PT boat

At the outbreak of war in August 1914, W. Albert Hickman devised the first procedures and tactics for employing fast maneuverable seaworthy torpedo motorboats against capital ships, and he presented his proposal to Rear Admiral David W. Taylor, the chief of the US Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair. In September 1914, Hickman completed plans for a "Sea Sled" torpedo boat and submitted these to the Navy in hopes of obtaining a contract. While favorably received, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels rejected the proposal since the US was not at war, but Hickman was advised to submit his plans and proposal to the British Admiralty, which was done the following month. The Admiralty found it interesting but thought that "no fast boat of 50' to 60' length would be sufficiently seaworthy", so Hickman built and launched his own privately financed sea sled capable of carrying a single 18-inch Whitehead Mark 5 torpedo. The larger boat was used for experiments until 1930. In 1938, the US Navy renewed their investigation into the concept by requesting competitive bids for several different types of motor torpedo boats but excluded Hickman's sea sled. The winning design proposals would each receive a prize of $15,000 with $1,500 for designs that reached the final part of the competition each to be given out on 30 March 1939. The larger boat proposal required vessels not to exceed 80 feet in length and to carry at least two 21-inch torpedoes, four depth charges, and two .50-cal machine guns. The performance specification was to achieve 40 knots with an operating radius of 275 miles at top speed (550 miles at cruising speed). The smaller boat proposal required craft to weigh no more than 20 tons so that they could be easily transported by larger cargo ships. Top speed was also to be 40 knots, but specified operating radius was to be 120 miles at top speed and 240 miles at cruising speed. Armament for the smaller boats was to be either two torpedoes and two depth charges, or .50-cal machine guns and a smokescreen generator. These last two boats were constructed mainly out of aluminum and had 4 engines. Higgins built an additional PT-6 "Prime" redesigned by Andrew Higgins personally using his own methods. Later that same year, Higgins built PT-70 (at their own expense) that incorporated slight improvements over PT-6 Prime. Later, testing revealed shortcomings that had to be fixed before the designs could meet performance specifications. As a result, the Navy ordered further investigation and refinement of the existing designs until a satisfactory working design could be obtained. At the same time, Henry R. Sutphen of Electric Launch Company (Elco) and his designers (Irwin Chase, Bill Fleming, and Glenville Tremaine) visited the United Kingdom in February 1939 at the Navy's request to see British motor torpedo boat designs with a view to obtaining one that could be used as a check on the Navy's efforts. While visiting the British Power Boat Company, they purchased a private venture motor torpedo boat (MTB) design—PV70, later renamed PT-9—designed by the power boat racer Hubert Scott-Paine. PT-9 was to serve as the prototype for all the early Elco PT boats. After the initial competition, in late 1939 the Navy contracted Elco to build 11 copies of PT-9. Plywood Derby Background In March 1941, during a heavy weather run from Key West to New York by Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 2 (MTBRON 2), Elco 70-footers pounded heavily in waves even at moderate speeds, and seas continuously broke high over the bows. Operating personnel reported extreme discomfort and fatigue. All boats suffered from some sort of structural failure: forward chine guards ripped away, bottom framing under bows broken, side planking cracked [indicating lack of longitudinal strength], and other weaknesses were reported. In April MTBRON 1 reported enthusiasm over the 81-foot Higgins (PT-6), and with the PT-6 showing such good seakeeping, further purchase of Scott-Paine boats was unnecessary. In early 1941 the U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships lent Packard engines to both Huckins and Higgins, which wanted to build competitive boats at their own expense. A Chief of Naval Operations PT Boat Conference convened in May 1941 to discuss future PT characteristics. All PTs prior to the Elcos had been found defective, and it was probable the extended Elco would not be an improvement. The conference recommended a series of comparative tests to evaluate what turned out to be five new designs of motor torpedo boats. The conference strongly recommended that no more Elco 77-footers be ordered until the tests had shown that they were indeed satisfactory. Board of Inspection and Survey The Board of Inspection and Survey, headed by Rear Admiral John W. Wilcox Jr., conducted comparative service tests off New London, Connecticut, from 21 to 24 July 1941, using the following boats: • PT-6: Higgins; 3 Packard engines. • PT-8: Philadelphia Navy Yard; aluminum hull; 2 Allison engines, 1 Hall-Scott engine. • PT-20: Elco; 3 Packard engines; equipped with special propellers; special strengthening added to hull framing and deck. • PT-26, -30, -31, -33: Same as PT-20, except with standard propellers and without special strengthening. • PT-69: Huckins; 4 Packard engines. • PT-70: Higgins; 3 Packard engines. • One MRB-8 (Motor Rescue Boat), built for the Royal Navy by Higgins; 3 Hall-Scott engines. Each member of the board conducted an independent inspection of every boat class, evaluating them for structural sufficiency, habitability, access, arrangement for attack control, and communication facilities. Six boats completed the trial, while three withdrew: PT-33 suffered structural damage off Block Island; PT-70 was damaged by loose copper ingots; and MRB developed engine trouble at the start of the run. PT-6, the Higgins 81-footer, with an average speed of was fifth; and PT-8, the Philadelphia Navy Yard boat, was last, at . The other two Elco boats, PT-30 and PT 23 (standby boat), followed PT-31, placing before PT-69. The accelerometers ranked the boats as follows: first was the Philadelphia Navy Yard PT-8 with the least pounding, second was the Huckins PT-69, third was the Higgins PT-6, and last were the Elco 77-footers. Second open-ocean trial Because of the problem with ingot loading, a trial with the PTs fully fitted out was conducted on 12 August 1941. Four boats—PT-8, PT-69, PT-70, and MRB—returned and Elco sent two new boats, PT-21 and PT-29. During this trial, boats faced heavier seas, as high as . All except the Huckins (PT-69) completed the run. The Huckins withdrew because of a bilge stringer failure. The Higgins 76-footer (PT-70) completed the entire run but also suffered structural failures: attachments between planking and web frames pulled loose and deck fastenings near engine hatches showed extensive failures. PT-21 suffered minor cracks in the deck in the same location, but not to the same extent, as previously observed in PT-26, PT-30, and PT-33. PT-29 was assigned as a pace boat with PT-8 in order to generate a pounding comparison. The average speed results from the course were: Elco 77-footer (PT-21), ; Higgins 76-footer (PT-70), ; Higgins MRB and Philadelphia Navy Yard boat (PT-8), . Accelerometers were again installed in the pilot house of each boat, but the readings were incomplete because the violent motion of the boats made observations difficult and in some cases necessitated abandonment of the observing stations. Further, many of those taken were beyond the normal range of the instruments and were considered inaccurate. Elco boats were found to pound heavily and confirmed previous reports of crew discomfort. Findings The Elco 77-Footer Design Demonstrates: • Ability to make a maximum sustained speed of 39.7 knots; maximum speed 44.1 knots with heavy ordnance load. • Maneuverability satisfactory except for a large turning circle of . • Space available for four 21" torpedo tubes. • Structural weaknesses resulting in transverse fractures of deck planking. • Tendency to pound heavily in a seaway. • Fittings and finish unnecessarily refined. • Cost to the Government fully equipped $302,100. The Huckins 72-Foot Design Demonstrates: • Ability to make a maximum sustained speed of 33.8 knots; maximum speed 43.8 knots with light ordnance load. • Maneuverability satisfactory with a turning circle of . • Space available for two 21" torpedo tubes and ten depth charges. • Structural weaknesses resulting in fracture of bilge stringers. • Very little tendency to pound in a seaway. • Fittings and finish appropriate for a motor torpedo boat. • Cost to the Government fully equipped $263,500. The Navy Yard Philadelphia 81-Foot Design Demonstrates: • Ability to make a maximum sustained speed of 30.7 knots; maximum speed 33.9 knots with light ordnance load. • Maneuverability unsatisfactory due to inability to reverse outboard engines with a large turning circle of • Space available for two 21" torpedo tubes and ten depth charges. • Structural strength is adequate. • Tendency to pound severely in a seaway. • Fittings (Navy standard for combatant ships) entirely too heavy and cumbersome for this type of craft. Finish adequate. • Cost to the Government fully equipped $756,400. The Higgins 81-Foot Design Demonstrates: • Ability to make a maximum sustained speed of 31.4 knots; maximum speed 34.3 knots with heavy ordnance load. • Maneuverability satisfactory with a turning circle of 368 yards. • Space available for four 21" torpedo tubes. • Structural strength adequate. • Moderate tendency to pound in a seaway. • Fittings and finish satisfactory. • Cost to the Government fully equipped $206,600. The Higgins 76-Foot Design Demonstrates: • Maximum sustained speed of 27.2 knots in rough seas; maximum speed 40.9 knots. • Maneuverability satisfactory, turning circle not determined photographically, estimated 300 yards. • Space available for four 21" torpedo tubes. • Structural weaknesses caused failures in transverse bottom framing, separation of side planking from framing and extensive failures of deck fastenings. • Moderate tendency to pound in a seaway. • Fittings and finish satisfactory. • Cost to the Government fully equipped $265,500. The board arrived at the following recommendations: • That the Packard power plant having been found highly satisfactory be adopted as standard for future construction. • That the ordnance installation of future motor torpedo boats consist of two torpedo tubes, machine guns and depth charges. • That the Huckins 78-foot (PT-69) design be considered acceptable for immediate construction. • That the Higgins 80-foot (PT-6) design suitably reduced in size to carry such ordnance loads as are required by our Navy be considered acceptable for immediate construction. • That the Elco 77-foot design be considered acceptable for future construction provided changes in the lines are made to reduce the tendency to pound in a seaway, and the structure be