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As an American player in the long Coral Sea scenario, do PT boats ever become available? If so, about when? If not at the beginning of the game, how does one know when they become available? Also, the instructions on PT boats aren't clear to me. Can you help? Thanks.[&o]

IIRC PT boats will become available in early 43, February or March.You can check if they are available by looking into the intelligence report: select ships available and you will see at the bottom right the number of PT or barges that you can create.
Form a Transport TF in Noumea or Brisbane (not sure for Brisbane), loading supplies and send it to its destination;once it has arrived,enter the TF screen and click at the bottom of the screen on the create PT button or barge button.

It works for Brisbane, too. PTs start arriving February 1, 1943. Eventually, you get 50 to work with.

When you create PTs, they are in their own TF. Be sure to go to it and assign both a destination and a home port (they default to the supply source from which the creating TF came).

In order to assign a commander other than "staff officer," they have to be at a base.

PTs are most effective in small groups (4-6 craft per TF).

They are expendable.

[edit] just noticed that you asked about a scenario other than the full campaign scenario. Sorry, probably nothing of what I said above is applicable.

And use them like this.

And use them like this.

Thanks guys. In my first and only encounter using PTs so far, I ran into a Jap force of cruisers and destroyers when I was hoping to meet up with transports. Did rather poorly. Oh well. There is next time!

Use them close to the shorelines and in the ports and when you spot a transport force
or a large surface task force that you can try to estimate there next position close to
your PT'S and the shoreline then launch an attack with several 3 to 4 boat attacks.
you gain some attrition thru the element of surprise and the larger task forces lose
there radar capacity to see them when they are close to shore.
but you will lose most if not all of them.

Also, if you're feeling profligate and a bit heartless, you can hurl them into the path of an enemy bombardment TF, which then loses speed and possibly turns back if its commander is not sufficiently aggressive.

Pretty hard on your litlle boats though.

ORIGINAL: Blitzer

Also, if you're feeling profligate and a bit heartless, you can hurl them into the path of an enemy bombardment TF, which then loses speed and possibly turns back if its commander is not sufficiently aggressive.

Pretty hard on your litlle boats though.

But great for morale on quadalcanal when Yamato and ishhi both turn and run for it.[:D]

On my latest CS scenario, I found PTs available in November!