PT Squadron 3 - Guide 161
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- Опубликовано: 10 янв 2020
- Today we examine some of the USN's PT Boats through the lens of the exploits of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3.
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Next on the list:
-HMS Hermes
-Iron Duke
-Kronprinz Erzerzorg Rudolph.
-HMS Eagle
-HMS Caroline
-Ise class
-18 inch monitor
-De Zeven Provinciën
-USS Langley
-Kongo class
-Grom class
-St Louis class
-All-big-gun designs
-USS Oregon
-Gascogne
-Alsace
-Lyon and Normandie classes
-Leander class
-HMS Ajax
-Project 1047
-Battle class
-Daring class
-USS Indianapolis
-Atago/Takao
-Midway class
-Graf Zeppelin
-Bathurst class
-RHS Queen Olga
-HMS Belfast
-Aurora
-Imperator Nikolai I
-USS Helena
-USS Tennesse
-HMNZS New Zealand
-HMS Queen Mary
-USS Marblehead
-New York class
-L-20e
-Abdiel class
-Panserskib (Armoured ship) Rolf Krake
-HMS Victoria
-HMS Charybdis
-Eidsvold class
-IJN “Special” DD's
-SMS Emden
-Ships of Battle of Campeche
-USS England (DE-635)
-Tashkent
-1934A Class
-HMS Plym (K271)
-Siegfried class
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Pinned post for Q&A :)
Given that most sea battles during WWII took place either in range of shore and/or carrier based air, or at night, was there ever an instance where the scout/spotter planes carried by cruisers & battleships proved useful in a major battle? I can think of one negative example (IJN Tone at Midway), but without going through all of your old videos, I can only imagine one positive one, the hunt for the Bismarck.
For the third time: every single big-gun capital ship (battleships, battlecruisers, "large cruisers") to enter service after 1935 is teleported back to Jutland (at the start of the engagement) and attacks both the British and German forces. Does the uptimer "ultimate battlesquadron" have it in them to sink all the Grand Fleet and High Seas Fleet capital ships present, or will they just turn the WWI capital ships into burning but floating wreckage that can return to port for repairs?
(and yes, this scenario has all the non-carrier Allied and Axis WWII-era capital ships working as one fleet rather than trying to kill each other, because I just want to see how they would fare in an environment where they weren't immediately obsolete due to carriers, and having them fight each other is overdone)
Nice upload.
Thank you.
@Kendra Malm At the Second Battle of Narvik HMS Warspite's Walrus seaplane spotted German destroyers hidden in coves. They were Warspited even though not visible to the ship.
I am a retired U.S. Coast Guard member I would love to see a series on U.S. Coast Guard Cutters
"Along with a distinct list to port." It took me a second, but I realized that was a clever way to say he was weighed down with medals. Nice!
My first guess was that one of the medals was for damage to his left leg. (The medals makes more sense.)
Spot on Sir 😊
I thought it was supposed to be a comment about his lack of sobriety at the time before I read your comment
Me to lol, what a legend
Lol. This is the RUclips equivalent of a Reddit "My most upvoted [liked] comment."
Drachisms of the Day:
2:16 "Armor, given that these were small wooden boats, consisted largely of going very fast, thoughts and prayers and good old fashioned harsh-language."
8:31 "along with, presumably, a distinct list to port"
D-Day
Can we have this sort of comment pinned?
@@jamesharding3459 my only regret is that I have but one pin to give :)
Nice to see you back on station, dear sir or madam!
@@Drachinifel That was very American of you.
The John Ford movie; "They Were Expendable" is specifically about this RON. Robert Montgomery, who really did skipper a PT Boat during WW2 played Lt Brickley in the movie. Shot in Florida and released in Dec 1945, this movie has some of the best special effects I've ever seen prior to CGI! Real PT boats making torpedo runs while under fire. It is amazing!
One of my favorite war movies. Like you, I thought the special effects looked great, even by todays standards.
I must here make mention, as a retired Chief Petty Officer of the United States Navy, that our employment of, extensive training in, highly diversified and deeply stocked repertoire of "harsh language" as a form of armor was, and remains to this day, a mighty weapon and most formidable shield. How else is one to account for our historic accounts of victory over the vaunted Kriegsmarine, the Imperial Japanese Navy and even the Royal Navy of unlimited and well justified battle fame? Love your work, Drach; you are by far the best darn person in the business!!
And Chief, I have no doubt you can make a mighty strong mug of coffee, too! Bravo Zulu for your service.
BMC's have been known to adapt said harsh language most effectively. I have seen a many of problems with equipment and numerous other items convinced by harsh language to "you better work you *insert harsh language* or I swear *insert seemingly endless string of harsh but colorful & creative language*..... you don't say that and don't tell your mother I said that". 😂 when I was a kid only my dad's Master Chief could do better and still think very few could come close well except for one of my Gunnery Sergeant's. Semper Fi....
Fantastic! I've been waiting for a PT boat guide. My dad was in Ron 10 on PT-124 from January 4, 1943 until it was disbanded in November, 1945. The Lewis guns and turrets were long gone when he arrived. They only carried two torpedoes by mid-1943, and they spent the vast majority of their time shooting up those barges, by then being used for attempted resupply of isolated islands. The Japanese barges kept adding bigger guns, and the squadron kept scrounging bigger guns of their own. It was an arms race in tropics, and the Navy, with the exception of the 40mm Bofors, never approved any of it.
Dad's boat did have some ad-hoc armor. One of the guys was a metal worker, and he crafted a pair of 3/8" sheet steel plates from a scrapped P-39, and the crew installed them around the refrigerator/freezer. It used ammonia for refrigerant, and a stray round going through the refrigerant line filled the boat with ammonia fumes. Even worse, it meant the refrigerator was out of commission, and that meant no cold milk or ice cream, things they got from their monthly visit to the USS Mobjack, the squadron's tender. No one much cared about armor for the crew, but they wanted their ice cream and milk!