strengthened in a manner acceptable to the Bureau of Ships. • That the Philadelphia 81-foot boat (PT-8) be stripped of excess weight and be re-engined with three Packard engines. The board also had the following opinion on structural sufficiency: "During the first series of tests (21–24 July) the Huckins design (PT-69), the Philadelphia design (PT-8) and the Higgins design (PT-6) completed the open sea endurance run without structural damage. The Higgins 70' (British) boat did not complete this run because of engine trouble. The Higgins 76' (PT-70) and boats of the Elco 77' (PT-20 Class) developed structural failures even under moderate weather conditions prevailing. In the interval between the first and second test periods the PT-70 was repaired and an effort made to eliminate the causes of the structural failures. However, during the second endurance run, which was made in a very rough sea for this size boat, structural failures again occurred in PT-70. PT-69 and PT-21 experienced structural failures during the second run though these were much more localized as compared with those found on PT-70. The Board is of the opinion that certain changes in design are required to enable PT-69 and boats of the PT-20 Class to carry safely their military loads in rough weather." The board results provided very important benchmarks in the infancy of PT boat development. This type of craft presented design challenges that were still issues decades after, but there are some significant conclusions from the above recommendations and their order of merit. Those are: • The Packard were the engines of choice. • The Huckins 72-foot (PT-69) and a reduced Higgins 81-foot (PT-6) design were to be placed into production. Following an October 1941 BuShips conference and its new set of navy design requirements which included room to support four torpedoes and an upper length restriction of 82', the next two orders for pre-war PT boats (PT-71 through PT-102) were awarded to Higgins and Huckins. • Even though the Elco 77-footers posted the fastest speeds, all seven Elcos suffered from structural damage and severe pounding causing the Board to recommend a redesign to correct these deficiencies. Elco competed for the PT-71 to PT-102 contract but did not win due to their higher unit price. After the start of the war and significantly revising their unit cost, Elco received the next PT boat order after Higgins and Huckins. This was to be their new Elco 80-foot design. Elco The newly designed Elco Naval Division boats were the longest of the three types of PT boats built for the Navy used during World War II. By war's end, more of the Elco boats were built (326 in all) than any other type of motor torpedo boat. While comparable in size to many wooden sailing ships in history, these beam wooden-hulled craft were classified as boats in comparison with much larger steel-hulled destroyers, destroyer escorts, and corvettes. Five Elco boats were manufactured in knock-down kit form and sent to Long Beach Boatworks for assembly on the West Coast as part of an experiment and as a proof of concept. Higgins Higgins Industries produced 199 boats of the PT-71/PT-235, PT-265 and PT-625 classes. The Higgins boats had the same beam, full load displacement, engines, generators, shaft horsepower, trial speed, armament, and crew accommodation as the Elco boats. Many Higgins boats were sent to the Soviet Union and Great Britain at the beginning of the war, so many of the lower-numbered squadrons in the U.S. Navy were made up exclusively of Elcos. U.S. Navy PT boats were organized into MTBRONs. The first Higgins boats for the U.S. Navy were used in the battle for the Aleutian Islands (Attu and Kiska) as part of Squadrons 13 and 16, and others (MTBRON15 and MTBRON22) in the Mediterranean against the Germans. They were also used during the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. Even though only half as many Higgins boats were produced, far more survive (seven hulls, three of which have been restored to their World War II configuration) than the more numerous Elco boats. Of the Elco boats, only three hulls (one restored) were known to exist as of 2016. Huckins Yacht Corporation c.1944 Huckins and his innovative Quadraconic planing hull design were latecomers to PT boat design. Not invited to participate in the original design competition, by late 1940, Huckins had a meeting with Captain James M. Irish, Chief of Design, and offered to build a "planing seagoing hull" PT boat, on the condition the Navy loan Huckins engines and agree to look at the Huckins boat. In early July 1941, the Navy accepted PT-69. After obtaining excellent testing results at the Plywood Derby, the Navy awarded Huckins Yacht Corporation a contract in 1941 for 8 boats, and later added 10 more. The design was enlarged and modified to meet the new requirements. The first three of the new design (PT-95 through PT-97) were initially kept in the Jacksonville, Florida, area for testing, resulting in several important modifications to the overall design (these boats were later assigned to Squadron 4 in 1942). Huckins ended up building just two squadrons of PT boats during World War II. Five boats were assigned to Squadron 14 (PT-98 through PT-102) which was commissioned in early 1943; and ten boats assigned to Squadron 26 (PT-255 thru PT-264) which was commissioned in mid 1943. They were assigned to specific outposts in the Panama Canal Zone, Miami, Florida, the Hawaiian Sea Frontier at Pearl Harbor and Midway, and a