About PTs

[feryveroweb]

Hi friends

How i might use better these boats? ... Surface combat ? Escort ?

Really , what task the americans at war set to these ( for me )

rare boats?

[Yamamoto]

Originally posted by feryveroweb
How i might use better these boats

Speed bumps.

Yamamoto

[SoulBlazer]

SPEED BUMPS????

Just ask Drex how much success MY PT Boats had aganist him in our last PBEM game!

They are best used to protect bases from Japanese SC/Bomb missions, to attack barge traffic, transports, or fast transports, or as cannon fodder in naval battles.

[Feinder]

Historically, they were used exactly as SoulBlazer describes.

PTs were first deployed to defend the Phillipines, where the tactical situtaion was much the same as the Solomons (lots of little islands). In the Solomons, both sides were hesitant to risk major fleet units due to the fact that the confining waters and many islands were prohibitative to maneuvring. Furthermore, with the more than 20 airfields in the area, it meant that large surface units would certainly be quickly spotted and could expect reprisals from from those squadrons.

The PTs were were particularly useful in interedicting the IJN barge traffic. IJN barges were not so easily spotted, becuase they were small, and often were only within a 100m of shore. Therefore the "cumbersome" US Destroyers had a more difficult situation regarding response time. PTs however, were idealy suited for the interdiction role. They were small, fast and highly maneuverable, thus allowing them to patrol the islands (esp at night when most of barge traffic moved anyway). Their shallow draft meant that they could maneuver in the restricted waters with little danger of running aground. Interestingly enough, the barges were often MORE heavily armed than the PTs whose mission it was to attack them (much to the frustration of the PT crews). PTs were often "customized" by the flotilla crews by adding any extra guns of any caliber that could be found.

The design of the boats lent much towards customization of armament anyways. A squadron might be assigned a AAA boat, that perhaps had the rear 37mm removed and replaced with another 40mm, and a pair of dual 20mms. There were also experiements with "barge busters" where the forward 40mm was replaced with a 57mm gun. Again, the crews and their maintenance chiefs often made due with anything they could lay their hands on, whether the means be orthadox, or not.

PTs were often pressed into resupply missions, particulary of units that were not apart of the main combat formation of an island (such as Raider platoons, including the insertion of such platoons). While the PTs had limited cargo ability, they could get in and get out quickly under the cover of darkness. Again, their shallow draft was useful, as they could often approach a beach directly and quickly unload supplies (unlike a larger vessal which may have to use lauches to offload supplies).

PTs were generally no match for major surface units however. The were after all, largely made of wood, and had no armor to speak of. The secondary guns of most vessals would be able to sufficiently handle the threat of 1 or 2 PTs. However, when faced with 6 - 9 of them (a standard full-strength flotilla), they could be a force "to give pause". It's the bee-hive vs. rotweiler. It's not that the PTs were individually a threat, but when 8 PTs are fast enough to gain an advantage of maneuver and position, and launch 4 torpedoes each, that's 32 fish in the water that could really ruin your day. Most captains were rightfully wary of risking their cruiser or destroyer against such a swarm. It's likely that they could easily take out 4 or so PTs, but do you want to have to explain the big hole in your side as you limp back to Truck...

Basically, PTs didn't fair well against the larger fleet units. But they did pose a tangible threat. They were likely to HURT you. And HURT in an area where there's plenty on enemy bombers around is unhealthy.

Interestinly enough, very few crews were actually assigned to a boat. Most crews were assigned to a flotilla of about 6 - 9 boats. Daily duty rosters assigned a crew to whatever boats were working that day. But a crew, more often than not, was actually assigned to a different boat whenever their rotation came up.

Old move (c1945) called "They Were Expendable" (actually stars John Wayne) is PT boats in the Phillipines as I recall. It was actually a pretty ok movie (for it's time). Don't get exicted, it's not as intense as "Private Ryan" or some of the newest ones of late. But it's worth wasting 100 minutes of your life (if you can actually find a place that has it for rent, but I doubt it).

Regards,
-F-

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

Originally posted by Feinder

Old move (c1945) called "They Were Expendable" (actually stars John Wayne) is PT boats in the Phillipines as I recall. It was actually a pretty ok movie (for it's time). Don't get exicted, it's not as intense as "Private Ryan" or some of the newest ones of late. But it's worth wasting 100 minutes of your life (if you can actually find a place that has it for rent, but I doubt it).

I actually watched "They Were Expendable" on TV here few months ago.

It's typically good John Wayne WWII movie (although at the end of film PT
boats destroy IJN cruiser in early 1942 which is a bit "exaggerated")...


Leo "Apolo11"

[Attack Condor]

First... as to the movie They Were Expendable... good movie if you get rid of the "growing up scenes by John Wayne's kid and Kirk Douglass (as well as Dana Andrews who plays the lovable lout Admiral who can't find his a$$ with both hands and a road map)... and how can you *not* love a movie where Wayne's character is named "Rock"??

<ahem> oh, um, right... PT boats.... probably the best analogy I know of for PT boats vs. major surface vessels is the oft used term "wolf pack" as that's what they were... as Feinder indicates a hit by a torpedo definitely slowed even the largest vessel.... and a slowed vessel was usually a dead vessel very soon after that.

[Attack Condor]

Sorry all - got my JW propaganda films mixed up ...the info above is from In Harm's Way.

[Drex]

Oldendorf used 39 PTs at the battle of Surigao Straits as his first line of defense. Unfortunately they were ineffective as the encounter was at night. It took the DDs to make the first torpedo hits.