Oh, I forgot to mention that no one in the squadron thought very highly of Cdr. Bulkeley. He got to be a big celebrity because of the daring rescue of McArthur, and pretty soon he became the Navy's version of him. He was apparently an intrepid sailor, and the guys felt like he wanted to make sure everyone knew it. His book "At Close Quarters", written in 1962, got an even frostier reception, since most of the guys felt like it was a self promotion book, but also a promotion for JFK and the PT-109. A lot of other heroic actions by PT boats got short shrift in the book.
Brother,
My Father(1st Marine division from 1942-1945) always said, "the worst thing in the military, was Navy ring knocker." He (my Father) had a very strong dislike of all most all Navel officers.
God Bless your Father.
@@knutdergroe9757 Thanks. He was a great dad. God bless your father as well. From everything my dad told me and from what I've read, that sounds like that was a pretty good description of Bulkeley. No one can doubt the man's bravery, but some people use that as currency.
Mine served aboard the USS Maryland, BB46 as a radarman from Mar. ‘42 to Aug. ‘45. He survived 2 kamikaze hits, 2 bombs, and the aerial torpedo which blew out the bow.
Sar Jim, The book "At Close Quarters" was written by a different man, Robert J Bulkley, not the Admiral John D Bulkleley. Although both were PT Boat Vets. As a member of the PT658 restoration crew I have spent a lot of time with numerous WW2 PT boat veterans and the overwhelming consensus is that Admiral Bulkeley was a great guy and was well liked and admired by the men in the Squadrons (RONS). I have attended several WW2 PT Boat Veterans Reunions and they all pretty much feel the same. Maybe your Dad had a beef with him and had a different opinion, but it was not the majority opinion of him among WW2 PT Boat veterans1. In my book he was one of our greatest heroes of WW2. He also went on to start up the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Training Center in Melville RI, then Command the USS Endicott that had battle and sank several German Corvettes, and then return to another PT Boat Squadron Command before the end of the war. Afterwards he was placed in Command of GITMO, and then the plankowner of the US Navy Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV), which inspects and improves the readiness of every ship afloat. It was his idea to start INSURV. There are about 3 books about him you may want to read they may change your opinion.
I was a sub sailor. Milk and ice cream were critical items. Unfortunately they ran out after the first week.
I love hearing about stuff from The Philippines. My Lolo(tagolog - "Grandfather") was a guerrilla fighter in and around Manila. I only know bits and pieces, partly from the language barrier of him not knowing much English, and me only knowing a handful of words in Tagolog(the closest thing I know to a sentence roughly translates as "Smell dog fart". No I'm not kidding), and well... I've seen the pictures out of Manila after US Forces liberated the city... I can't blame him for him not wanting to talk about it. He's long since passed on, so apart from the few things I know, I pretty much have to piece things together about the Philippines during WWII thanks to youtubers such as yourself.
Edit: That little joke at the end caught me off guard.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippine_Army
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offshore_Patrol
www.usna.com/SSLPage.aspx?pid=5625
Something even less well-known is that when the Philippine Commonwealth Army was established in 1935, in addition to a Philippine Army Air Corps, an Off-Shore Patrol (OSP) was established with a force of British-built MTBs based on the Thorneycroft CMB design.
Those Philippine guerilla forces were wildcats. They pestered the occupying Japanese and provided valuable intelligence to the steadily advancing Allied forces.
I very highly recommend the book, Lieutenant Ramsey's War, for a true account of guerrilla fighting in the Philippines. A very enjoyable read, and still available at Amazon.
Our PT boats did pretty well considering the reliability of our torpedoes.
Such a forgotten part of the naval war. The big capital ships and cruisers and carriers get a lot of attention but the small craft like RN coastal forces, USN PT boats, Italian MAS boats and kriegsmarine S-boats probably saw more combat than anyone else in their respective navies.
The mosquito navy fragile but verry deadly !
@cornskid Yawn. Always some skidmark poo pooing this and that. The man said "...probably saw more combat...". Margin fighting doesn't mean worthless. You'd probably think it effective if you were a Japanese soldier on a barge in the Solomons in the middle of the night.
@cornskid you're still confusing outcome with intensity. The claim was that the PT boat type ships were more often involved in combat, not that they effected the outcome of the war more. Given that nightly raiding operations were par for the course in the pacific campaign for PT squadrons I have no reason to doubt this claim.
@cornskid Correct. The derogatory remark was uncalled for. Apologies.
40 tons, 40 knots, 40 percent adrenaline level and hopefully "found" a 40mm gun for them
@Joshua N. Ajang More like a 40 days old boat. They somehow the "live fast, die young" type.
& or 40oz of malt liquor
Four 40's, tons, knots, mm gun, and oz's of malt liqra
@@JTA1961 Better than three-two beer.
I'm reading the book "The Fleet the Gods Forgot" and let me tell you, every man in the Asiatic fleet, including MTB squadron 3 showed more bravery and guts than most in a life time. Thanks for covering them, the Asiatic Fleet don't get too much attention and they deserve it.
If early-war US torpedoes had worked, the impact on strategy would have been fascinating.
A lot more US lives would have been saved had they worked
@@captaindusty4884 And many IJN ships at the bottom as well.
The combination of dud Mk13 torpedoes in aircraft, Mk14 torpedoes in submarines and Mk15 torpedoes on surface vessels quite probably extended WW2 by six months to a year. (They all shared the same controls and fuses).