Melville Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Training Center. Although not used in any other PT boat design, Huckins licensed the use of his patented Quadraconic hull in his PT boat construction. He also granted permission for Elco, Higgins, and the Philadelphia Navy Yard to use his patented laminated keel, which increased hull strength, although neither Elco nor Higgins chose to use it on their boats. Most probably due to the lateness in joining the PT boat program and unlike Elco and Higgins, the Huckins yard was not provided government support to construct a larger facility prior to the war. The handcrafted Huckins PT was produced at their civilian facility at a speed of one per month. The success and ruggedness of the Huckins' 78-foot seagoing design is demonstrated by Squadron 26's constant ready-boat operations and fleet torpedo boat training in the oceans around Midway and Hawaii during the last two years of the war. Vosper and other types of PT boats Vospers of Great Britain arranged for several boatyards in the United States to build British-designed motor torpedo boats under license to help the war effort. The boatyards were located in Annapolis, Bristol, City Island, Miami, and Los Angeles. 146 boats, armed with torpedoes, were built for Lend Lease, and exported to Allied powers such as Canada, Britain, Norway, and the Soviet Union. These boats were never used by the U.S. Navy, and only about 50 were used by the Royal Navy; most were passed to other countries. The Canadian Power Boat Company produced four Scott-Paine designed PTs for the U.S. These were to be provided to the Dutch forces under Lend Lease but were re-requisitioned to the USN as PT 368–371 after the fall of the Netherlands to German forces. ==Construction==

PT boats offered accommodation for three officers and 14 enlisted men. Crews varied from 12 to 17, depending upon the number and type of weapons installed. Full-load displacement late in the war was 56 tons. The hull shapes of the Elco and Higgins PT boats were similar to the contoured "planing hull" found in pleasure boats of the time (and still in use today): a sharp V at the bow softening to a flat bottom at the stern. A common characteristic of this type of contoured hull is the "rooster tail" in the wake. Unlike the actual "planing hull" Huckins, which planed at 10-11 knots, the Elco and Higgins PT boats were intended to plane at higher speeds (PT 71 and PT-103 classes at around 27 knots, and the PT-265 and 625 classes at around 23 knots). The Elco, Higgins and Huckins companies used varying lightweight techniques of hull construction. Though often said to be made of plywood, the hulls were actually made of two diagonal layered thick mahogany planks, with a glue-impregnated or lead-painted layer of canvas in between. Holding all this together were thousands of bronze screws and copper rivets. This type of construction made it possible for damage to the wooden hulls of these boats to be easily repaired at forward operating bases by base force personnel. According to Robert McFarlane, the US Navy built the hulls of some PT boats partially from 3,000-year-old white cedar logs recovered from sphagnum bogs in New Jersey. As a testament to the strength of this type of construction and watertight bulkheads, several PT boats withstood catastrophic battle damage and still remained afloat. For example, the forward half of future President John F. Kennedy's PT-109 (Elco) stayed afloat for 12 hours after she was cut in half by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. PT-323 (Elco) was cut in half by a kamikaze aircraft on 10 December 1944 off Leyte, yet remained floating for several hours. PT-308 (Higgins) had her stern sheared off by a collision with PT-304 during a night mission in the Mediterranean on 9 March 1945 and yet returned to base for repairs. PT-167 (Elco) was holed through the bow off Bougainville Island on 5 November 1943 by a torpedo which failed to detonate; the boat remained in action and was repaired the next day. In 1943, an inquiry was held by the Navy to discuss planing, hull design, and fuel consumption issues. This resulted in the November 1943 Miami test trial between two Higgins and two Elco boats, but no major additional modifications were made before the end of the war. During the war, Elco came up with stepped hull designs ("ElcoPlane") which achieved significant increase in top speed. Higgins developed the small and fast Higgins Hellcat, which was a slight variation on their original hull form, but the Navy rejected them for full production because of increased fuel consumption and other considerations. After the war, Lindsay Lord, who was stationed in Hawaii during the war, recorded the Navy's planing hull research and findings in Naval Architecture of Planing Hulls. It covers PT boat hull design and construction and provides hull test data as well as detailed analysis of the various PT boat designs. ==Armament==

The primary anti-ship armament was two to four Mark 8 torpedoes, which weighed and contained a TNT warhead. These torpedoes were launched by Mark 18 steel torpedo tubes. Mark 8 torpedoes had a range of at . These torpedoes and tubes were replaced in mid-1943 by four lightweight Mark 13 torpedoes, which weighed and contained a Torpex-filled warhead. These torpedoes were carried on lightweight Mark 1 roll-off style torpedo launching racks. The Mark 13 torpedo had a range of and a speed of . PT boats were also armed with numerous automatic weapons. Common to all US PT boats were the two twin M2 .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns. Early PT boats (Elco PT20 through PT44) mounted Dewandre plexiglas-enclosed hydraulically operated rotating turrets. Almost immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Dewandre turrets were replaced on the entire PT boat fleet with open-ring twin mounts. The ring mount was designed by both Elco and Bell and designated Mark 17 Twin 50 caliber aircraft mount. Part of the Mark 17 Mod 1 and Mod 2 ring mount consisted of the Bell Mark 9 twin cradle. Another automatic weapon commonly mounted on PT boats was the 20 mm Oerlikon cannon. On early series of boats, the cannon was mounted on the stern. Later in the war, several more of these 20 mm cannons were added amidships and on the forward deck. Forward of the chart house of some early Elco boats (PT20 through PT44) were twin .303 cal (7.7 mm) Lewis machine guns on pedestal mounts. Beginning in mid-1943, some boats were fitted with one or two .30 cal Browning machine guns on the forward torpedo racks on pedestal mounts. Occasionally, some front line PT boats received ad hoc up-fits, where they mounted such weapons as 37 mm aircraft cannons, rocket launchers, or mortars. When these weapons were found to be successful, they were incorporated onto the PT boats as original armament. One such field modification was made to Kennedy's PT-109, which was equipped with a single-shot Army M3 37 mm anti-tank gun that her crew had commandeered; they removed the wheels and lashed it to 2x8 timbers placed on the bow only one night before she was lost. The larger punch of the 37 mm round was desirable, but the crews looked for something that could fire faster than the single-shot Army anti-tank weapon. Their answer was found in the 37 mm Oldsmobile M4 aircraft automatic cannon cannibalized from crashed P-39 Airacobra fighter planes on Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. After having demonstrated its value on board PT boats, the M4 (and later M9) cannon was installed at the factory. The M4/M9 37 mm auto cannon had a relatively high rate of fire (125 rounds per minute) and large magazine (30 rounds). These features made it highly desirable because of the PT boat's ever-increasing requirement for increased firepower to deal effectively with the Japanese Daihatsu-class barges, which were largely immune to torpedoes because of their shallow draft. By the war's end, most PTs had these weapons. The installation of larger-bore cannons culminated in the fitting of the 40 mm Bofors gun on the aft deck. Starting in mid-1943, the installation of this gun had an immediate positive effect on the firepower available from a PT boat. The Bofors cannon had a firing rate of 120 rounds per minute (using 4-round clips) and had a range of . This gun was served by a crew of 4 men and was used against aircraft as well as shore bombardment or enemy surface craft. Gunboats In the Solomon Islands in 1943, three PT boats, PT-59, PT-60, and PT-61, were converted into "PT gunboats" by stripping them of all original armament except the two twin .50 cal (12.7 mm) gun mounts, then adding two 40 mm and four twin .50 cal (12.7 mm) mounts. Lieutenant Kennedy was the first commanding officer of PT-59 after its conversion. On 2 November 1943, PT-59 participated in the rescue of 40 to 50 Marines during the raid on Choiseul and a foundering Landing Craft, Personnel (Ramp) (LCP(R)) which was under fire from Japanese soldiers on the beach. Late in the war, a new electrically powered multiple gun mounting was developed by Elco for PT boats, known as the 'Thunderbolt'. At least three different versions appear to have been built and tested; one with six .50-cal Browning M2 machine-guns and two 20 mm Oerlikon cannon, another with two .50-cal machine-guns and four 20 mm cannon and a version with just the four cannon. In mid-1944, the cannon-only version of the Thunderbolt was experimentally fitted to four operational 80 ft Elco boats which served with PTBRON 29 in the Mediterranean theatre: These were PTs 556-559. Photographic evidence shows that these boats landed their torpedoes and did not operate as torpedo craft when shipping the large and heavy Thunderbolt. According to Bulkley in chapter 18 of 'At Close Quarters' the multiple 20 mm mounting was anticipated to be "of limited usefulness" against "well compartmented F-lighters" where even the 40 mm Bofors struggled to inflict serious damage. The weapon was trialled operationally on the nights of July 16/17 and July 18/19, when PT 558 (Ens. Aalton D. Monaghan) patrolled off the Antibes area with two regular 40 mm-armed boats and on both occasions engaged small single patrol boats; both craft were sunk by the combined gunfire of the American patrol. Lt Cmdr Daunis reported that "The Elco Thunderbolt mount has been used in two gunnery attacks and has proven to be an exceptional weapon." Other armament Towards the end of the war, beginning in 1945, PTs received two eight-cell Mark 50 rocket launchers, launching spin-stabilized flat trajectory Mark 7 and/or Mark 10 rockets with a range of . These 16 rockets plus 16 reloads gave them as much firepower as a destroyer's guns broadside (albeit without their accuracy). By war's end, the PT boat had more "firepower per ton" than any other vessel in the U.S. Navy fleet. PT boats also commonly carried between two and eight Mark 6 depth charges in roll-off racks. A few PT boats were equipped to carry naval mines launched from mine racks, but these were not commonly used. ==Engines==

