PT boat PT boats were a variety of torpedo - armed fast attack craft used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships . " PT " is the US hull classification symbol for " Patrol Torpedo " . The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed " the mosquito fleet " . The Japanese called them " Devil Boats " . The original pre – World War I torpedo boats were designed with " displacement " hulls . They displaced up to 300 tons and the top speed was . The PT boats used in World War II were built using the planing - type hull form developed for racing boats . They were much smaller ( 30 – 75 tons ) and faster ( 35 – 40 knots ) . Both types were designed to strike at larger warships with torpedo es , using relatively high speed to get close , and small size to avoid being spotted and hit by gunfire . They were much less expensive than large warships . PT boats were much faster , smaller , and cheaper than conventional ( displacement hull ) vessels . During World War II , American PT boats engaged enemy destroyer s and numerous other surface craft , ranging from small boats to large supply ships . PT boats also operated as gunboat s against enemy small craft , such as armored barges used by the Japanese forces for inter - island transport . The primary anti - ship armament was two to four Mark 8 torpedoes , which each weighed 2 , 600 pounds ( 1 , 179 kg ) and contained a 466 - pound ( 211 kg ) TNT warhead . These torpedoes were launched by Mark 18 21 - inch ( 530 mm ) steel torpedo tubes . Mark 8 torpedoes had a range of 16 , 000 yards ( 14 , 630 m ) at 36 knots ( 41 mph ) . Common to all US PT boats were two twin M2 . 50 cal ( 12 . 7 mm ) machine guns . Another automatic weapon commonly mounted on PT boats was the 20 mm Oerlikon cannon . All U . S . PT boats were powered by three 12 - cylinder gasoline - fueled engines . These engines were built by the Packard Motor Car Company , and were a modified design of the 3A - 2500 V - 12 liquid - cooled aircraft engine . History . In the late 1930s , the U . S . Navy requested competitive bids for several different concepts of torpedo boats . This competition led to eight prototype boats built to compete in two different classes . The first class was for boats , and the second class was for boats . The resulting PT boat designs were the product of a small cadre of respected naval architects and the Navy . On 8 June 1939 , contracts were let to the Fogal Boat Yard , Inc . , later known as the Miami Shipbuilding Co . , of Miami , Florida , for " PT - 1 " and " - 2 " " Crash Boats " , and to the Fisher Boat Works , Detroit , Michigan , for " PT - 3 " and " - 4 " . These four boats were essentially the Crouch design , modified in some details by the Bureau of Ships . At the same time the Philadelphia Navy Yard began construction of two other designs ( " PT - 7 " and " PT - 8 " ) , created by designers at the Navy Yard and the Navy Bureau of Ships . Henry R . Sutphen of Electric Launch Company ( Elco ) and his designers ( Irwin Chase , Bill Fleming , and Glenville Tremaine ) visited the United Kingdom to see British motor torpedo boat designs . While visiting the British Power Boat Company , they purchased a design ( " PV70 " ) ( later renamed " PT - 9 " during the competition ) , designed by Hubert Scott - Paine . Other entries in the competition were three boats built by Andrew Jackson Higgins of Higgins Industries in New Orleans . These boats were " PT - 5 " and " PT - 6 " ( built using government - required Sparkman and Stephens design , scaled to an overall length of ) and then PT - 6 " Prime " which was redesigned by Higgins personally using his own methods . The final competitor for the contract was Huckins Yacht Corporation , which came up with competing boat class designs . The results of the competition found that none of the boats , as built , was up to the necessary performance specifications identified by the Navy . The Plywood Derby . The Board of Inspection and Survey decided to conduct comparative service tests . The following boats were tested off New London , 21 to 24 July 1941 : The test included an open - sea run of at full throttle , forever after referred to by PT personnel as the " Plywood Derby . " The course started around New York Harbor , at Sarah Ledge , then led around the eastern end of Block Island , then around Fire Island Lightship , finishing at Montauk Point Whistling