One of the Board Members Patrick (call sign pagodaphile) dropped by the news desk with some superb photos of PT-658, newly restored and under way.
The occasion was in June 2009 on the Columbia River near Portland, Oregon.
From the photos you can see the retired Navy crew members offering a hand salute to the DDG USS Shoup, en-route to Portland.
One of the crew advised that they had the boat up to 45 knots at the time the photos were taken.
Ship History
Motor Torpedo Boat PT-658 is a Higgins design PT boat, similar in function but slightly different in design and layout from the more common Elco boats.
The 78 foot Higgins PT Boat, the USS PT-658 has been completely restored to its original 1945 configuration during the years 1995 to 2005. PT-658 is now fully functional and afloat. It is the only 100% authentically restored US Navy PT Boat that is operational today in the world. The USS PT-658 is located in Portland, Oregon at the Swan Island Naval Reserve Center Pier.
She is afloat and has 3 working 1,850 hp Packard Model 5M-2500 V12 gasoline engines. A dedicated group of PT Boat veterans formed the organization Save the PT Boat, Inc.,[1] and then restored the boat, to include a full armament of 4 Mark 13 Torpedoes, 2 twin .50 caliber Browning M2 machine guns, a 40 mm Bofors cannon, two 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, and 2 Mark 6 300 pound TNT depth charges.
While the restoration is essentially complete, the boat is open to the public on Mondays and Thursdays most every week when the crew is there restoring the boat. The boat has now been moved into the new boathouse (as of July 2008) and the group continues trying to raise money for ongoing projects such as deck replacement, charthouse repair, and interior detailing. Money is also needed for final boathouse improvements and to build a PT Boat Museum.
The website for PT -658 is http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/
Ships History Courtesy of Wikipedia
Special thanks to Patrick for sharing these superb images.
Cheers
Sean