@@allangibson8494 I did some digging. For Germans, their sub torps were better than ours but still unreliable. And their aerial ones were lousy. Japanese ship launched "Long Lances" were great, but prone to catastrophic cascade explosions if hit on deck. Pretty lousy situation on just about all sides.
Jim Miller The battle of Midway would have looked a bit different if any of the Mk13 torpedoes had worked (and the battle of Wake Island too).
Thank you Sir Drachinifel for giving us this glimpse into the MTB's of the Pacific. I have huge respect for these men like my grandfather S1C James Robert McCoy (42 at that time) who served aboard PT-108, an 80-foot Elco (part of the then new PT-103 series) in Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron-5, or as the Navy called it RON-5. He fought in the Solomon Campaigns of 1943, from Rendova. During 22 August In a daylight raid against the coast of Kolombangara he was badly wounded and sent to San Francisco for treatment, than to the rehabilitation center at Yosemite California, were he received his honorable medical discharged. His boat the PT-108, better known to it's crews as "L'il Duck", "the 8-boat, or the "Plywood Bastard" survived through to the end of World War II. With the other surviving boats of the squadron, PT-108 was placed out of service and destroyed in November 1945, being stripped of all usable items, beached then burned... It still galls me to this day, such a ignominious end for such gallant little boats.
I don't know if it would've been feasible back then, but the Navy could've made some bucks if they put alot of those boats that were burned at Savar Island up for auction as war surplus..a few of them would've wound up at least as some static display at a VFW hall.
You need to watch the John Ford movie They Were Expendable.
Its a good movie, one of my favorites.
Yes, it would help with your pronunciation of names.
Also the book it was based on is great reading.
A Gamer_1745 actually, Bulkeley’s name was fictionalized in that movie to Brickley. The pronunciation I heard the family use was ‘bulk-lee.’ Bulkeley was a certified badass. His exploits at the start of the war (he had hidden torpedoes, fuel, and spare parts around the islands before the attack), his PT boats were present at D-Day, he fought two German ships at the same time while ENDICOTT was sailing alone, he stood up to Castro by cutting the water main to Gitmo showing it was bone dry, while in full view of the press, proving that the US Navy did not steal water from Communist Cuba. He also spent the latter part of his career as President of the Board of Inspection and Survey, enduring USN ships were in material shape to fight the next war.
@@Rosatodi2006 I was thinking about things like Mindanao & Cavite. Yes, Bulkeley was a badass!
Drach got a shout out from the gnome overlord yesterday. :)
Yup, was very happy when I heard that.
@Ron Lewenberg The mighty Jingles..
Excellent cover D.
When I was a kid I thought that MTB's would be my ultimate fantasy choice of service..(along with flying Mosquitoes) if I was born in that era.
I had an aunt who was with the medical corps.....she quickly exclaimed to me, ''That was the last thing you would want.''
She helped many MTB & MGB crewman who were convalescing...and she told me that their insides were literally mulched from the constant pile driving of the boats racing in the ocean conditions....not to mention their limbs.
Mindanao is correctly pronounced “Minda now.”
Maraming salamat po!
With no accent
Minda means brain in Malaysian language
Correct!
Kamchatka: *(Hears the words Torpedo Boat)* THE DOOM IS UPON US!!!! THE JAPANESE ARE HERE!!!!!
Me: They're American...
Kamchatka: JAPANESE BOARDER! *(Shoots Me, missed, hits the Aurora and then crashes)*
Me: What? *(Gets hit in the head by flying binoculars and a stream of angry, aristocratic Russian swearing)*
Darn, I wasn't early enough to bring this up.
Kamchatka is still trendy...
@@tadatada5 That floating Dumpster Fire will always be trendy. Some people have memes about anime, others about dogs, we have memes about The Second Pacific Squadron
John Wayne made a movie based on this squadron. “They Were Expendable” used the hull numbers and the story right up to part of the officers being flown out & one boat going to Army. Movie was made in 1942 and included some of the survivors marching off to join ground forces at the end.
Made (or at least released ) in 1945.
The book came out in 1942, the movie in 1945. Shot in Florida and starring Robert Montgomery (who really did Captain a PT Boat during WW2) as Lt Brickley. Montgomery also was father to Elizabeth Montgomery of the TV show, "Bewitched". John Waynes character was a composite of two or more officers under Bulkeley. Excellent movie!
'They were Expendable" a fantastic war movie. But allow me to point out it was not a John Wayne movie, he wasn't even the lead. It was a John Ford movie and Robert Montgomery had 1st billing.
@@DASDmiser Yeah, I don't remember who was first in the credits but JW had the major roll and the romance...
I have to believe that being on the boats during the film shooting with Robert Montgomery got John Wayne interested in eventually having a boat of his own, the converted WWII minesweeper, Wild Goose.@@boosuedon
Ever since I watched reruns of McHale's Navy as a kid with my dad, I've had a huge soft spot for PT boats, and if I ever get a bunch of money, I'd build a replica and live in it up and down the US east coast.
Same dream.....
Same here...
Two Higgins type boats, PT-658 and PT-305, have been fully restored and operating. The 658 in Portland, Oregon and the 305 on Lake Ponchitrane in New Orleans where she was originally built.
@@ronaldrobertson2332 There's a Vosper in Ohio (PT-728) that I hope to go visit, as it's a bit closer to me than the others. I definitely know about the others, though.
There also used to be a whole bunch on the Hudson River here, as part of Fleet Obsolete, but as far as I can tell, they went defunct years and years ago, and I assume the PTs are gathering dust in some warehouse downstate, which really stinks.
Re building in living on a pt.Thats not a crazy idea. Several choices of sandwich/fibreglass/marine ply construction. Could be built Much lighter.so needing much less power Three marinized chevy diesels would would sound Uncannily like the origional packhard v12s!
