boats and airplanes pretty much means rebuilding them almost in their entirety.
Lll
P
Wooden boats are preserved by sea water, but if you stop using them at sea the upper structures start rotting as the rain water gets into them. It's use it or lose it with moored wooden boats.
The KZhead channel 'Ship Happens' chronicles a young family's efforts to restore a poorly treated WWII British version of the PT boat. As Bob Jones says, it is rain water that has done the worst damage.
Imagine if the PT boat fleet had Flex-seal!
They kind of did they kept a barrel of sticky tar and kept several 4'×4' wood patches if they got blasted by any shells they could very easily slap the sticky tar on a side of a patch and plug any holes up to 3ft round in a matter of seconds. I had an uncle who served on one he told me all about having to patch holes when not operating the lower backside 50. He had awsome adventures, different times..
@Ender >>>> It woulda sank... I think Hochimin made Flex Seal/
Imagine if the PT boat had torpedoes that worked...
Finally! A PT Boat documentary that doesn't spend all the time talking about Kennedy.
Read and loved the book, "The Mosquito Fleet" when I was a kid, and several times more...wish I still had it.
I remember that one.
The first model kit I ever built ( over 40 yrs. ago) was of PT 109.
The 1943 switch from tubes to racks required different torpedoes, the mark 8 torpedoes used early in the war had to be launched straight and level or the guidance gyros would not work right. The replacement mark 13 was designed for aircraft use and could roll without messing up the guidance. Some of the weight savings was because the mark 13 was lighter. It was also shorter, which freed up deck space. It even carried a bigger warhead than the mark 8, but the tradeoff was it was slower and shorter ranged. Since PT boats typically attacked at night from close range, the reduced range was thought to be a good trade-off. The roll off racks avoided various sorts of malfunctions that plagued the tubes, such as lubricants in the tube igniting at launch, leaving the tube on fire, the propellant charges getting wet and fizzling, and the ultimate nightmare of a torpedo getting stuck in the tube with the motor running -- torpedoes relied on being immersed in seawater for cooling, and if the motor ran long enough while stuck in the tube the motor would often explode (the warhead would not detonate, but having the motor explode, usually scattering lethal fragments and burning fuel across the deck, was bad enough).
The MK 13 is an electric torpedo.
@@johnsathe2429 No, the mk 13 engine was a conventional wet-heater design burning alcohol oxidized by compressed air. Perhaps you are confusing it with the mk 18 submarine torpedo, which was electric?
@@WalkaCrookedLine Just realized I tried to put in MK 24 and it ended up coming out 13. Really had nothing to do with this conversation, but the SLMM was Peru fascinating with all the actual stealth it had. Back to the PT Boats, the MK 13 was really pretty good for its age, being 20+ years old when the war started.
This was great. Not only did I learn about PT boats, it also felt like I was back in Ibiza, almost got the glow sticks and whistle out
twenty years ago i was at a car boot in Scotland and got a r.c p.t boat it was the best 50 pence ever spent.. it lasted playing in the north sea for years
Brilliant video, thank you.
Today, there are two operational PT boats in their WWII configuration (though there are some modified PT boats operating as civilian vessels). They are PT-658 in Portland, Oregon, and PT-305, the last operational PT boat with a combat record (it served in the Mediterranean), which operated by the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are both 78’ Higgins boats, and for a few hundred dollars, you can get a ride on either boat. PT-305 was even covered on national news when it made its first post-restoration voyages on Lake Pontchartrain, which is where it conducted its first trials before fighting in Europe in WWII.
The Liberty Aviation Museum 3515 East State Road Port Clinton, OH 43452
he Liberty Aviation Museum is currently in the process of restoring PT-728, a WWII Vosper PT boat, reconfigured to resemble an Elco PT. The restoration is nearling completion, and visitors can view the progress of the project at the museum. Follow the PT-728 ThomCat Facebook Page to keep up with the latest information and photos regarding the PT-728 restoration project.
?mm2x
Very nice. Thanks for shining a light on an often overlooked subject.
Somewhere along the line there were three steel PT boat hulls made and one of them wound up being used as a recreational dive boat that is based in Grand Cayman Island. Likely still in use to this day. I spent a couple of mornings on it being ferried to different dive locations near the island, one of the dives was called Tarpon Alley and the other was Spanish Anchor.