Buoy . This was a shakedown to see which company would be contracted to build the Navy PT boats . At the completion of the trials , the Navy considered all three designs . The Elco 77 - footer ( ) ( " PT - 20 " ) came in first with an average speed of , followed by the Huckins boat ( " PT - 69 " ) and the Higgins 76 - footer ( ) ( " PT - 70 " ) . The Navy saw the merits of the other two boats and decided to offer all three companies contracts . Elco received the largest share of the contract with contracts for 350 boats , Higgins was awarded contracts for 199 boats , and Huckins was awarded a contract for 18 boats . The Elco Company may have had an advantage owing to their experience in small - boat building , having built 550 sub chaser s for the Royal Navy during World War I . Additionally , in 1921 , they introduced the famous " Cruisette " , ( a gasoline cabin cruiser ) . This success in small - boat building was followed in the 1930s with 30 - ft to 57 - ft " Veedettes " and " Flattops " , which were gasoline - powered boats that set the highest standard in a golden era of boating . This small - boat experience helped Elco obtain a contract for 10 boats based on the Scott - Paine Model PT boat . These boats were tested and determined to be too light for open sea work , but Elco got a contract for 24 larger boats based on a lengthened design . Elco . The Elco Naval Division boats were the largest in size of the three types of PT boats built for the Navy used during World War II . By war ' s end , more of the Elco boats were built than any other type of motor torpedo boat ( 326 of their boats were built ) . The wooden - hulled craft were classified as boats in comparison with much larger steel - hulled destroyers , but were comparable in size to many wooden sailing ships in history . They had a beam . Though often said to be made of plywood , they were actually made of two diagonal layered thick mahogany planks , with a glue - impregnated layer of canvas in between . Holding all this together were thousands of bronze screws and copper rivets . This type of construction made it possible for damage to the wooden hulls of these boats to be easily repaired at the front lines by base force personnel . Five Elco Boats were manufactured in knock - down kit form and sent to Long Beach Boatworks for assembly on the West Coast as part of an experiment and as a proof of concept . Higgins . Higgins Industries of New Orleans , Louisiana produced 199 boats of the " PT - 71 " or " PT - 235 " or " PT - 625 " classes . The Higgins boats had the same beam , full load displacement , engine , generators , shaft power , trial speed , armament , and crew accommodation as the Elco boats . Many Higgins boats were sent to the Soviet Union and Great Britain at the beginning of the war , so many of the lower - numbered squadrons in the U . S . Navy were made up exclusively of Elcos . The first Higgins boats for the U . S . Navy were used in the Battle for the Aleutian Islands ( Attu and Kiska ) as part of Squadron 13 and 16 , and others ( RON15 and RON22 ) in the Mediterranean against the Germans . They were also used during the D - Day landings on 6 June 1944 . Even though only half as many Higgins boats were produced , far more survive ( seven hulls , three of which have been restored to their World War II configuration ) , than the more numerous Elco boats , thus seemingly demonstrating their superior construction . Of the Elco boats , only three hulls ( one restored ) are known to exist at this time . Huckins Yacht Corporation . Frank Pembroke Huckins and his innovative Quadraconic hull helped convince the Navy Board of Inspection and Survey to accept the PT designs . After proving that the planing hull was faster , and it provided a platform for the armament requirements of a war boat , the navy awarded Huckins Yacht Corporation a PT design contract in 1941 for a total of 18 boats . Huckins built two squadrons of PT boats during World War II . A total of 18 78 - foot ( 24 m ) boats for squadrons 14 and 26 were commissioned in early 1943 . They were assigned to specific outposts in the Panama Canal Zone , Miami , Florida , the Hawaiian Sea Frontier at Pearl Harbor , in the Central Pacific , and a training center in Melville , Rhode Island . Huckins licensed the use of the Quadraconic hull in PT boat construction . Huckins also granted permission for Elco , Higgins and