With the exception of the experimental PT boats, all US PT boats were powered by three marine-modified derivations of the Packard 3A-2500 V-12 liquid-cooled, gasoline-fueled aircraft engine. Improvements upon Packard's World War I Liberty L-12 2A engine, the successive "M" for "marine" designated 3M-2500, 4M-2500, and 5M-2500 generations all featured slight changes and more power. Their superchargers, intercoolers, dual magnetos, and two spark plugs per cylinder reflected their aircraft origins. Packard's licensed manufacture of the famed Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine alongside the marine 4M-2500 has long been a source of confusion. Only the British-built PT-9 prototype boat brought from England for Elco to examine and copy featured a Merlin. The 4M-2500 initially generated . It was subsequently upgraded in stages to , allowing a designed speed of . The 5M-2500 introduced in late 1945 had a larger supercharger, aftercooler, and increased power output of . It could push fully loaded boats at . However, subsequent additions of weaponry offset this potential increase in top speed. Fuel consumption of any version of these engines was exceptionally heavy. A PT boat carried of 100 octane aviation fuel, enough for a 4M-2500 equipped boat to conduct a maximum 12-hour patrol. Some per hour were consumed at a cruising speed of , increasing to per hour at top speed. Hull fouling and engine wear could both decrease top speed and increase fuel consumption materially. ==Service==

PT boats operated in the southern, western, and northern Pacific, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea and the English Channel. Early use with PT-28 and PT-29 Originally conceived as anti-ship weapons, PT boats were publicly credited with sinking several Japanese warships during the period between December 1941 and the fall of the Philippines in May 1942—even though the Navy knew the claims were all false. The exaggerated claims by Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley, commanding officer of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three (MTBRON 3), about the effectiveness of the PTs in combat against larger craft allowed him to recruit top talent, raise war bonds, and caused overconfidence among squadron commanders who continued to pit PTs against larger craft. The reality was his claims that PTs had sunk a Japanese cruiser, a troopship, and a plane tender in the Philippines were untrue. Compounding the difficulty with the early torpedoes, PT boat crews attacking at night may have sometimes failed to note a possible torpedo failure. Although the American Mark 8 torpedo did have problems with porpoising and circular runs, it could and did have success against common classes of targets. To accomplish the task, PTs in the Mediterranean and the Pacific (and Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy motor torpedo boats in the Mediterranean) installed more and heavier guns which were able to sink the barges. Although their primary mission continued to be attack on surface ships and craft, PT boats were also used effectively to lay mines and smoke screens, coordinate in air-sea rescue operations, rescue shipwreck survivors, destroy Japanese suicide boats, destroy floating mines, and carry out intelligence or raider operations. Repair training In 1944, several Higgins boats (PT222, PT-283, PT-284, PT-285, and PT-282) were converted, releasing PT-59, PT-60, and PT-61 for transfer back home to the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Training Center in Melville, Rhode Island, for use in training in hull repair techniques. ==Boats==

(right) with his PT-109 crew Many PT boats became famous during and after World War II: • PT-41, commanded by Ensign George E. Cox, Jr. USNR, carried General Douglas MacArthur in his escape from Corregidor Island, Philippines. Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley, commanding officer of MTBRON 3, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his operations in the Philippines before rescuing MacArthur. Bulkeley's story inspired a book and the movie They Were Expendable, which was based on it. PT-41 was the flagship of MTBRON 3, based in the Philippines in 1941–1942. • Life magazine published an article about the PT boat captains in the battles off Guadalcanal, featuring the exploits of Lieutenants "Stilly" Taylor, Leonard A. Nikoloric, Lester Gamble, and Robert and John Searles; the article mentioned many boats in MTB Squadrons Two and Five (in particular, PT-36, PT-37, PT-39, PT-44, PT-46, PT-48, PT-59, PT-109, PT-115, and PT-123). • Other PT boats gaining fame during the war were PT-363 and PT-489, the boats used by Lieutenant Commander Murray Preston to rescue a downed aviator in Wasile Bay off Halmahera Island, for which Preston was awarded the Medal of Honor. • PT-109, commanded by Lieutenant, junior grade, John F. Kennedy, was made famous through Robert J. Donovan's 1961 book PT-109: John F. Kennedy in World War II and the 1963 film based on it, PT 109. • PT-59 was commanded by Kennedy after the loss of PT-109. Its remains have (possibly) been discovered in the Harlem River in the Inwood, Manhattan, section in New York City. == Losses ==

According to the book "At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the United States Navy," 99 of the 531 PT boats that served during World War II were lost to various causes. • Accidents, friendly fire, sea conditions – 32 • Scuttled to prevent capture – 27 • Rammed by the enemy – 8 • Kamikaze – 2 • Hit naval mine – 9 • Enemy coastal artillery – 6 • Strafed – 8 • Enemy naval gunfire – 7 == Surviving boats ==

