USS Sudden Jerk (PT-305) & WWII Museum (PIc Heavy)

[parallel]

I pulled the trigger on a family membership to the National WWII Museum today. I'm volunteering at The National WWII Museum working specifically on the PT-305 Restoration Project. I had to meet with Bruce Harris (Project Lead) this morning to discuss the life line design that I'm doing so that the US Coast Guard will sign off on embarking passengers aboard the PT boat when she's operational and to discuss the design of a hatch dogging system to make her watertight. I took Isaiah with me and he was enthralled to be allowed to go aboard and check it out. Isaiah showed true interest in the museum so I went ahead and bought the membership so he could learn the history and the sacrifices of the greatest generation.

It was moments like these ones where he's taking pictures of the boat and asking all kinds of well thought out questions that made me decide to get the membership.

My boy riding the deactivated shell of a WWII era torpedo like those used by the torpedo patrol boats.

Permission to come aboard? Granted...

This was taken earlier by others; it sure is a shame that the beautiful mahogany deck of the PT-305 had to be painted over haze grey...

So... he wanted to check out the museum.. I called the wife and let her know we were going to be here a while and that I was about to buy a family membership and off we went...

Anyone who has been to the WWII museum knows that there are some stark and graphic photos of the horrors of war on display there. These were a bit of a shock to my boy. I've got my work cut out for me trying to make him understand.

 

[Class III]

I've been to the museum a couple of times. Going back in late November as I have to be at the Jax Brewery Riverview Room for a family wedding.

I'm going to take mom and three of her surviving sisters and a few of my cousins there, all who are native to NOLA and the surrounding area, but have never been.

Two of my aunts, one from Belle Chase and the other from Plaquemines Parish worked at the Higgins Boat factory during the war. Another aunt worked for the "Government". She did some type of engineering work (Her field of study) that is still classified. She still won't talk about what she did. At 96 YOA, I guess she will take it to her grave.

Class III

 

[sureshotbob]

WOW!!! he is one lucky boy.
I'd love to get down there to see that history.

 

[vigil617]

Definitely a bucket list destination for me.

How cool it is that you're working on those projects, and that the PT boat will be operational again. I'd love to get underway on her.

The guys who crewed the PTs had big brass ones, IMHO. Bet there were a lot of adrenalin-junky, thrill-seeker types among them, as going up against ships 10 times your size wasn't for the faint of heart.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

Bravo Zulu, Parallel, Bravo Zulu. I think you did everything right here from bringing Isaiah with you, to getting Mommas permission, to buying the membership, to volunteering to work on this worthy project. Outstanding, sir. Outstanding.

Regards,

Dave

 

[george minze]

Sadly our youth have little knowledge of he Greatest Generation and the sacrifices America went trough during WW2.....Some how we seem to have put our history on a back burner....I think that is very sad. The U.S. showed during those times what a nation of patriotic people can accomplish when we put our own self interest on a back burner for the benefit of the country and others. Stop and think about it...Had it not been for our involvement in WW2 their probably wouldn't be a France or for that matter England...Out history has been almost forgotten by later generations...No wonder we seem to be aloof sometimes to the lessons of history..Of course I am old and remember those small flags in the windows with the stars on them...I especially remember the Gold Stares and what sacrifices the stars indicated...Priorities?????

 

[Jessie]

Excellent pics, excellent education for him and excellent effort on the restoration.
You KNOW that boy is going to be very knowledgeable and proud about the museum and the PT boats in particular.
Kudos!
I hope he shares it all with his peers.
( And yes, it's a shame about that mahogany deck, but what can you do? It's a warship, not a pleasure boat.)
BTW, what's the history of its name? Must be good!

 

[Onomea]

Good stuff, all, but man-o-man, I don't need the bold italics at 20 point or whatever.

Just sayin'.

 

[gdnagle]

Glad to see some young persons are interested in what the Great Grandparents did to protect the world. Nothing can replace the Greatest Generation and everything they went through from a depression to a World War.

Good stuff, all, but man-o-man, I don't need the bold italics at 20 point or whatever.

Just sayin'.

Hey give him a break he is proud of his Grandson and besides may he misplaced his glasses. You know us old people can't read without them and he didn't want to make any mistakes.

 

[MOONDAWG]

Great post, thanks for sharing the photos!

 

[george minze]

Super post....I'm glad he got to see such a important point of history...I wonder how many kids today know or remember that president John Kennedy commanded one of those wooden boats PT 109 during WW2...and the story associated with his experiences...