Wow super cool story !
There are four aluminum Osprey PTF 23, 24, 25, 26.the odd numbered boats were on the east coast the even on the west coast
battle ship cove in Fall river Massachusetts has 2 pt boats in their collection and they are in a closed building as well as the uss Massachusetts and a destroyer and a Gato class submarine I've been there a number of times in my life being a former Navy sailor
Duncan Harding (penname) writes fiction about these boats and it really does give you a sense of how brave these fellas were. any surface ship encounter is a frightening fight to the death with odds against and an air attack a truly terrifying brush with certain destruction.
Looks like big fun. Reminds me of flying helicopters in Nam.
Great watch!! Thanks v much!!!
*" I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not go fast ;* *For I intend to go in harms way ". ------------ John Paul Jones*
My dad was skipper of PT 373, the PT boat that carried MacArthur back to the Philippines, as mentioned in the film. I know he was skipper by July of that year, because there are some after-action reports extant from that time that he was co-author of with his partner craft, PT 359. Whether he was on PT 373 in a subordinate position when they ferried MacArthur remains unknown to me so far, but if there are Naval archives that have that information, I hope to find out at some point.
Admiration and respect to your Dad from the Midwest.
@@seansky2721 Thank you. That's where he ended up, actually. He went back to Va to finish his PhD, and then became an English professor at U-Mich. I laughed when I read that he was co-author of the after-action report. They got the right guy for the job if it involves writing!!!
The national archives in Washington has the WWII PT deck logs. You should go and check it out.
@@tarasbulba3190 Thank you!! I get up to DC every now and then, and I’ll make a point to check it out.
@@drewby613 You won't be disappointed! Good luck!!! 🇺🇲
So basically it's a fighter aircraft, but made for the ocean.
My Da was on PT's, a great man- still got his "ron" patch & piece of flag. Miss ya pop. Bri
Hand Salute . . . Ready Front ! 🇺🇸
I know you are proud of and miss him. they were a hardy generation . We should never forget the sacrifice they made for our freedom.
@@erniecamp6945 ì III buttery ol Njj7
They would have been heavily armed had their torpedoes functioned. 80% defective from the factory the torpedoes were the negating factor on four disparate weapons platforms: PT Boats, Torpedo Bombers, Fletcher Class Destroyers, Gato Class Submarines. Each torpedo cost as much as a 4 bedroom house in the California Bay Area. In the Battle of Blacket Straight, PT Boats salvoed off 30 recording no explosions, no hits. At Battle of Tassafaranga, Destroyers salvoed off 24, no explosions no hits all torpedoes beached. At Surigao Straight in the Philipines in 1944 another 78 salvoed off recording no hits or explosions. Submarine torpedo failures were 'top secret'. No accountability. The CO of the Pacific was Admiral Nimitz a onetime Submarine commander.
Thanks for pointing that out
My grandfather was a coast guard officer who helped guard the Higgins docks and my grandmother was chief stenographer for Andrew Higgins. As a funny coincidence my wife's uncle was a bicycle carrier at Higgins and went to my grandmother's office every day. Since I lived with those grandparents, there was Higgins memorabilia all over the house including photos of the Higgins PT boats on trials in Lake Pontchartrain. Andrew Higgins had the foresight to buy up every bit of mahogany he could before the war, which his PT boats were made of. When a new PT boat was commissioned the crew found a brand new radio other than the military radios, for the crew to enjoy popular music with. Sadly, after the war, with Andrew's son at the helm of the business, took that mahogany and made it into flooring for thousands of veteran's suburban houses bought with their GI loans and the floors warped, ruining Higgins industries.
I worked with an old man who was in the Philippines when MacArthur left on the PT boats. He swore that MacArthur had an entire PT boat loaded with his furnishings. He would spit on the ground and swear a blue streak every time you mentioned MacArthur's name.
that was b/s.. they didn't have the room for furnishings....just a rumor..
MacArther was a dick and really abused his power at the time.
" Dug out Doug " certainly has a repitation. I wonder what his troops thought of him on the " Bataan Death Marcn"?
This is what heroes look like .