At the end of the war, almost all surviving U.S. PT boats were disposed of shortly after V-J Day. Hundreds of boats were stripped of all useful equipment and then dragged up on the beach and burned. This was done to minimize the amount of upkeep the Navy would have to do, since wooden boats require much continuous maintenance, and they were not considered worth the effort. The boats also used a lot of high octane fuel for their size, making them too expensive to operate for a peacetime Navy. Much of this destruction (121 boats) occurred at PT Base 17 on Samar, Philippines, near Bobon Point. Production boats A few (one 80' Elco, one 72' Vosper, and three 78' Higgins) were cut up and destroyed between 1998 and 2008, leaving (a known) total of 12 PT boats, and 2 experimental PT boat hulls in various states of repair, surviving today in the U.S.: ;PT-48 PT-48 is possibly the last surviving Elco PT boat. In July 1942, PT-48 (nicknamed "Prep Tom" and "Deuce") was assigned to MTBRON 3(2). This second Squadron 3 was the first to arrive in the Solomons and saw heavy engagement with the "Tokyo Express". PT-48 was one of the first 4 boats to arrive at Tulagi on 12 October 1942. On the night of 13/14 October 1942, PT-48 engaged a Japanese destroyer at . PT-48 is today in need of major restoration, after having been cut down to and used as a dinner cruise boat. Because of this boat's extensive combat history, having survived 22 months in the combat zone at Guadalcanal (more time in combat than any other surviving PT boat), a preservation group, "Fleet Obsolete" of Kingston, New York, acquired and transported it to Rondout Creek in 2009 for eventual repair. ;PT-305 One of two fully restored and operational PT boats and the only combat veteran of the two, PT-305 ("Half Hitch", "Barfly", "USS Sudden Jerk") is a Higgins boat, assigned during the war to MTBRON-22, and saw action against the Germans in the Mediterranean Sea. Squadron 22 was operating with the British Royal Navy Coastal Forces, and saw action along the northwest coast of Italy and southern coast of France. In June 1945 the squadron was shipped to the U.S. for refitting and transfer to the Pacific, but the war ended while still in New York. PT-305 was cut down to for use as an oyster seed boat in Crisfield, Maryland. PT-305 was acquired by the Defenders of America Naval Museum (DOANM), and then sold in May 2007 to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. After a lengthy restoration PT-305 has been restored to a seaworthy, operational vessel. It was relaunched in March 2017. ;PT-309 A Higgins, PT-309 ("Oh Frankie!") was assigned during the war to MTBRON 22 and saw action against the Germans in the Mediterranean Sea. The squadron was operating under the British Coastal Forces and saw action along the northwest coast of Italy and southern coast of France. In April 1945 the squadron was shipped to the U.S. for refitting and transfer to the Pacific, but the war ended while still in New York. PT-309 was named in honor of Frank Sinatra, who the boat's commanding officer met at a nightclub shortly before MTBRON 22 left New York for the Mediterranean Theatre. PT-309 is located at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, and was restored by the Defenders of America Naval Museum. PT-309 is restored (but non-operational) in a static diorama display without engines installed. Her external restoration was completed in 2002. ;PT-459 PT-459 ("Mahogany Menace") a Higgins boat, was assigned to MTBRON 30 on 15 February 1944. MTBRON 30 saw action in the English Channel as part of the Invasion of Normandy. In late June 1945 the squadron was shipped to the U.S. for refitting and transfer to the Pacific, but the war ended while still in New York. After the war, she was cut down to and highly modified into a sightseeing boat and fishing trawler. She was acquired by Fleet Obsolete in June 2008 and moved to Kingston, New York, for possible restoration. ;PT-486 PT-486, an Elco boat, was placed in service on 2 December 1943. It was used in the training squadron MTBRON 4 in Melville, Rhode Island, during World War II until it was placed out of service 16 January 1946. In 1952 it was used as an excursion vessel from Otten's Harbor in Wildwood, New Jersey. The boat was renamed "Big Blue" and used until 2002. It is currently owned by Fleet Obsolete, with plans for possible restoration. ;PT-615 PT-615, an Elco originally assigned to MTBRON 42, was commissioned after the war ended. PT-615 was returned to Elco after being sold and was heavily modified into a yacht, which was leased to actor Clark Gable. He named the boat Tarbaby VI and used her through the 1950s. The boat was serviced and stored by Elco. She was sold several times, and moved to Kingston, New York for possible restoration. ;PT-617 PT-617 is an Elco boat located at the Battleship Cove Naval Museum in Fall River, Massachusetts. She was obtained from the backwaters of Florida and moved to its current location by PT Boats Inc. Full restoration was completed in 1989. She is available for public viewing and has portions of her hull cut away to display the cramped interior of the crew's quarters. ;PT-657 PT-657, a Higgins boat, has been converted into a charter fishing boat. She is located in San Diego and is now named Malihini. , a 78' Higgins boat, in Measure 31-20L Camouflage, Portland, Oregon ;PT-658 