 

[Stevens]

My Father-in-law did his training to drive Higgins boats like PA33-21 in your pictures. He trained in San Diego and was on a transport to the Pacific front when Hiroshima and Nagasaki bit the dust. He wound up in Hawaii for a while then back to the USA.
The Higgins boat PD4-3 "Marvin Perrett" is at the Houma, La. Regional Military Museum I took a picture of my Father In Law standing by it at a the shipyard where it was being refurbished, reminicing about his times on one like it. The PD4-3 was in the New Orleans are until it was brought to Houma 5 or 6 years ago. A friend of mine helped drive it through the Miss. River locks and along the Intracoastal Waterway to Houma, about 70 miles.
Thanks for your post and keeping your grandson interested, also the reminder I need to get mine, 7 & 8 over there too.

Steve W

 

[shouldazagged]

Sadly our youth have little knowledge of he Greatest Generation and the sacrifices America went trough during WW2.....Some how we seem to have put our history on a back burner....I think that is very sad. The U.S. showed during those times what a nation of patriotic people can accomplish when we put our own self interest on a back burner for the benefit of the country and others. Stop and think about it...Had it not been for our involvement in WW2 their probably wouldn't be a France or for that matter England...Out history has been almost forgotten by later generations...No wonder we seem to be aloof sometimes to the lessons of history..Of course I am old and remember those small flags in the windows with the stars on them...I especially remember the Gold Stares and what sacrifices the stars indicated...Priorities?????

Well said, George. I remember the flags too. Too many stars were gold. My grandparents had a flag with four stars, all fortunately blue. But the next-to-youngest son, who fought in the Aleutians, later took his own life.

They didn't call it PTSD then, but it's been around as long as there have been wars.

Looks like a great museum, and that's a handsome, bright-looking little boy.

 

[loknload]

I'd say a day well spent!
Is that PT An Elco? I don't believe I read a manufacture name anywhere?
I just love the sound of those Packard engines when they're fired up!
A little less known fact is that those Packards would later be sold out to the Seagrave Manufacturing Co. and they would be the power source behind Seagrave fire apparatus

 

[GaryS]

I'd say a day well spent!
Is that PT An Elco? I don't believe I read a manufacture name anywhere?
I just love the sound of those Packard engines when they're fired up!
A little less known fact is that those Packards would later be sold out to the Seagrave Manufacturing Co. and they would be the power source behind Seagrave fire apparatus

Higgins.

My wife and went to the museum a about a month ago. Great exhibits, and the WW II veteran volunteers who told us their stories were great. They were all kids then, but they picked up the world and carried it on their shoulders.

The Boeing building is very impressive and has some great displays. I'll have to see if I can find my pictures and post them to the thread.

As we were leaving I saw the building where the Pt-305 is being restored. I wish that I had known in time to request a tour, what I could see through the windows sure looked interesting.

Which reminds me that I have to make a trip to the PT boat museum in Fall River, MA.

 

[wbraswell]

I know I'm going there any time I get close to NOLA.

 

[rwsmith]

New Orleans???

I thought that I would never have any reason to go to NO, but now it looks like I have a really GOOD reason.

 

[GaryS]

I don't know that I would go just for that, but since we were going (my wife always wanted to see NOLA), I put it on the itinerary. She's a good sport about those things, but I make sure to take her shopping as well. One day in the French Quarter and French Market, one day at the museum. Both within walking distance of our hotel.

I thought that I would never have any reason to go to NO, but now it looks like I have a really GOOD reason.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I would like to see it, too.
I think the last time I was in the Big Easy it was to attend the World Fair.
And there were plenty of reasons why it wasn't called a world Great.
They had a 'ride' exhibit where you rode through these different countries.
All of a sudden you went through some doors into an empty warehouse.
Sahara Desert? Gobi? Then you swung back into developed territory.

 

[g8rb8]

Parallel,
Thanks for the nice photos and story.

The WWII museum is great. Anyone who hasn't been should make the trip. Your story brings back great memories of my son, now a college freshman, and I visiting this spring. We stayed the entire day. He's had great even-handed history teachers (thank goodness) and they have instilled in him a love of history and a great understanding of WWII history. My dad and I may have had an influence too. Cost of ticket for 2 to the museum. $46.
Cost of travel, lodging, and rental car in New Orleans. $1000.
Sharing history with your son. Priceless.

John
Scoundrel and Ne'er-Do-Well in Training