Living History

Clover and I were hanging out in Portland this weekend and lo and behold what should we find quite by accident but the only restored PT boat in the United States sitting at a dock in Lake Oswego of all places! PT boats played an important role in all five theaters of WWII but particularly in the Pacific. 

They spirited Gen. Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines when the Japanese thought they had him cornered. He resumed command of all Pacific forces and led the United States to victory in that theater. They attacked the Japanese fleet at places like Guadalcanal and made life difficult for them. When the bulk of the Japanese fleet was pulled back closer to Japan after the crushing battle at Midway, the PTs turned to harassment and interdiction of Japanese ships and barges attempting to resupply their garrisons in the Pacific islands until they had to pull out or face death at the hands of the Marines. Our 35th President, John F. Kennedy, became a hero commanding a PT that was cut in half one dark night by a Japanese destroyer. 

The 658 has been lovingly restored and is an excellent example of a PT later in the war that hunted barges for a living. Still capable of 42 knots even in 20' seas, the 658 is 80' long and powered by three 1800 hp turbocharged Packard aircraft engines. It is made of plywood and carried a crew of 16 in its wartime years. For a short period of time, the PT packed the punch of a destroyer - until it ran out of ammunition and torpedos and had to get of harm's way fast before Japanese destroyers could find the mark and sink them with just a few shells.

The PT Museum is at Swan Island and welcomes visitors and contributions. It is definitely worth a visit to see a piece of living history and appreciate the brave men who crewed them and helped stopped the Japanese advance in the Pacific. 


savetheptboatinc.com