the Philadelphia Navy Yard to use their patented laminated keel , which increased hull strength , although neither Elco nor Higgins ever chose to use the Huckins design on their boats ; they instead used designs of their own . The handcrafted Huckins PT was produced at a speed of one per month . The Elco boats made the best showing with Elco edging the Huckins in light and heavy loaded speed tests ( versus ) , however the Huckins had a tighter turning circle ( Huckins 336 - P / 368 - S yards in diameter compared to Elco 432 - P / 382 - S yards in diameter ) and pounding factor ( Elco pounded 61 % more than Huckins ) . The Elco was considered acceptable for future construction provided changes were made to reduce pounding in a seaway , and also strengthen the structure in a manner acceptable to the Bureau of Ships . Vosper and other types of PT boats . During World War II , the Vosper Boat Company of Great Britain arranged for several boatyards in the U . S . to build British - designed motor torpedo boat s under license to help the war effort . 146 , armed with torpedoes , were built for Lend Lease , exported to Allied powers such as Canada , Britain , Norway , and the Soviet Union . They were never used by the U . S . Navy , and only about 50 were used by the Royal Navy , and most were passed to other countries . In addition , the Canadian Power Boat Company produced five Scott - Paine designed PTs for the U . S . , which were also sent as Lend Lease to the UK . Construction . With accommodation for three officer s and 14 enlisted men , the crew varied from 12 to 17 , depending upon the number and type of weapons installed . Full - load displacement late in the war was 56 tons . The hull shape of a PT boat was similar to the " planing hull " found in pleasure boats of the time ( and still in use today ) : a sharp V at the bow softening to a flat bottom at the stern . PT boats were intended to plane at higher speeds , just like pleasure boats . The Elco and Higgins companies both used lightweight techniques of hull construction which included two layers of double diagonal mahogany planking utilizing a glue - impregnated cloth layer between inner and outer planks . These planks were held together by thousands of copper rivets and bronze screws . The overall result was an extremely light and strong hull , yet it could be easily repaired from battle damage at the front lines . As a testament to the strength of this type of construction , several PT boats withstood catastrophic battle damage and still remained afloat . For example , the forward half of future President John F . Kennedy ' s " PT - 109 " ( Elco ) stayed afloat for 12 hours after she was cut in half by the Japanese destroyer " Amagiri " . " PT - 323 " ( Elco ) was cut in half by a " kamikaze " aircraft on 10 December 1944 off Leyte , yet remained floating for several hours . " PT - 308 " ( Higgins ) had her stern sheared off by a collision with PT - 304 during a night mission in the Mediterranean on 9 March 1945 and yet returned to base for repairs . " PT - 167 " ( Elco ) was holed through the bow off Bougainville on 5 November 1943 , by a torpedo which failed to detonate ; the boat remained in action and was repaired the next day . In 1943 , an inquiry was held by the Navy to discuss planing , hull design , and fuel consumption issues , but no major modifications were made before the end of the war . ( Wooden Boat Forum ) During the war , both Elco and Higgins came up with stepped hull designs which achieved significant increases in top speed , ( " ElcoPlane " & " Higgins Hellcat " ) but the Navy rejected them for full production due to their increased fuel consumption and other considerations . Armament . The primary anti - ship armament was two to four Mark 8 torpedo es , which weighed and contained a TNT warhead . These torpedoes were launched by Mark 18 steel torpedo tube s . Mark 8 torpedoes had a range of at . These torpedoes and tubes were replaced in mid - 1943 by four lightweight Mark 13 torpedo es , which weighed and contained a Torpex - filled warhead . These torpedoes were carried on lightweight Mark 1 roll - off style torpedo launching racks . The Mk13 torpedo had a range of and a speed of . PT boats were also well armed with numerous automatic weapons . Common to all US PT boats were the two twin M2 . 50 cal ( 12 . 