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Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA
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I chased that down and sadly, the news was true. I found this on Facebook -
There's some interesting discussion in the comments at that source above, they're going to repair her, assuming they can find the funding of course, but this illustrates how historical things are not forever. Saddened me to see this, but hey, stuff happens.
As I'm still lazy (like that would change) you get a rerun today. Maybe Sunday as well as I'll be on the road (again). While I won't be drinking whiskey with my friends, that's a pleasant thought. But not while operating a motor vehicle.
Just sayin' ...
Anyhoo, here's the rerun, in it's original font ... (Did I mention that I was lazy? Oh yeah, I did.)
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| Bow of PT-617, sole surviving example of an ELCO manufactured PT Boat |
As a kid I loved PT boats, probably because of McHale's Navy, a TV show which came out when I was 9 and and lasted until I was 13. Growing up I thought it would be awesome to actually own one. Now that I'm all grown up, I'd still love to have my own PT boat!
Battleship Cove has two PT boats, one built by Higgins in New Orleans, the other built by ELCO (Electric Launch Company) in Bayonne, NJ.* The boats are housed in a protected shed with a number of cool PT boat related displays.
Did I mention how much I love PT boats?
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| I might be able to afford this one. Maybe? |
Rather than have me go on and on about these boats I'll just show you the pictures I took Sunday last. If you want more, check out the virtual tour at the National Museum of the Pacific War Museum's website here. No doubt Juvat has visited that jewel of a museum. I think I need to convince The Missus Herself that we should vacation in Texas one of these days. |
| A diorama depicting a PT boat base somewhere in the Pacific. |
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| Murphy and I were pondering what use a mortar would be on such a pitching, rolling and yawing platform. |
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| View of the bridge, a twin .50 mount and the aft end of the starboard torpedo tube. |
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| Another view of that gun mount and the plaque denoting this boat as a National Historic Landmark. |
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| 40 mm gun mount. |
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| More cool models. Note, again, the mortar. |
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This boat seems to have no torpedo tubes. Does have racks for them though.
(See further below.) |
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| Another diorama depicting a PT boat base. |
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PT-796, a Higgins built PT boat.
(This boat is a National Historic Landmark as well.) |
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| While this is in the PT boat area, it's not a PT boat. I want one! |
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A peek inside the galley. My Uncle Charlie's favorite (sic) luncheon meat is visible.
(Two cans! Oh, the humanity! Oddly enough, I enjoy it.) |
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| The torpedoes here are not enclosed in a tube, simply mounted in racks. |
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| 40 mm gun mount (aft) backed up by a 20 mm mount. |
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| "ELCO and Higgins PT boats, Know Your PT Boat US Navy July 1945" From a 1945 Navy Training Manual |
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| Hey buddy! You can't park there! |
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| Really? |
Uh, go right ahead General. Didn't know that was your ride! |
| Left rear tire looks flat. Still and all, I want it. I can replace the tire. I wonder if it runs? |
I'll be back with more. Make sure you check out Battleship Cove's website and head on over to Murphy's as well. He always has cool stuff and he has a crap ton of photos from our visit as well.
* ELCO is still in business, building motor yachts on the Hudson River in Athens, NY.
When The War broke out my father volunteered for the Royal Navy. At interview he was asked "What do you want to do?" "To skipper a Motor Torpedo Boat." "What are your qualifications?" "I've messed about in boats all my life and I'm used to being in charge of men."
ReplyDelete"We have hundreds of volunteers with those qualifications and many of them don't wear glasses. Go home to your wife."
I think the closing instruction carries some weight. It could well have meant "We want daring, even reckless, bachelors of twenty-four, not married men who are almost thirty."
Daring, even reckless, bachelors often don't survive the war, nor do their men. Sad to say.
DeleteAye, but even then there will be circumstances where they are the very men you need. It's a grim business; I'm grateful that my generation has avoided it.
DeleteSadly they are just the chaps for the job when everything goes to hell.
DeleteEggshells armed with sledgehammers the Patrol Torpedo boats were called.
ReplyDeleteMostly used in shallow waters of the Pacific around islands and atolls in destroying Japanese supply barge efforts, search and rescue and general harassment of Japanese forces.
