Wayne.B wrote:
On Sun, 29 Apr 2007 08:15:50 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:

Some of the WW II PT boats were built at the old Ludders shipyard in
Stamford, CT which later turned into the Yacht Haven East Marina, now
known as Brewer's East and is mostly office space. When I started
boating out of Stamford in the early 70s there was still a PT boat
hull on the edge of the parking lot.



That's Luders, not Ludders. My dad owned an L16, one of the prettiest
"racing" sloops ever.

Right you are, good catch.

And yes, the L16 is a darned fine looking boat.

http://www.sailset.com/L16/L16-2003.html




In addition to absolutely beautiful lines, the L16s were beautiful up
close. They were built of molded mahogany. Nice sailing boats, too.

On Apr 29, 5:02�am, Wayne.B wrote:
On Sat, 28 Apr 2007 22:37:54 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing

wrote:
On 28 Apr 2007 15:19:32 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

Great line: "Rust in Peace"

Could this have been a PT boat if it was rusting? Somehow or another I
thought those PT boats were plywood...am I wrong? (again?) *:-)

Nope - they were built of plywood. *I know they found the wreck a few
years ago, but I've got to believe it's not all that intact after
sixty plus years in the South Pacific waters.

from:http://www.military.com/NewContent/0...032805,00.html

==========
PT boat hulls were composed of double planked 1" mahogany fastened
with monel (brass- aircraft type) screws. Sandwiched between the
layers of mahogany planks was a layer (or ply) of canvas. Every other
wooden feature on the PT boat was traditional plywood. If the hull had
been plywood, as some mistakenly believe, the boat would have
disintegrated from the pounding that the hull underwent while
underway.
===========

Some of the WW II PT boats were built at the old Ludders shipyard in
Stamford, CT which later turned into the Yacht Haven East Marina, now
known as Brewer's East and is mostly office space. *When I started
boating out of Stamford in the early 70s there was still a PT boat
hull on the edge of the parking lot.

So there was a lot of plywood used in the construction, but the hull
itself was double planked mahogany.

On 29 Apr 2007 07:43:31 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

So there was a lot of plywood used in the construction, but the hull
itself was double planked mahogany.

So it seems. I'd always been told that they were built entirely of
plywood but that doesn't look like it's entirely true, and it
certainly makes sense given the conditions and speed range that they
operated in.

Chuck Gould wrote:
Great line: "Rust in Peace"


Could this have been a PT boat if it was rusting? Somehow or another I
thought those PT boats were plywood...am I wrong? (again?) :-)




Quake Raises WWII Ship From Sea Floor
AP
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (April 28) - Wreckage from a World War II
torpedo boat was tossed up from the sea in the Solomon Islands after a
powerful 8.1 earthquake hit the area in early April, an official said
Friday.


Jay Waura of the National Disaster Management Office said the
explosive-laden boat was exposed when reefs were pushed up 10 feet
above sea level by the April 2 quake, which caused a devastating
tsunami in the western Solomon Islands that killed 52 people.

The Solomons' coastline is still littered with decaying military
wrecks from World War II, including the torpedo patrol boat commanded
by U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

"My team members believe that this boat could have been one of those
U.S. torpedo boats such as the famous PT-109, which the late U.S.
President John F. Kennedy had served aboard during the war," said
Waura.

Kennedy's boat was sunk by a Japanese destroyer in the Blackett Strait
in August 1943 off Gizo, the main town of western Solomon Islands. The
Solomons' main island, Guadalcanal, was the scene of fierce World War
II fighting.



Waura said people on Rannonga island showed his team the wreckage
sitting on dry ground.

"We were amazed by this finding, as previously this wreckage had long
been sitting under the sea and rusting in peace without anyone knowing
about it," New Zealand Press Association quoted Waura as saying.

Only the boat's hull with its deadly cargo of explosives remained
intact, he said.




Kennedy was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy serving in the Pacific when
his PT-109 was cut in two by the Japanese destroyer. Two crew were
killed, but Kennedy and the vessel's other survivors clung to the
wreckage before swimming to a nearby island. The experience earned
Kennedy the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.

Wreckage from PT-109 was found in 2002 by shipwreck hunter Robert
Ballard, who also found the Titanic as well as other notable sunken
ships.


Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the
AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise
distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated
Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2007-04-27 20:06:03
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The hull was plywood, but my guess is it was fitted with lots of
materials (including the engine) that would rust.

On 28 Apr 2007 15:19:32 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

Great line: "Rust in Peace"

A cabin mate of mine in the merchant marine, who was a west coast
Naval supply officer (LT) at war's end, told me he made a lot of money
scrapping PT boats in 1945.
Somehow got the engines cheap using his position, and resold them at
market value.
Can't remember the exact dollars, but he got the engines for hundreds
and sold them for thousands.
He shall remain a nameless "officer and gentleman," but since he's
dead now, he won't mind me telling this much.

--Vic