Last survivng PT Boats

[DMiller]

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

 

[Truck Shop]

Very interesting read, thanks.

Truck Shop

 

[willie59]

That's really cool. I recall reading JFK's book PT109 when I was in Junior High School. Yeah, we called it Junior High back then. Not many WWII vets left, I sure hope the youth of today appreciate what they did during that war and the equipment they worked with. The hair on my arms stand up whenever the Commemorative Air Force bring their B-24 to town and I hear those 4 radial engines flying over me as my father stood in the waist gunner position on bombing missions in CBI theater of operation in WWII

 

[RZucker]

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.

 

[crane operator]

The confederate air force was at our local airport around a month ago, I was working at my shop and I heard the sound willie59's talking about. I got out of the building just in time to see their b-29 fly right over my shop, that is one beautiful old plane. They weren't 500' feet up, so I got a good look.

 

[willie59]

You got it crane operator, ain't nothing like the sound of piston radial engines, it'll give ya chicken skin listening to them when they fly over.

 

[rodtg]

As you've mentioned Napier Deltics, I'm assuming that's the Nasty Class PT?

 

[RZucker]

As you've mentioned Napier Deltics, I'm assuming that's the Nasty Class PT?

Yes. Is that a Deltic in your avatar?

 

[rodtg]

It sure is. That's a 3,200HP turbo charged Deltic that was installed on the second batch of Nasty class PT's and also the Tjeld class of the Royal Norwegian Navy.

 

[RZucker]

You got it crane operator, ain't nothing like the sound of piston radial engines, it'll give ya chicken skin listening to them when they fly over.

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.

 

[RZucker]

It sure is. That's a 3,200HP turbo charged Deltic that was installed on the second batch of Nasty class PT's and also the Tjeld class of the Royal Norwegian Navy.

Very nice. Those were an odd engine with the three crankshafts, but a very powerful package, not unlike the Fairbanks Morse opposed cylinder engines. Only problem with the F-M's was they were tall.

 

[rodtg]

They were a magnificent piece of engineering, but very temperamental.

We bought a decommissioned PT from the Norwegian Navy in 1987 and declined the offer of the Deltics as they could be problematic they could guzzle a fair amount of diesel.

 

[RZucker]

They were a magnificent piece of engineering, but very temperamental.

We bought a decommissioned PT from the Norwegian Navy in 1987 and declined the offer of the Deltics as they could be problematic they could guzzle a fair amount of diesel.

So what did you use for replacement engines? I'm interested now.

 

[rodtg]

So what did you use for replacement engines? I'm interested now.

Sadly nothing like the Deltics. We converted it into a pleasure boat and ended up installing a pair of Detroit 8V71's that could make her go a maximum of 13 knots. A big drop from the 45-50knots when the Deltics were installed.

On the flip side, a substantially lower diesel consumption rate.

 

[RZucker]

Sadly nothing like the Deltics. We converted it into a pleasure boat and ended up installing a pair of Detroit 8V71's that could make her go a maximum of 13 knots. A big drop from the 45-50knots when the Deltics were installed.

On the flip side, a substantially lower diesel consumption rate.

Wow, about 1/10 the original HP... A pair of 16V71s would be about halfway in between the 8V71's and the Deltics. But that is one big pleasure boat.

 

[rodtg]

This is how we bought it.

 

[rodtg]

And slowly it took shape.

 

[rodtg]

And finally done.

 

[DMiller]

Can imagine it sliced water like butter.

 

[rodtg]

If you want a good idea how these kind of crafts could move, this is a video of a preserved Swedish PT with the original engines: