• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Last survivng PT Boats

Nige

Nige

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
29,307
Location
G..G..G..Granville.........!! Fetch your cloth.
RZucker said:
It's very interesting that the Viet Nam era PTF boats used the weird Napier Deltic engines, I guess they had a good power to weight and size ratio.
Click to expand...
The "deltic drone" was something I grew up with when the railways switched from steam to diesel in the 60s because the principal express passenger locos were powered by two 18-cylinder Delitc engines. There are still a few around in preservation and they sound as good as they did over 50 years ago. Here's a clip of one making what's known as a "spirited" departure from Doncaster pulling an enthusiast's special. Turn up the sound, it's well worth a listen....

 
Truck Shop

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,921
Location
WWW.
Last June I was on a service call to Arrowhead Truck Stop in Pendleton Or. I saw a Napier Deltic loaded on a drop deck, first one I've ever seen. And as luck
would have it I left my camera in the shop.:(

Truck Shop
 
digger242j

digger242j

Administrator
Joined
Oct 31, 2003
Messages
6,642
Location
Southwestern PA
Occupation
Self employed excavator
Interesting thread. Thanks.

willie59 said:
That's really cool. I recall reading JFK's book PT109 when I was in Junior High School.
Click to expand...

When I was a kid, I not only read that one, but another one, "They Were Expendable" that was also about PT boats. I just googled it, and found that they also made a movie from the book. They used real PT boats in the movie. It can be found on YouTube.

Here's a link to the trailer:
 
willie59

willie59

Administrator
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,391
Location
Knoxville TN
Occupation
Service Manager
digger242j said:
Interesting thread. Thanks.



When I was a kid, I not only read that one, but another one, "They Were Expendable" that was also about PT boats. I just googled it, and found that they also made a movie from the book. They used real PT boats in the movie. It can be found on YouTube.

Here's a link to the trailer:
Click to expand...

Yep, I've watched that movie. That's back when Hollywood actually made "good" movies. JMHO
 
willie59

willie59

Administrator
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,391
Location
Knoxville TN
Occupation
Service Manager
Nige said:
The "deltic drone" was something I grew up with when the railways switched from steam to diesel in the 60s because the principal express passenger locos were powered by two 18-cylinder Delitc engines. There are still a few around in preservation and they sound as good as they did over 50 years ago. Here's a clip of one making what's known as a "spirited" departure from Doncaster pulling an enthusiast's special. Turn up the sound, it's well worth a listen....

Click to expand...

That's really cool Nige! By the sound I'm guessing (since I know nothing about these engines) that the Deltic in that loco is a two stroke much like the GM EMD engines used in loco's in the USA, no?
 
willie59

willie59

Administrator
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,391
Location
Knoxville TN
Occupation
Service Manager
RZucker said:
We used to have a KC-97 here that was a waterbomber for forest fires. It had the huge 4 row Pratt and Whitney radials, That critter could send shivers down your spine. I watched them do a startup once... Pure music.
Click to expand...

Yes sir, and when they light up those 4 radial piston engines for takeoff...that's the symphony!
 
R

RZucker

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
4,077
Location
Wherever I end up
Occupation
Mechanic/welder
Nige said:
The "deltic drone" was something I grew up with when the railways switched from steam to diesel in the 60s because the principal express passenger locos were powered by two 18-cylinder Delitc engines. There are still a few around in preservation and they sound as good as they did over 50 years ago. Here's a clip of one making what's known as a "spirited" departure from Doncaster pulling an enthusiast's special. Turn up the sound, it's well worth a listen....

Click to expand...

That was great! almost had a bit of a Detroit sound to it. Closest I can think of is an 8V92T with straight pipes... sort of... Kind of...
 
R

RZucker

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
4,077
Location
Wherever I end up
Occupation
Mechanic/welder
willie59 said:
That's really cool Nige! By the sound I'm guessing (since I know nothing about these engines) that the Deltic in that loco is a two stroke much like the GM EMD engines used in loco's in the USA, no?
Click to expand...
Google the Deltic, it's an amazing engine. 3 crankshafts, 18 cylinders and 36 pistons. And yes, it's a 2 stroker.
 
B

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,320
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
willie59 said:
Yes sir, and when they light up those 4 radial piston engines for takeoff...that's the symphony!
Click to expand...

When I was young I was a wildland firefighter...we had our share of piston engines, S-2, P-2 (still in service but I think this is the very last season), DC-whatever but they were all twin engines. Still awesome low and slow directly overhead, cannot hear yourself think.

Never had the pleasure of hearing a 4 engine plane up close. Many months ago I heard one out the window of my house, tracked it using modern technology of Flight Radar 24. It was a B-17 on a tour. What a neat sound that is.
 
Nige

Nige

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
29,307
Location
G..G..G..Granville.........!! Fetch your cloth.
Correct Willie. Like the EMD the Deltic is a supercharged 2-stroke, but that's where the similarity ends. Named after the Greek letter Delta which is written as a triangle the Deltic engine has 3 crankshafts laid out in a triangular fashion with two on top and one on the bottom,. The cranks are connected to opposed pistons and the whole thing is blown by a supercharger mounted on the end of the engine. That way an engine that's bascially only as long as a 6-cylinder in-line has 18 cylinders and 1,650HP......

 
T

Tenwheeler

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Messages
870
Location
Georgia
DMiller said:
Found these on a search, Only One WWII PT operation in Oregon and has to be visited by Appt.
http://offbeatoregon.com/1401c.pt-658-worlds-only-working-pt-boat.html

The unit at Rio Vista CA is functional but a Vietnam Era PTF 26, it too is functional but more a gunboat.

http://libertymaritime.com/liberty1.htm

Both still awesome machines of simplicity.

For Old Iron Habit
Click to expand...
DMiller said:
Found these on a search, Only One WWII PT operation in Oregon and has to be visited by Appt.
http://offbeatoregon.com/1401c.pt-658-worlds-only-working-pt-boat.html

The unit at Rio Vista CA is functional but a Vietnam Era PTF 26, it too is functional but more a gunboat.

http://libertymaritime.com/liberty1.htm

Both still awesome machines of simplicity.

For Old Iron Habit
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing: Tried to see that when I was through that area in July but missed the appointment part. GPS put us in some big truck shops near the water by the address so we called. Only open about three days a week,they were nice, can you come tomorrow? We had to roll but caught Port Orford Coast Guard Station. Kind of like a fire station but they rescued sailors that sent out a flair. Left their quarters and ran half way down the bluff to the boat building. Rode the 38 ft self righting craft, with a 120 HP Detroit Diesel, down the tracks like a coaster and splashed into the ocean. Went out in any weather, cannon shot a rope over the ship and brought the sailors home. Those were mens men! I have a few pics but don't have your skills. Maybe you could do a post on that?
 
Tones

Tones

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2009
Messages
3,078
Location
Ubique
Occupation
Ex land clearing contractor, part-time retired
Is that where the design of the T3 Commer knocker came from Nige?
Nige said:
Correct Willie. Like the EMD the Deltic is a supercharged 2-stroke, but that's where the similarity ends. Named after the Greek letter Delta which is written as a triangle the Deltic engine has 3 crankshafts laid out in a triangular fashion with two on top and one on the bottom,. The cranks are connected to opposed pistons and the whole thing is blown by a supercharger mounted on the end of the engine. That way an engine that's bascially only as long as a 6-cylinder in-line has 18 cylinders and 1,650HP......

Click to expand...
 
willie59

willie59

Administrator
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,391
Location
Knoxville TN
Occupation
Service Manager
Nige said:
Correct Willie. Like the EMD the Deltic is a supercharged 2-stroke, but that's where the similarity ends. Named after the Greek letter Delta which is written as a triangle the Deltic engine has 3 crankshafts laid out in a triangular fashion with two on top and one on the bottom,. The cranks are connected to opposed pistons and the whole thing is blown by a supercharger mounted on the end of the engine. That way an engine that's bascially only as long as a 6-cylinder in-line has 18 cylinders and 1,650HP......

Click to expand...
Nige said:
Correct Willie. Like the EMD the Deltic is a supercharged 2-stroke, but that's where the similarity ends. Named after the Greek letter Delta which is written as a triangle the Deltic engine has 3 crankshafts laid out in a triangular fashion with two on top and one on the bottom,. The cranks are connected to opposed pistons and the whole thing is blown by a supercharger mounted on the end of the engine. That way an engine that's bascially only as long as a 6-cylinder in-line has 18 cylinders and 1,650HP......

Click to expand...

That is really cool Nige since this is my first introduction to this engine, I thank you for that. Even though it's multiple banks of pistons connected to the crankshafts, it's still basically a 3 cylinder firing configuration, which is good. Single and two cylinder engines are difficult if not impossible to minimize vibration. Once you enter the 3 cylinder world, one at bottom, one at TDC, and one either coming up or going down, vibration drops way down. Then throw in multiple banks or 3's working together, I wager that engine runs smoother than a baby's butt. That's really cool engineering, and really cool two stroke engine design.
 
willie59

willie59

Administrator
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,391
Location
Knoxville TN
Occupation
Service Manager
What I like about this thread...it's all about related technology, and very cool technology at that, that stems from a humble PT boat from an era over 70 years ago. And it's so cool to reflect upon. Nice job HEF members. :cool:
 
John C.

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,870
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
The PT boat was moored at Lake Oswego for two days the first weekend of September and open for tours on the main deck. I and the family got to go aboard and listen to the dedicated crew explain the workings. Three big gas engines with three separate propellers and they told us the boats could go from dead stop to thirty knots within the length of the boat. Seems a little fast to me but those were big engines. The boat is very expensive to operate as throttling up just one of those engines is about like flushing an old toilet. There were some weapons on the bow and stern and torpedoes on each side.

Not a lot of room on the boat, crew operated the boat in open air and it must have been a real rough ride at sea. The heart of any ship is the crew and those guys must have been made of something real strong and tough. The link provided about the boat is an interesting read.
 
John C.

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,870
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
I was stationed on a cruiser home ported in Norfolk, Virginia in the mid to late seventies and got sent fuel school over at the amphib base in Little Creek, Virginia. After the school each day some of us would walk around the base just looking at what was neat and cool about the brown water navy. There were two of those Regal Deltics sitting on skids in what looked like a bone yard for the river patrol boats that were used in Vietnam. We talked to an engine man there who said they were sent back for overhaul before the US pulled out and it never got done so there they sit. He told us of the crazy horsepower these things had but said rebuilding them was a nightmare and impossibly complicated.

It's funny what can trigger an old memory. Thanks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top