Any documentary on these boats and their brave crews that fails to mention their almost complete lack of effective torpedo hits has failed to tell the story accurately. They did their best, and they helped, but their deeds are almost always overstated.
pt 59 is credited with sinking a japanese submarine, but you're probably right they were not quite as effective as the general narratives suggest. That goes for the p-38 (in Europe) and the Stuart M3 tank too. Reports of actual success in battle for that tank are almost non-existent, but it's mentioned quite a bit in the literature.
Even ignoring the poor performance of the torpedoes, trying to hit a moving target at a distance with a torpedo is very difficult, and apparently the PT boats only had primitive aiming system. Just hitting a static target from a boat that is bouncing around would be very challenging.
The torpedos that had were crap, most if they hit would not explode, why the torpedo tubes were scrapped and more larger guns installed !!!
45 Knotts! That's 52 MPH! Pretty impressive for a craft that size in 1940 weighing 50 tons and also considering the armament and torpedoes. Great Documentary!
yea good boat
Three Packard 2500 v12 marine engines, fed with purple avgas. 4000+ hp, with crazy agility. My grandfather served in the Pacific on them.
James Neumann Yes, they were quite amazing and in regards to that AV Gas purple you are talking about my Father was the shift foreman at the first plant to make that gas down here in Louisiana. It at that timed was called the C.V.C. plant and i cannot remember what that nomenclature stood for. It was a military thing, 'nuff said. Your Grandpa was one of the many brave men that answered the call of his country and I for one have not forgotten the courage they displayed. I cannot imagine being on a boat made of plywood at in the middle of the Pacific facing Japanese Destroyers and Battle Ships! That my friend was a courageous display of either bravery or insanity, but either way - they gotter done!
ChuckHydro It was truly remarkable to listen to him. He did not discuss it until very late in his life - he made my daughter's eyes open wide describing 3000 gallons of Avgas, 4 torpedoes, and tons of 40mm Bofors, .50BMG ammo and NO armor plate! His description of a night engagement with a Japanese frigate was "high pucker factor" to say the least. At 18 years old!!! Very cool to hear about your dad. The guys and gals who worked in factories and mills worked their asses off during the war.
James Neumann I just bet his experiences were! If it had been me I would have been biting "Washers" out of the seat with my Butt! Hahahaha!
☝🏻🇺🇸 Salute to All Veteran's that's Served In the American Military Service Thank You One Veteran to The Other 💝❤💜💙❣
YES, Thanks to all the VETS!
Read "Devil Boats". Excellent eye-witness accounts given by PT-ers--particularly John Bulkeley's rescue of Mac.
Torpedo were mine during the civil war. The problem with high speed boats in ruff sea is the screw gets damaged easily. They are sitting ducks in the water when aircraft are around.
I miss the real history channel.
It died in 2005 : ( All became scripted, spin doctored bs : (
It's like watching elementary school Reich-Wing propaganda now. Laughable at some points.
I used to watch nothing but the history channel and the discovery channel as a kid
What, you don't like that aliens channel?
Madam, you have failed miserably in your effort to malign Conservatives!!
My late grandfather SERVED on PT boats! The funny thing is that he was going to serve on submarines, but he didn't like sleeping above a torpedo. So, he volunteered for PT boat duty... 😁😁
I never understood why Kennedy was hailed as a hero for letting the fastest most maneuverable boat in the fleet get rammed by an enemy ship.
He wasn't. He earned his medal for saving the crew afterwards.
He was idling in pitch-black conditions waiting and watching for Japanese destroyers. One came out of the dark at 35-40 knots. There wasn't time to throttle up and get out of the way.
@@SteveF1967 While most navy Captains would have been court-martialed for dereliction of duty.
Who watched "McHale's Navy"?
👋🏼😎 I did.
I did😎
The original...
I did!
that was a Vosper pt boat not an Elco
Miss the old history channel
So proud of our Navy.. my Father ship was sunk 2 times and survived midway, and later Saipan
How is a ship sunk 2 times? =p
@@daveygivens735 I expect he was on two different ships that were sunk.
My Dad R.I.P. was an engineer on a PT in the Pacific, went almost totally deaf...
WHAT?!?
I think almost everybody in real combat in WW2 had hearing damage
Check out the M-80 Stiletto. A fast ship that can go in about 2-1/2' of water.