If the diesel fuel bill is still a bit eyewatering , is possible to configure the engines to run on lpg. Cylinder tanks hidden inside the fake torpedo tubes
My first duty station was Marine Barracks Subic Bay and I conducted jungle patrols for a week at a time against communist insurgents and poachers. It was on the island of Luzon in the area known as Bataan. Going to ground there with no known withdrawal to fight asymmetrically had to be tough but it beat being a POW. Vets of WW2 were such studs...they made a clanging sound when they walked.
A good movie that follows some of PT3’s early war exploits is “They Were Expendable.” It might take some liberties as it is from a time period when movies were like that, but it is a good movie. Not to mention, it has John Wayne in it.
PT 31
PT 32
PT 33
PT 34
PT 35
PT 41* "squadron leader's boat*
If you look closely in this most excellent movie, you can see some Huckins boats.
Obviously I can only ask, It would be very interesting if Britain’s MTB/MGB could be covered. Particular the Fairmile D Class or Dogs
Thanks for the consideration.
One of my Great-Grandads was in coastal forces during World War 2, a video on MTB's, MGB's and ML's and Coastal forces would be fascinating for me too
Yes! My interest in the plywood boats was triggered a few months ago. Sadly there is very little content on RUclips about them.
I only first knew about them from being introduced to novels written by Douglas Reeman about them when I was 12 or 13. From that and asking questions about them was how I found out about my Great-Grandad
I would love to see something like Drach did with midget submarines covering the various countries MGB / MTB type vessels.
@@fran87blacon did you see "PT Boats Giant Killers" on youtube. It is a color documentary produced by ELCO about how the boats were built.
2:25... "And good old fashioned harsh language." 8:37 .... "And a distinct list to port." Well done Drach!
I was in the P.I. last year and can appreciate the naval and guerrilla actions even more after seeing the area in person. I visited the World War II museum at Puerto Princessa. There are many examples of local bravery under fire on display .
Your witticisms are wonderful.😉👍
This was a fascinating look at how PT Squadron 3 was employed. I met Vice Admiral J.D. Bulkeley when he was the Commander of the U.S. Navy Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV)...3 times (1980-1988) on 3 different ship types (Aircraft Carrier, Frigate, Destroyer); those inspections were always challenging.
I'm a retired USN Limited Duty Officer (LDO). As a kid, I read, "They Were Expendable" and saw the movie many times. The story is pretty accurate. John D Bulkeley was a hero of mine. I had the good fortune to meet the admiral in the '70s when he was President of the Board of Inspection and Survey. As soon as I saw him when he came aboard my ship, I saw the MOH on his chest above the rest of his awards and knew immediately who he was. He was a great leader and tough as hell on the builders to get our ship done correctly.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Bulkeley
I love the armor. Prayers and language😂🤣🤭
John D. Bulkeley was an incredible man with an incredible story; The Sea Wolf by William Breuer is a great read about this unique warrior
Captained a 30f tunaboat here in the Pacific which is mostly a scaled down PT hull. The 6BTA with 200hp made a topspeed of 18 knots. What a blast on a calm and swelly day or cross 10f bars. Now its another scale hull - a CC Mustang from 1975. 17f, 300hp and 34 knots. The PT hull type rides superb even in heavier weather and outaccelerates sucking swells and gets me to the fishgrounds fast.
Thanks Drach. Amazing valor of these boys in there wooden warships. Absolutely criminal their torpedoes sucked.
John Bulkeley and David McCampbell were both 1933 graduates of the USNA. They were in the bottom half of the class and in the middle of the depression only the top half went into the USN at graduation. They both went on active duty the next year. McCampbell was the all time leading naval aviator ace with 34 kills and the highest US ace to survive the war. They both got the Medal of Honor. Both have Aegis frigates named after them. There is a continuous scene in "They Were Expendable" where Robert Montgomery is seen docking the PT boat. He was a PT boat skipper in Panama during WWII. The movie was mostly filmed in Biscayne Bay.
These brave men must have been fearless to crew one of these
BALLS OF STEEL!
seagoing storm troopers
Someone who can feel no fear is not brave, bravery, courage, is about overcoming your natural, instinctive fears and still doing your job, it is about taking seeing risks and knowing full well that the price could be your life, taking those risks anyway. Someone who is 'fearless' is generally someone who hides their fears well. True Fearlessness, like the inability to feel pain, does exist, but it is very, VERY rare, and highly deleterious to the individuals survival,. such an individual would NOT be accepted into any military, indeed, such an individual would be unlikely to survive to adulthood in the first place. We feel fear for a reason, just as wel feel pain, both aid our survival, fear itself is not an enemy unless you allow it to control you. THAT is where courage comes in....
That being said, the crews of the small attack boats of all Nations during the war were a breed apart, yes, they were brave, they were also independant, tough, and highly aggressive. The men manning Britains MTB's and MGB's, the Germans in their E Boats, or the Italian sailors manning their MAS showed the same qualities as those of the US PT Boat squadrons.
@@alganhar1 REMF
@@alganhar1 "Courage doesn't mean you aren't afraid. It means that you do the right thing anyway"
3 petrol v12 engines. Read Packard built marine engines. Car company had been building V12 passenger car engines for years, a natural progression. I knew a motorman on a pt that stated after the 109 ramming, all boats ordered to idle in gear. Such brave young men.
3:21 Look at those precise shots. They are laser accurate
Warthunder AI PT boats used to be like
Sometimes a formal photo of a senior officer in dress uniform, displaying full fruit salad, just calls for the caption: "Continued on next Admiral."
And now I'm curious if there were any operations that notably ballasted more than one eventual admiral.
John Wayne would approve this retelling of "They Were Expendable 1945" . I never would have guessed that most of that movie was factual, right down to the boat being requisitioned for lake duty.
