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It’s strange that some of the pt boats struck underwater pilings. Because during the civil war. The union army built floating saw rafts to cut the cypress stumps in the swamp above Vicksburg. I think the navy should have looked back into their history and they would have found the solution.

Ernest Borgnine was an actual Swabbie joining the Navy in 1935, after high school. He served aboard the destroyer/minesweeper USS Lamberton and was discharged in Oct '41. In January '42, he reenlisted after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He patrolled the Atlantic on an antisubmarine ship, the USS Sylph. In September '45, he was once again honorably discharged from the Navy. He served a total of almost 10 years in the Navy and obtained the grade of gunner's mate first class. His awards include the Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal with "A" Device, American Campaign Medal with bronze star, and the WW II Victory Medal. (Chopped and edited from Wikipedia...) As somoene pointed out he and many of the other cast members of McHales Navy were Vets...salute to all the Greatest Generation!!!

Meanwhile the Elco PT boats were there from the start and had helped win the battle of the Solomon Islands among many others. As much a fan as I was of McHale's Navy growing up, PT 109 would've been my answer if asked what PT boat comes to mind. Dick Keresey wrote a great first hand account of what it was like serving on a mosquito boat called PT105. Highly recommend it.

Ernest Borgnine had a full career in the Navy and retired just as WWII began. He rejoined and served all through the war - never on a PT boat, and not an officer, but a truly honorable veteran.

A B-17 USAAF Crew flew from Australia to pick up Gen. MacArthur and evacuate him landed in the Philippines after a long and dangerous flight. MacArthur ever the Prima Donna refused as the pilot’s rank wasn’t at least a full Col. and refused. MacArthur waited 10 hours after Pearl Harbor and did nothing more concerned about what the Philippine President would think rather than bomb the Japanese on Formosa (Taiwan) which the Japanese forces delayed by bad weather could have severely damaged. Instead the opposite. The General was a great planner and organizer but an obstinate asshole who illegally accepted a great deal of money from the Government of the Philippines, which his subordinates following regulations refused. The amount was discovered until after his death., $ 1/2. Million USD 1942 dollars. President Truman committed political suicide to recall and fire the general in Korea when as President and Commander in Chief he did so over the General’s insubordination.

I believe if you asked any pacific veteran the bad blood with the Japanese and the US Navy started on December 7 1941 at Pearl Habor.

Was not Wake Island a possession of the United States while Alaska a territory

Just learned they used a 24v system then and they’ve used it throughout the years even still today on their vehicles. All nato countries also use 24v systems. Honestly a pain because you can’t jump start one of those trucks with a truck on 12v system

Thanks for the content. Nice work.

A message from the UK. My father served in the Royal Navy during WW2 and in particular LCAs (landing craft assault). He did commando raids, was at Dieppe as well as Operations Torch and Husky. He said that the LCAs with Packard engines were not as reliable as those fitted with Rolls Royce. It may have been national bias or experience; both packards in his LCA failed at Dieppe at a crucial moment!

The burning question I have is who was the SOB that okayed the Torpedoes that failed so many times in WW2. Whoever that was needs to be identified and vilified as many men would have made it out alive had they worked well! I grew up during JFKs time and the thrilling saga of PT109.

Love the scenes of building the boats

I wish someone would mention about the Pacard Diesels. V16 used on US NAVY MINE SWEEPERS MSO’s. Aluminum block.

My grandfather was on the USS Southard. Never heard of her? There was a book and movie based on her and her exploits. The book was written by Herman Wouk and the movie stared Humphrey Bogart. It was called The Cain Mutiny. Like PT73 it's fiction based on fact.

And not a single bathroom on board!

Hi Les, great video! I am a crew on PT658 here in Portland OR. The purpose of the 5M-2500 engine aftercooler was placed on the engine in order to boost the horsepower up to 1850hp. Coupled with the larger diameter of the supercharger wheel and the higher speed of the supercharger give the increase in horsepower. The 4M-2500 has only 1500hp by comparison. One interesting problem that we have discovered with these engines is that we have inadvertently "snapped" 4 of these supercharger drive shafts. They are 1 inch diameter hardened steel splined shafts. What we found out was that when you either slow down or speed up the engine too quickly, the momentum of the supercharger in relation to the crankshaft is too high and the shaft can break very easily. So our new operating method is to slowly accelerate or decelerate when we go fast. We are taking the boat out here on 5-6-7 June 2024 for Portland Rose Festival Fleet Week, so it should be a lot of fun! All of your PT Boat related videos are very well researched and I am a fan. Thanks for these series of excellent videos! Jerry

I purchassd an old mitsubishi it says i have a 4dr5 engin tho i have a turbo alrady there.. how doni know if its the 4dr5t?

Good engine

I've been on small craft along the SE of Alaska many times in the late 60s. It was considered foolish to run anything short of a proven trawler west of Cook Inlet and insane west of Kodiak. These were some stout naval men.

