Question: PT 109, where is it today and what was its life span? Answer below.
At my last count, Kingston, NY was home to four World War II PT boats. In milder weather than today, PT 728 travels the river with passengers; the occasion for this foto, taken in November 2009, was the arrival in the sixth boro of USS NewYork. PT 728 was built in Annapolis, but others were built in New Orleans and in the sixth boro’s own Bayonne, NJ.
A few days ago I stumbled onto video 1 of 3 of ELCO manufacturing in Bayonne. Enjoy it here. More manufacturing here. This clip shows a group of PT boats heading up the Hudson and traversing locks in the Erie and Welland Canals; great short brief glimpses of locking and of at least one 1945 tug, passenger vessel, and commercial shipping in the Welland Canal. Finally, here’s a brief report on a New Orleans-built PT boat restoration project.
Thanks to Ken’s comment, I went in search of info on the most famous of PT boats, the 109, associated with the president who was sworn in exactly half century ago yesterday. PT 109 was an ELCO, launched into Newark Bay on June 20, 1942 and fitted out at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Anyone have any fotos?
Answer: 1200′ below the surface in the Solomon Islands. Its service life was barely one year, sinking on August 2, 1943.
Foto above by Will Van Dorp, who needs to get more PT boat fotos.
tugster: a waterblog 
10 comments
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January 21, 2011 at 10:51 am
Ken Nieuwenhuis
Is this posting related to JFK’s (of PT-109 fame) 50th Anniversary or just coincidence?
January 21, 2011 at 11:23 am
tugster
wow!! i didn’t even think about this. nice catch, ken. now i have to modify the post, eh?
January 21, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Fjorder
tugster-
great piece.
All the Elco PTs (maybe all, at least for a while) were powered by at least 3 12-cylinder Packard engines…. I think of the captain shouting down for more power, must’ve been sweating like a coal stoker in the engine room!
January 21, 2011 at 5:10 pm
tugster
fjorder– great to hear from you again. hope you’re well.
January 21, 2011 at 9:38 pm
eastriver
Used to be a bunch of them on the hard on the east bank of the ICW in Virginia, south of Norfolk and just above the Great Bridge lock… not in too-bad shape, some being worked on. Quite a while ago, though, probably all condos there now!
January 21, 2011 at 11:27 pm
Ken Nieuwenhuis
Eastriver – I was going to post the same thing earlier today, but I was not 100% sure they were PTs, but I have seen them on my trips down the ICW as well at that exact location. I may have a few photos some where. As I recall they were all in echelon and looked for all the world like they were in mid-flight after clearing a wake and about to land in the canal.
January 22, 2011 at 6:13 am
jeff s
those boats near Great Bridge on the ICW were PTFs of early 1960s, built at Batservice in Norway and transferred to USN for Viet duty. it is believed they are PTFs 3,6,7,12,…..and/or maybe 5,10 and 13. called NASTY class by USN.
a few years ago ….x PT-3,built by Fisher in Detroit in 1940, was rotting away in a boat yard in Fairton,N J ,alledgedly named SEA VET. dunno if she still exists.
January 22, 2011 at 8:52 am
Ken Nieuwenhuis
Thanks Jeff – I tried to find them on Google Earth but it looks like they are gone. I’ll have to dig though my old photos and send them to Will.
January 22, 2011 at 9:07 am
tugster
great, ken. happy new year to you and to you, jeff!
January 22, 2011 at 1:48 pm
eastriver
Thanks, Jeff — now that you mention it, something stirs about “Vietnam-era” in connection with those boats. Ken, I guess the property was too valuable for them… waterfront land for boats? awww, guess not.