I think one of the better movies.
In Harm's Way is good too, despite the Post war larger ships trying to look like WWII era warships.
It was Frank Wead that wrote the retelling with the backing of John Ford for the movie. John Wayne was only the star of the movie, "They Were Expendable". In my opinion one of the best WW2 films.
Read a lot of stuff from that campaign
One of most historically accurate of John Wayne movies
@Jeff meyer Marion Morrison.....wasn't he the guy that got booed off stage by the US Marines. When I first learned that I gained more respect for them that day. 👍
@@josephking6515 "Hey, it's Old Fallen Arches"
I know you normally do Naval history, but today I learned about the first Seaplane that circumnavigated the world. Flew from San Fran to NYC and it took a month. That would be a fun video for the people.
"They Were Expendable.". The movie based on squadron 3. Famous old film. Pretty good movie. John Ford directed with John Wayne and other well known actors.
Wow, Admiral Bulkeley was a machine. That's amazing.
Hey Drach great video, I always had a fascination with MTB's since I was a kid reading Victor/Warlord and seeing them in some of the comic strips there :)
I had three uncles serve in WWII - Mort was a flight surgeon in the CBI theater, Many was a tanker in Europe (3rd bat), and Art was on PT boats in the pacific - though apparently he got hit in the face during a baseball game, lost an eye, an got discharged. My maternal grandfather got drafted in late 42, transferred to the air corps, and through a series of shenanigans - managed to avoid being deployed.
Love MTB, MGB and PT stories! The first book I ever read about them was “We fought them in gunboats”, seem to have most of the books now! A common theme was that the boats were almost disposable, required a lot of maintenance, drank fuel, but were tough and usually well loved by their crews. The PT boats were a sensible size, slightly bigger than most British boats but based on a British Scott Payne design. Sadly at wars end most were so worn out they were simply burnt where they lay. One working PT boat is left though, complete with its Packard (not Packard Merlins!) petrol engines.
Make that two- PT 305 operates down in New Orleans, operating on Lake Ponchitrane where she was built and tested during the war.
PT 658, the one I think you're referring to, was rebuilt over a 12-year period and now runs in Pugent Sound in Portland, Oregon. Both are Higgins-built PT boats.
@@ronaldrobertson2332 Thanks for the update! Good to hear about another one. Here in the UK a lot of MTB MGB etc were sold of at wars end and used as houseboats, many still survive just! Problem here is after a boat is restored it's expensive to keep, moorings are costly in the South.
@soaringtractor I've got more years on you apparently, if you lack the intelligence and humility of being wrong. 60-years is a long time. I'm just like anybody who has a life to live than adhere to the likes of you.
@soaringtractor Well then, good night.
@soaringtractor Personally, I think you're full of shit; most of the World War 2 vets I've known ( including my own dad) have passed on. So, your crap about being "decades older" don't hold water.
He forgot to mention the famous (some say infamous) PT 73 which was stationed at the island Taratupa. It’s commander Q. McHale and crew were eventually highly decorated and served with a dubious degree of distinction. Commander McHale passed at his home in Los Angles California on July 8, 2012 at the age of 95.
EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT video. And I imagine he DID develop a distinct list to port!
I read "They Were Expendable" when I was in high school, many years ago. It was the amazing story of this squadron. Their commander Lt. Bulkeley was a 1933 graduate of the US Naval academy, he retired as a Vice Admiral in 1988 after 55 years of service.
Read the book about the PT Boats in the Philippines in my youth. Written by Buckley and a ghost writer. He was mourning his dead. Geoff Who notes that is a heck of a career.
"They were expendable"?
@@zoranocokoljic8927 That was it. There was also a wartime movie.
Harsh Language, my preferred armour!
Best not used against Xenomorphs though
The Armor of Contempt, Brothers!
/Space Marine
@@13jhow Damn, outed as a heretic.
armour ? good ones are weapons of mass destruction 😈
I like how you don't have gambling ads, and support good causes.
Great episode! I would also like to hear a breakdown of all of the different PT boat classes and their evolution and field modifications. Maybe even an episode on german E-boats and the british equivalent
It would be a tough breakdown, especially for all of the SW Pacific squadrons. The boats were as individual as their crews until very late in the war. Each boats armament depended on what the crews were able to "Requisition(Steal)" from either the Army, the Marines or the Black/Brown Shoe Navy. Even late war when "Most" of the requested weapons were fitted at launch prior to deployment, boats tended to pick up whatever weapons weren't "Welded Down AND Under Guard".
@@ovk-ih1zp Well, there were several different factory fits over the course of the war, especially with the 80' Elco and the 78' Higgins.
All the boats from the 77' Elco on could replace the aft two torpedo tubes by 4 Mk1 roll-off racks each with 1 Mk6 DC.
The 77' Elcos were PT20 - 48 and PT59 - 68. Their original equipment was two powered Plexiglass-covered turrets with two .50 cal each, plus two optional twin .30 Lewis mounts. Beginning with PT45, an aft-mounted 20mm Oerlikon was added at the factory.
FWIW, 6 of the 12 boats at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 41 were in the Navy Yard being prepared for shipment to the Philippines as deck cargo onboard the Navy Patoka-class oiler AO12 USS Ramapo. PT27, 29, 30 and 42 were already tied down on her deck and PT26 and 28 were in cradles on the dock next to her, while PT20 - PT25 were in the water and operational over at the Submarine Base at the time of the attack.
All the PTs in the Navy Yard had already had their fuel tanks drained in preparation for transport and therefore were immune to fire critical hits. OTOH, they had no power to operate their hydraulic .50 MG mounts, so when the attack started the crews had to cut the hydraulic lines and prepare the gun mounts for manual operation, but this reduced their AA capability. This did not apply to the other six, which immediately got underway in the harbor.