Elco, Huckins and Higgins all used different hull bottom shapes and Elco in particular modified their hulls as the war progressed. They did not reproduce the Scott Paine boat shape. Moreover, these types of hulls had been made in the U.S. particularly since before the first world war. William Hand Jr. was very well known for them as was George Crouch and John Hacker among others These men, particularly William Hand heavily influenced planing powerboat development in Britain in the early pre first world war period. Hand was considered the progenitor of the planing V-bottom. Huckins made fast planing cruisers throughout the 30's with what they called a Quadraconic hull. To this day I think Huckins would have won if they used only three engines and had strengthened their hull more. They no doubt had the softest ride. But four engines is more trouble and expense and likely weight than the three larger engines. By the way the turning radius was tightest with boats that had two rudders versus three, one for each engine. Huckins used only two rudders for the four engines. Higgins also used two rudders versus three, and Elco used three, thus their poorer turning radius. There were companies in the U.S. that DID build the British MTB to exact specifications, however. But these were made for the Royal Navy by American companies during WWII. Among them were Ventnor of New Jersey, a yard in Annapolis, Maryland, and one in San Diego, California. C.P. Leek of New Jersey among others also made 75 ft sub chasers for the Royal Navy as well as other American Companies.

Do these come with locking differentials?

I spent some time in the engine space aboard PT-658 while underway. It was every bit as awe inspiring as you could imagine. The throttle plates were just barely cracked open, as we were only doing about 15 knots. Conversation in the engine space was impossible, we just stood there with big stupid grins on our faces.

Was awesome. Living on a small boat.

I enjoyed your entire series. My wife is from Dumaguette, so I have been to several WWII sites there, including the trees in town where the Japanese executed many locals. My father-in-law and his gang of local kids used to sneak into the Japanese camp to steal rice and other rations. Interestingly, a relative of a friend of mine here in California was one of the 11 suvivors from the fire trenches at Puerto Princesa, last name Pacheco.

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Everyone knows MacArthur pulled his forces out too late, he got out, 20,000 left behind to suffer in Japanese marches and death camps. That's why i liked the navy , command goes down with his ship.

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Unfortunate fantastic war history **** four star

The incident changed the outcome of Formosa history forever. Sequalo TV series has vivid descriptions.

Read The Expendable by John Floyd. It’s the story of a USN Independent Duty Corpsman serving in this squadron. Compelling reading.

Thank you for posting such an interesting and historical video. This is the best posting I have seen of the PT boats. PT-109 and Cliff Roberson was great Hollywood but this is the brutal reality. What a tribute to the men serving in the Aleutian Theater.

Interesting point that PT6 was said to have 2 Allison 2,000 hp engines....they were the V24 twin V1710 engines, that was being developed but a draw back was they had no transmission for reverse !!!

My dad was a WW2 PT Boat machinist in the Pacific. He served in the same squadron as Kennedy. The most hazardous naval duty in the war. He had three boats he served on sunk. On one, he was the only survivor. Needless to say, he suffered with PTSD. PT boaters are all heroes.

When I was a young boy in the late 60s early 70s they had old PT boats in NJ that they would give you rides on, very fast and you would be drenched after you were done!

The Monkeys have no tail in Zamboanga..... i know that song well my Father was there MBS 611.... and taught me that song....Semper Fi Dad..........

I was a commercial fisherman. Years earlier an older friend bought a PT right after the war for tuna jig fishing. When he first got the boat he put a few hundred gallons in the tanks and went joy riding with family and friends. In a few hours the engines started missing and then stopping. The Coast Guard towed him back. One of the coasties had been on PTs during the war and told him the engines burned 50 gallons per hour per engine at speed. He pulled the gas engines and put in 3 war surplus Detroit Diesels.

I knew a retired Colonel who was MacArthur' s communication officer. He had nothing complimentary about " Dugout Doug MacArthur".

With all 3 at wfo 500 gallons an hour

Hollywood did "make a movie about" PT Boats. It starred John Wayne and Robert Montgomery (Elizabeth's dad, he got top billing), called They Were Expendable, released in 1945, 3 1/2 months after the end of the war. The film was based on the 1942 book by William Lindsay White, based on the exploits of John D Bulkeley, a MoH winner and PT Boat Squadron Three commander, and his exec, Robert Kelly. Montgomery would go on to be one of only two major Hollywood stars who would "name names" in the "Blacklist" hearings. The other was Ronnie Reagan.

45 degree V12. A little odd choice for interbank angle - 60 or 120 degrees would be more ideal for balanced running. The Merlin had 60 degrees. Also, the V10s used in F1 in the 2000s had a 72 degree angle and most auto V8s are 90 degrees.

Why does every PT boat story always use clips from They were Expendable?

My father worked at Packard machining harmonic balancers for these engines before he went into the Army in WWII.

OUTSTANDING video, but dude, at 10:35 "you can see from the service manual... " flashes service manual for 1 (one) second. xD