PT-658 is a Higgins boat, and along with PT-305, is one of two authentically restored and operational U.S. Navy PT boats afloat today. Relaunched after hull restoration in 2005, it is located at Pier 308, Vigor Shipyard in Portland, Oregon's Swan Island Lagoon. Maintained by an all volunteer group, it is powered by the three Packard V12 5M-2500 gas engines and includes all weapons, electronics, equipment and accessories restored to appear as they did when she went into service. PT-658 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. ;PT-724 PT-724, a surviving Vosper built at the Annapolis Boat yard in Maryland, has been used as a yacht and has since been acquired by the Liberty Aviation Museum to be restored back to its original Vosper configuration. ;PT-728 PT-728, a surviving Vosper boat built under license at the Annapolis Boat Yard in Maryland, was restored in Key West, Florida. Her deck house was reconfigured to partially resemble an Elco instead of its original Vosper 70 ft configuration. PT-728 was acquired by Fleet Obsolete and moved to Kingston. There PT-728 allows up to 49 tourists the chance to ride on a "PT boat". This boat is the only U.S. Coast Guard regulation-approved PT boat licensed to take passengers for hire, and the only surviving U.S.-built Vosper design. In spring of 2012, PT-728 was acquired by the Liberty Aircraft Museum of Port Clinton, Ohio, for further restoration. ;PT-766 PT-766 is an Elco boat that is a private yacht ("Finished Business") located in Washington D.C. She represents the final class of Elco's with significant updates to the superstructure and radar and was intended for MTBRON 44 but was cancelled due to the end of the war. ;PT-796 PT-796 ("Tail Ender") is a Higgins. After the war ended PT-796 was used in the Key West/Miami area for experimental purposes. She was retired from service in the late 1950s. Shortly after her retirement from service, the PT-796 was used as a float during President John F. Kennedy's inaugural parade to represent PT-109, with the PT-109 hull number painted on the bow, and several of PT-109 surviving crew members manning the boat. Today, PT-796 is located at the Battleship Cove Naval Museum in Fall River, Massachusetts, in a Quonset hut-style building, protected from the weather and up on blocks. The boat is owned by PT Boats, Inc., a World War II PT veterans organization headquartered in Germantown, Tennessee. Experimental boats ;PT-3 Two experimental PT boats survive, PT-3 (built by Fisher Boat Works) in New Jersey and PT-8. PT-3 was designed by George Crouch and employed lightweight planing hull construction methods. A barrel-back (which provided increased strength to the sides and deck), a unique double longitudinal planked (mahogany outer planking and Port Orford cedar inner planking) lightweight hull on bent laminated oak framing, she was the "featherweight" of transportable PT boat design, but was later rejected by the Navy during trials in 1941 after being deemed too short to carry 4 torpedoes, as well as being able to only launch torpedoes stern first, which was a procedure considered too dangerous by BuOrd. PT-3 and PT-8 were both part of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 1 (MTBRON 1) during the testing period. After testing was completed, PT-3 was transferred to Canada in April 1941 under lend-lease. PT-3 served with the RCAF Fleet as the RCAF Bras d'Or M413 (B119) based at Eastern Air Command in Halifax. She was transferred back to the United States in April 1945. ;PT-8 PT-8 (built at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard) in Louisiana was built entirely from aluminum but did not pass the speed acceptance criteria for use as a PT boat for the U.S. Navy because of its weight. She was reclassified as a harbor patrol boat (YP 110) for the duration of the war. PT-8 was stored in a yard for several decades in Baytown, Texas, but has since moved. ;UK Vosper The two Vosper boats in England were built by Vosper, and the first is in fairly good condition at Portsmouth. The second UK built boat is in private hands, floating on a canal north of London and being used as a private residence, though it is remarkably intact in its World War II configuration. Exported PT boats , Argentina (1962) Ten Higgins boats were delivered in 1948 for use by the Argentine Navy during the late 1940s up until the late 1970s. All of these boats are now retired from naval use, with two still in civil use today as sightseeing boats on Mar del Plata: the Leonardo da Vinci and the Mar de la Plata. The other six boats, including the Alakush and Ara Towwora, are in various states of disrepair, sunk or scrapped. The Ara Towwora, is in state of disrepair at Ushuaia Harbor. == Movie stand-ins ==

The original 1962–66 ''McHale's Navy TV series used a Vosper design PT-694 Prior to starring in the television series this boat was purchased as war surplus by Howard Hughes and was used as the camera chase boat when the Spruce Goose'' made its only flight. The stern of the Vosper boat is visible in the footage of that event. In John Ford's 1945 war film, They Were Expendable, two Elcos were used during filming along with four former MTBRON 14 78-foot Huckins. The 1943 film Crash Dive, filmed during World War II, featured a full squadron of PT boats. For the 1962 movie PT 109, several USAF crash rescue boats were converted to resemble 80-foot Elcos when the few surviving boats were found to need too much work to make them seaworthy for use during the film. ==See also==