In October 43, PT 59 - 61 were converted to MGBs for use in the Solomons campaigns. The TT were removed, the 20mm was moved to an amidships position and two single 40mm Bofors fwd and aft and four additional twin .50 mounts and SO search radar were added.
The 80' Elcos were PT103 - 196; PT314 - 383; PT486 - 563; PT565 - 624 and PT731 - 760. The following boats were Lend-Leased to the USSR: PT498 -504; PT506 - 521; PT556; PT560 - 563 and PT731 - 760.
The 78' Higgins boats were PT71 - 94; PT197 - 254; PT265 - 313; PT450 - 485; PT625 - 660 and PT791 - 796. The following were sent to the USSR: PT625 - PT660.
The beginning outfit of the 80' Elco and the Higgins in 1942 was 2 twin .50 in two ring mounts (the successor to the powered turrets) and a 20mm Oerlikon aft. Listed armament is factory equipment of a new boat from 1942 - 43; actual armament varied widely depending on what weapons the crew could get.
In 1943 the early boats were refitted with US SCR-517C surface search radar. Some added salvaged M4 or M9 37mm autocannon from junked P-39s forward; a few (like PT-109) added a complete US M3 37mm AT gun on the bow. Some of the Higgins boats added a second 20mm fwd.
1944 factory equipment: SO or SO-3 search radar added as standard; the 20mm was moved forward, a 40mm Bofors was added aft (the torpedo tubes replaced by roll-off launchers for Mk13 aerial torpedoes as weight compensation). Some boats added two fixed Mk8 eight-shot rocket launchers.
1945 factory equipment: F(1)1 M9 37mm, 2 eight-shot Mk50 trainable 5 in rocket launchers added.
Many boats took on an Army 60mm mortar for using illumination rounds in night combat.
FYI: I helped do this write-up as the OOB for the Pearl Harbor scenario for the Command at Sea 'Rising Sun' scenario book.
@@ovk-ih1zp : The guards should have counted themselves lucky not to be part of the "requisition".
@@jlsperling1 😳🥴 ...That's alotta PT boat stuff!
Remember avoiding Elco's on the old silent hunter games
Towards the end of his career - and at the beginning of mine - Admiral Bulkeley visited Surface Warfare Officers School at the Naval Amphibious Base at Coronado, CA to enlighten all us young ensigns on the important work done by his command, the Bureau of Inspection and Survey - also known as "The InSurv Board". In that role he was one of the most feared men in the Navy, one of a very few individuals who could single-handedly and on his word alone destroy the career of an up-and-coming ship's commanding officer if his vessel should fail to pass an InSurv inspection. (Later I was through one or two of these, in a very junior role - they were Not Fun). Anyways, he came in with a bevy of captains and commanders, hopped up (HOPPED UP!) on the stage, and said, "We're here today to acquaint you young ladies and gentlemen with the workings and processes of the Bureau of Inspection and Survey, and...", and here we all sat forward to listen eagerly to his next words, "...I'm going to sit down quietly over here and let the fine officers who work for me explain all about it". Deep sigh from a hundred throats, a fair amount of squirming, and we all settled back to be Bored To Tears about administrative procedures, the importance of good record-keeping, and so forth - while one of the Great Repositories Of Naval Tradition was sitting there - JUST SITTING THERE! - poker-faced, not saying a thing.
He lasted about five minutes. :-)
Then, when one of his captains said something he needed to expound upon, he hopped up and launched into about 45 minutes of good, solid, rip-roaring sea stories, straight from the horses mouth. He'd been there, done that, seen it all, invented about half of it, knew this guy, sailed on that ship - it was fan-damn-tastic. And we knew This Was The Straight Sh*t. And it was good. :-)
They don't make 'em like that any more.
BZ, Admiral. Fair winds and following seas, sir...
I am glad that you honored Admiral Bulkley. I was his neighbor at one time, and was fortunate enough to meet him in his ‘80’s when he was at a stage of life when he wanted to tell his stories to people. I will share some gems.
1) Prior to D-Day’s Launch, King George visited his unit. The King wanted to visit the men of the first boats to be launched in the invasion. These were the PT-boats, which were to protect the minesweepers from the German E-Boats. He, of course, led his unit out and stated that he may have been the first boat out on D-Day.
2) While in command of Endicott, he took on two German destroyers that were pursuing two distressed British gunboats south of France. He sunk both destroyers and picked up prisoners. The captain of one of the gunboats that he rescued was Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
3) After delivering MacArthur to Minandao, MacArthur did two things. He recommended Bulkley for the Medal of Honor. There was a race between the Army and the Navy to move quickly of the paperwork. The Navy did not like the thought of the Army beating them to the punch. MacArthur also told FDR that he could win the war with 1000 PT-boats. Bulkley briefly built up and led the PT boat school in Connecticut. While there, a VIP named Joe Kennedy visited asking him to look out for his son.
4) Bulkley is a descendant of an aide to Admiral Nelson, who was with the admiral at his death.
5) Bulkley thought highly of JFK, despite the loss of PT-109. Kennedy’s care for the crew after the disaster impressed the Navy brass (and Bulkley.) It showed JFK’s outstanding leadership capabilities to them.
I hope people enjoy these tidbits. I expect some will.
I always like your comments, especially on the armament of the boat. I'm a WW2 buff, and again, you provided another story on an item I was not aware of. Thank you and keep up the good work! I also help a little with Patreon if that helps.
