Fully Restored PT Boat - In Portland Oregon

[roundgunner]

PT Boat 658 - The only functional, restored, PT boat left in the world, and operating out of Portland, Oregon. A real tribute to the gentlemen who restored the boat! An example of another terrific contribution made by the Greatest Generation.

PT Boat 658 - The only functional, restored, PT boat left in the world! Operating out of Portland, Oregon.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I would love to see it! Looks like they did a great restoration job.
I had forgot that the PTs had a 40mm on the aft.

 

[labworm]

I worked with Frank who spent 4 years of his life in the Pacific aboard a PT boat. What great stories he would tell me.

Have to admire those veterans for contributing all that time to restoring a piece of our history for others to enjoy, somewhere down the road.

 

[wbraswell]

Boy, that thiing is sure armed heavier than any of the models I had.

 

[Jessie]

Thanks for that, I enjoyed the clip. I always liked the PT boats and am fascinated with their history. I would give my left you know what to take a ride on that, especially with some of those who actually served on one.
I wish they showed it cruising by wide open once with sound!

 

[old bear]

Warren, Thank You.

 

[BigBill]

She is one of the fastest, baddest boats on the water.

My uncle was in the navy on a PT boat. He told me when the war was over they pulled the engines, stripped the boats and burned them on the beaches what a waste.

 

[Pete99004]

Nice - thanks for sharing that one.

Pete

 

[Bkreutz]

Looks like a road trip in my future. (Portland is only a 3 hour drive from me).

 

[jjcobra]

You can just come to Port Clinton, OH the next time you are at Camp Perry and see our PT 728 at the Liberty Aviation Museum.
Liberty Aviation Museum

 

[roundgunner]

You can just come to Port Clinton, OH the next time you are at Camp Perry and see our PT 728 at the Liberty Aviation Museum.
Liberty Aviation Museum

I did not know they had one in Port Clinton, I grew up 40 mile from there and visit often. I will have to look for it.

 

[jeffsmith]

Couple of them HERE

PT Boats, Inc.- Museum

Not operational but interesting nonetheless

 

[the ringo kid]

I would love to see it! Looks like they did a great restoration job.
I had forgot that the PTs had a 40mm on the aft.

Same here and, I have a complete and well-marked 37 or 40mm shell. Shell casing 42 stamped w/ US Navy anchor--43 marked ring and warhead.

 

[jimmyj]

AWESOME!
Did I observe a single mount 40mm ??
I am aware that the PTs were armed with twin .50s, torpedoes, and sometimes a 37mm forward, but never knew of any larger ordnance.

 

[shouldazagged]

Lord, how I wish I could see that beauty and meet those men!

It can never happen now, but thank you for posting that.

 

[Grayfox]

Even for an old Army guy, that is way cool.

But it is kinda sad that its the only one left that still runs. What a loss to history.

 

[45Wheelgun]

Link to 658's website with lots of pictures:

PT658 - Save The PT Boat

 

[mc5aw]

With its firepower and streamlined profile, it's easy to see how the PT shares its heritage with the PBRs of the Vietnam era.

On another note, doesn't the intro to "McHale's Navy" shows a genuine Navy PT plowing through the chop, deck gunner at the ready?

McHale's Navy Opening Theme - YouTube

 

[meaneyedcatz]

It is sad that pieces of military equipment are rare or extinct.
Wish it were closer.
I did board an LST when it docked in Peoria IL. They also had a Vietnam era river patrol boat docked.
Can't beat American ingenuity.

 

[Frank46]

That was a labor of love for those gents. you know the old saying, a boat is a hole in the water into which you throw money. I'm pretty sure that was not one of their concerns when they did the restoration. Frank

 

[Coldshooter]

The son of one of the restoration group members and I cross paths at work several times per year. That project involved more than could be imagined from the boat to permits and on and on. Congratulations to them for sticking it out.

 

[charlie sherrill]

I recently contributed some money to the one they are restoring for the WWII museum in New Orleans.

 

[RonJ]

That McHales Navy clip brings up a question. Just how fast were those boats?

 

[roundgunner]

That McHales Navy clip brings up a question. Just how fast were those boats?

I think I read 38-40 knots. Moving right out & hard for the big boys to defend against. Those had to be gutsy guys to fight the Japanese destroyers and cruisers.

 

[MarkDozier]

Looks like a road trip in my future. (Portland is only a 3 hour drive from me).

I am down with that trip myself.

 

[mc5aw]

I think I read 38-40 knots. Moving right out & hard for the big boys to defend against. Those had to be gutsy guys to fight the Japanese destroyers and cruisers.

The McHale's Navy intro appears to be authentic stock Navy footage (the show aired only two decades after WWII) without any enhancement. That PT 73 looks to be flying over the chop, and the gunner is hanging on.

 

[islamoradamark]

im going to san fran this summer its been 45 years since the last time i was there i hope to visit some really good ships and ports that served this country with my family just one week got to squeeze in as much as i can thanks 4 the history and video

 

[safearm]

With its firepower and streamlined profile, it's easy to see how the PT shares its heritage with the PBRs of the Vietnam era.

On another note, doesn't the intro to "McHale's Navy" shows a genuine Navy PT plowing through the chop, deck gunner at the ready?

McHale's Navy Opening Theme - YouTube

It was the "Nasty" class PTFs during Vietnam and the late 70s that carried on the heritage of the WWII PT boats. In my first military tour, I served as a reservist on the PTF-19 at NS Great Lakes, IL, 1973-74.

 

[KevinCH]

Great story - thanks for posting!

 

[BigBill]

For some reason the speed of these awesome plywood boats 90mph comes to mind. There were stories of the PT boats going into the enemy ports launching all torpedoes and leaving as quickly as they arrived.