As torpedoes were often dysfunctional or ran too deep to strike shallow draft barges heavy automatic cannons and machine guns replaced them.
The 60mm mortar was used to illuminate the target for the PT boats, also tended to blind the Japanese for a moment as they rushed in firing.
In the Med PT boats faced German supply barges SNIP The Marinefährprahm was the Kriegsmarine’s principal armored supply barge, combining transport capacity, armored protection, and multi‑role capability, with variants adapted for mine‑laying, gunboat duties, and escort work.
And those armored shallow draft ARMED supply barges were tough targets. PT boats there tried to set torpedoes to run shallow to engage them with wildly odd responses including times alleged that one PT boat commander asked by the other wasn't engaging yet and the reply was "I will once I finish avoiding YOUR Torpedoes".
Reckless Batchlors indeed.
Re "Eggshells armed with sledgehammers" - an apt description!
DeleteC, S. Forester used the phrase to describe a British light cruiser in The Ship
DeleteForester wrote that in 1943, and “motor torpedo boats “ had been around for decades by then, so he may have just grabbed the phrase. It would seem even more apt for an MTB.
Delete**I think I need to convince The Missus Herself that we should vacation in Texas one of these days.**
ReplyDeleteYou can convince her that you are retired and need to do that trip as "research" (rather than a vacation maybe?).
Using the word research would dampen her enthusiasm. DAMHIK.
DeleteSarge, I had to study the picture of that guy in the uniform towards the end of the post. You look good in it. Nicely done photo editing of you.
ReplyDelete😏
juvat
Ouch, I'm not a MacArthur fan.
DeleteSarge, I appreciate the re-runs as some of these are before I found you.
ReplyDeleteIt staggers my historical mind that we built thousands of planes, ships, tanks, and motor vehicles on all sides of the war and yet so few remain.
TB #1 - Illustrates the staggering waste of resources war is.
DeleteTB #2 - I've had Texas BBQ, while it is good, it's not "go through TSA and sit on a plane for hours" good.
DeleteCars, motels and roadside diners would get to the part of Texas you were aiming for!
DeleteA very long drive.
DeleteClausewitz might disagree with your idea that war is a waste of resources. He was of the mind that if you do decide to go to war you go to war with everything you've got! It's a shame that none of them still exist though.
DeleteWar is always a waste of resources, lives, national treasure, and so on. Just because a war is necessary because some asshole decided to take something that doesn't belong to him/her doesn't mean that it's a not a waste. If you do go to war, when it's necessary, you go hard, with everything you've got, otherwise why bother? Illustrate to the enemy what FAFO means, but it's still a waste and always will be. Those who desire war should rot in Hell, where they belong. Do I think war will end someday? Yes, with our extinction, the ultimate waste.
DeleteI really gotta go to Fall River and get educated. Almost did a few years ago, but weather was horrible so we did other stuff in the limited time available.
ReplyDeleteDitto WW2 Museum in Nawlins, and that place out by Juvat's ex homestead, but never even got close to those.
Thanks for an excellent rerun. Keep us updated on the PT boat salvage ops.
JB
I'll try and stay up on the PT boat repairs. If I learn something, I'll pass it along.
DeleteI liked the Mk III Patrol boats we had in Ernest Will. They looked wicked cool but as far as I know they never did anything but run into targets after dark.
ReplyDeleteAre you talking about the Super Dvora Mk III-class patrol boat?
DeleteNope, the Sea Spectres that used to belong to Special Boat Squadrons in the US. There was a flock of them with each of the barges, Hercules and Wimbrown 7 throughout Ernest Will.
DeleteAh, I did not know about those.
DeleteRegarding mortars on PT boats--- Trying to hit anything with high explosive rounds would be impossible except by sheer luck.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the 60mm mortars did have illumination rounds which would be very effective for lighting up an area if searching for survivors, or when entering strange waters/harbors/inlets. Yeah, problem is that it lights up EVERYTHING, including the PT boat firing the mortar, so not very useful in a surface engagement.
JB
The only reasonable explanation.
Delete