My father was in the Asiatic Fleet, served aboard USS Trinity, AO13. He was at Cavite Naval Station when the attack came. The Trinity, aka, Lucky 13, took 7 near misses dockside, steamed out of harbor, took more near missed in Manila Bay, and headed south. I once saw a captured Jap film taken from a twin-tailed Nell of the ship being bombed during the breakout. Film shows 2 bombs exploding in the water on each side of the Trinity, in the upper left are the puffs of AA guns on Corregidor. Trinity survived the war and was credited with a Jap sub sunk. She carried depth charge racks aft. Only tanker in the war to sink a sub. Trinity took an aerial torpedo during the Battle of Darwin Harbor. It was a dud. Dropped by a Kate. She steamed around Australia and made Freemantle by Perth. Drydocked, large crowds came to see the Nip torpedo in her side. Off watch crew slept up on the focsle during the long voyage to Freemantle Harbor. She was trailing a long oil slick from a ruptured tank. Tokyo Rose twice addressed the crew by radio broadcast giving her location coordinates as of 2 hours ago. Captain told crew a Jap sub was trying to close on them. She dodged two fish. My father said the lookout yelled the alarm, Trinity slowly swung away. My father said the fish pass but 20 from the hull. He was off watch, up on the bow and saw the fish rush by.
Thanks for the good show.
Great work! I've always been interested in the Liberty and Victory ships as the most produced class of ships in WW2 but not as often talked about as other warships.
They weren't properly warships, since they were actually cargo ships.
Many members of the West Australian public have good memories of travelling to Rottnest Island via the ex-World War II Fairmile motor launch MV Islander. I'd love to know more about the history of that vessel.
good old fashion harsh language! I love it.
Great video. Distinct list to port indeed !
The big island on the Southern end of the Phillipines is pronounced Min-da-NOW... My dad was there during the war.
I believe Buckley once said that his greatest honor was seeing John Wayne portraying him in "They Were Expendable". Once again we hear how early American torpedoes failed to explode, one can only guess at what could have been achieved in the first months of the war if the torpedoes had actually worked.
"distinct list to port", damn it Drachinifel, you owe me a new cup of tea! XD
The engines used were Packard V-12s, 2500cuin, supercharged. The engine was initially designed as an aircraft engine in the 1920s, but was a commercial failure. In the 1930s, Gar Wood started using them in his racing boats. The Navy chose the Packard engine over the Hall-Scott Defender, to power all PT boats. A Packard 4M-2500 as well as Wood's "Miss America X" which uses 4-2500 engines, are on exhibit at the Packard Proving Grounds north of Detroit.
@soaringtractor negative. First, the Liberty was liquid cooled, co-designed by Jessie Vincent of Packard and A J Hall of Hall-Scott. The 4M-2500 used in PT boats was a derivative of the Packard 1A-2500 developed in the 1920s. Mosey down to your public library and check out a copy of "Master Motor Builders" by Robert J. Neal. It is a history of all of Packard's work with non-automotive engines.
Very brave guys, in these wood boats. Many had problems with engines and gears, mechanics would improvise. Having seen these boats in real life, your realize how small they really were. They were very narrow and hot. Many times the crews would rest/sleep on deck. They also did a lot of night operations with a very crude radar, and even sunk a sub. Good thing, being made of wood they were hard to detect on radar and torpedoes generally could not hit them. Hit and run. Their only enemy that could touch them was airplanes.
Thanks Drach. I was hoping for this video!
This is one of the better ones. A story of the landing crafts would be good. Actor Eddie Albert won a bronze star while commanding a landing craft.
The Admirals and other high ranking folk just opened up their chest of drawers and emptied it of EVERY medal they could find. "A distinct list to Port" indeed on account of all his Tossed Salad (the military guys here will get it).
They Were Expendable, Great movie
If you want action and excitement go for small boats and ships.
I had to chuckle with your remark about listing to port as I was thinking the same thing as you read the list of awards.
Hooorayyyy!!!!!!! Ive been asking for the PT boat video !!
From what I read, many of the PT boats operated despite being worn out from lack of re-supply. Much of the time the top speed was not achievable because the motors were just too worn.
I don't think it was wear. It takes long periods of use and abuse to wear down internal engine components to the point where performance is seriously degraded (worn rings, valve guides, bearings, etc). The PT boat engines were Packard-built distant cousins of the Liberty L-12 aero engine, a reliable and well established marine version, and marine engines aren't known for having performance rapidly degrade from use. Oceans are big places so reliability is key.
My guess would be a lack of aviation fuel. The Packard 4M-2500 was supercharged and needed 100 octane fuel to be able to run those high manifold pressures without spontaneously deconstructing from detonation. With the supply problems they had I would not be surprised if they were forced to bypass/disable the supercharger (derating the engine and effectively making it naturally aspirated) because low octane automotive gas was all they could get.
@@rwaitt14153 The Packard engines had a rated service life of about 500 hours....and that wasn't under combat conditions. By the loss of the last boat its engines had over 2000 service hours. The log of the trip from Luzon reflects a top speed of about 29 knots with copious consumption of oil. It wasn't much different with aviation engines of the era. The were all operated at their limit of capability with crappy fuel and lubricants by modern standards.
Even Packard engines wear out eventually.
You forgot to mention barnacles and what not on the hull. They have a major effect on speed.
@@rwaitt14153 are you sure they supercharged the PT boat edition?
wow great video sir thank you. I would love to see a video about the commander of that unit who had a distinct list the port
Its MIN-dan-NOW. Great vid!
Sometimes it pays to ask a local Filipina about the pronunciation of Philippine names. You at least gave 2 pronunciations for Cavite, one of which is correct-ish, but you gave me a good laugh with Mindanao. The fist time you said it was way off, but the second time you almost got it. The stress is in the first part. Kind of like MIND-a-now except that the Mind rhymes with ‘in’ not ‘eye’. By not having any stress it sounded funny. The battles of the Philippines are such important battles it is worth the time to chat with a Filipina about pronunciations. Shouldn’t be too difficult to find one locally, or, when speaking to a Philippine call center just take the opportunity to ask then. Filipinos love it when someone cares enough to ask.
Many thanks for this. My Dad served on HMS Suffolk. She took part in the action against the Bismark. So if you have not done her yet. Kind regards and greetings from Africa.
First book I ever read that didn't have pictures was ""They Were Expendable" .
Hey drachi. i love tour work
2:30 is the absolute money shot
Well done. Good recap of a great topic. Min-Din-now
PT-109, most famous PT boat in the war.
The pronunciation of cavite with the long e is the correct way to say it
Folks.... the name is John D. BULKELEY. Vice Admiral and awardee of the Medal of Honor. VADM. Bulkeley passed away April 6 1996 at age 84. He rests in Arlington Cemetery. The DDG-84 is named in his honor.
Great boat
There used to be a UK MTB moored up onthe River Crouch at Burnham on Sea in Essex backing the 1980s.
"consisted largely of going very fast thoughts and prayers and a good old fashioned harsh language" good way to describe the Armour
I had the distinct pleasure of meeting RADM Bulkley twice during my Navy career. He was one of my childhood heroes. He was also the real deal. Tough SOB and smart as hell. He retired as a vice admiral.
... the name of the movie is " They were expendable. " Directed by John Ford, starring Robert Montgomery and John Wayne, along with many recognizable Hollywood Charector actors. As I mentioned earlier, the movie is based on this exact story and follows it quite closely. Luckily, the beautiful Donna Reed was a nurse who added eye candy and a budding romance with The Duke. It's worth a watch for nostalgic reasons
God bless you. I love me some PT boats.
...and why would he have a distinct list to port? ...Ah, yes the metals would weigh him down a bit, i suppose . GREAT Video DRAC!
Great video
As far as I know, the US had their Lewis guns chambered in .30-06, not .303... very similar ballistics, rather distinctly different brass cartridge cases.
The M1917 Lewis gun was in 30-06 in USN and USMC use and made by Savage Arms.
John D Bulkeley, USN, also personally recruited a young John F Kennedy -- an ambassador's son -- to the Motor Torpedo Boat branch of the Naval Service. Not sure what happened to that young gentleman...
As President, JFK promoted Bulkeley to RAdm and assigned him as CO of Gitmo [USNB Guantanamo Bay, Cuba] when the Communists took over the rest of the island.
At Bulkeley's prior post, Defense Atomic Support Agency. Clarksville, Tenn., he was known to dress in ninja clothes, blacken his face, and test the effectiveness of the Marine Guard by attempting penetrations of the perimeter. This took solid brass balls, as the Marines were fully-armed and had shoot-to-kill authorization on any intruders. Total badass.
In Mariveles bataan, there was a half (just the bow)old vessel we used to fish (when I was a kid) with a painted 'PT'
The big old boat was smashed in the island rock.
I just finished reading "Devil Boats" to my wife. While it contains some common errors, such as repeatedly referring to PTs as being of plywood construction, and perpetuating the myth that RON 3 sank or heavily damaged the IJN cruiser Kuma, it also contains details of many of the better documented actions of PTs in the Pacific war. Near the end of the book the author describes a shore action on the island of Tidore (off Halmahera island in eastern Indonesia) involving the heroics of the crews of PT 179 (Betty Lou) and PT 180 (Marie). I took pause while reading this account aloud to my wife because her late uncle was the gunner's mate on Marie. The supporting fire his gunners gave to the men when they were ambushed ashore resulted in all of them escaping safely back to their boats. He rarely talked about his service in WWII and never mentioned this incident, not even in a letter my wife had coaxed him into writing for my 50th birthday. Like so many PT men, he tended to open up only when among his old shipmates at their annual reunions. One can but wonder how many sagas were left untold. Videos and books barley scratch the surface, but they will have to do, so thanks, Mark, for your continuing efforts. Sometimes they touch a personal chord when we least expect it.
@ Regrettably, it's a double-edged sword because the internet cannot screen data for accuracy (Wikipedia comes to mind). I think Mark is careful in his research and uses multiple sources. He admits when he believes the data are questionable. My grandfather used to remark that history is an agreed upon error. When it comes to war I'd say that history is an agreed upon exaggeration.
@@Paladin1873
Don't need to convince me. I've had to write letters to the New York Times to verify if a republican activist had visited their archives, ever.
Wikipedia had the book/pamphlet the activist wrote, which accused a member of our royal house of being a nazi, and a motivated fanatical nazi at that.
Since he volunteered to fly bombing raids to Germany as a common airman, that is doubtful, but the republican insisted and Wikipedia regarded him as a source despite his clear political bias.
He claimed it was based on the november 6th 1939 edition of the New York TImes. Wiki wouldn't let me edit it out and kept restoring the false information.
Only after I e-mailed moderators a denial by the newspaper that he was never there, that edition had never been requested and it contains no articles about Dutch princes, did Wikipedia edit it out.
The false info had been up for years at that point.
@ Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing;
’twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.”
- "Othello" by William Shakespeare
its min-da-naw mr drach, im a peenoise and so happy you covered this!
Also Ka-vee-teh (as in te in tectonic) for Cavite, Ko-re-hi-dor for Corregidor and Ba-ta-an for Bataan.
my colleague who was born there pronounces the last syllable more like 'now' - he almost makes 2 syllables out of it...
Great video. I’d like to see one about the Royal Navy Corvettes.
Buckley also ferried MacArthur and his family to safety away from his would be captors ! In an ocean rescue of amazing skill .
"Do you see torpedo boats?" 'STAY IN FORMATION!, Kamchatka'