7 mm ) machine guns . Early PT boats ( Elco PT20 through PT44 ) mounted Dewandre plexiglas - enclosed hydraulically operated rotating turrets . Almost immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor , the Dewandre turrets were replaced on the entire PT boat fleet with open ring twin mounts . The ring mount was designed by both Elco and Bell , and designated Mark 17 Twin 50 caliber aircraft mount . Part of the Mark 17 Mod 1 and Mod 2 ring mount consisted of the Bell Mark 9 twin cradle . Another automatic weapon commonly mounted on PT boats was the 20 mm Oerlikon cannon . On early series of boats , this cannon was mounted on the stern . Later in the war , several more of these 20 mm cannons were added amidships and on the forward deck . Forward of the chart house of some early Elco boats ( PT20 through PT44 ) were twin . 30 cal ( 7 . 62 mm ) Lewis machine guns on pedestal mounts . Beginning in mid - 1943 , some boats were fitted with one or two . 30 cal Browning machine guns on the forward torpedo racks on pedestal mounts . Occasionally , some front line PT boats received " ad hoc " up - fits at forward bases , where they mounted such weapons as 37mm aircraft cannons , rocket launchers , or mortars . When these weapons were found to be successful , they were incorporated onto the PT boats as original armament . One such field modification was made to Kennedy ' s " PT - 109 " , which was equipped with a single - shot Army M3 37mm anti - tank gun that her crew had commandeered ; they removed the wheels and lashed it to 2x8 timbers placed on the bow only one night before she was lost . The larger punch of the 37mm round was desirable , but the crews looked for something that could fire faster than the single - shot army anti - tank weapon . Their answer was found in the 37mm Oldsmobile M4 aircraft automatic cannon cannibalized from crashed P - 39 Airacobra fighter planes on Henderson Field , Guadalcanal . After having demonstrated its value on board PT boats , the M4 ( and later M9 ) cannon was installed at the factory . The M4 / M9 37mm auto cannon had a relatively high rate of fire ( 125 rounds per minute ) and large magazine ( 30 rounds ) . These features made it highly desirable due to the PT boat ' s ever - increasing requirement for increased firepower to deal effectively with the Japanese " daihatsu " barges , which were largely immune to torpedoes due to their shallow draft . By the war ' s end , most PTs had these weapons . The culmination of larger - bore cannons resulted in the installation of the 40mm Bofors gun on the aft deck . Starting in mid - 1943 , the installation of this gun had an immediate positive effect on the firepower available from a PT boat . The Bofors cannon had a firing rate of 120 rounds / min ( using 4 - round clips ) and had a range of . This gun was served by a crew of 4 men , and was used against aircraft targets , as well as shore bombardment or enemy surface craft . Towards the end of the war , beginning in 1945 , PTs received two eight - cell Mark 50 rocket launchers , launching spin - stabilized flat trajectory Mark 7 and / or Mark 10 Rockets with a range of . These 16 rockets plus 16 reloads gave them as much firepower as a destroyer ' s guns . By war ' s end , the PT boat had more " firepower - per - ton " than any other vessel in the U . S . Navy . PT boats also commonly carried between two and eight U . S . Navy Mark 6 depth charge s in roll - off stern racks . Additionally , a few PT boats were equipped to carry naval mines launched from mine racks , but these were not in common usage . Although not a weapon , U . S . Navy PTs also were fitted with Raytheon SO radar , which had about a 17 nm range . Having radar gave Navy PTs a distinct advantage in intercepting enemy supply barges and ships at night . Engines . All U . S . PT boats were powered by three 12 - cylinder gasoline - fueled engines . These engines were built by the Packard Motor Car Company , and were a modified design of the 3A - 2500 V - 12 liquid - cooled aircraft engine . The 3A - 2500 was an improved version of the 2A engine used on the Huff - Daland XB - 1 Liberty bomber of World War I vintage . Packard modified them for marine use in PTs , hence the " M " designation instead of " A " . ( i . e . , 3A - 2500 then 3M - 2500 ) . The three successive versions of these engines were designated as 3M - 2500 , 4M - 2500 , and 5M - 2500 , each of which had slight improvements over the previous version . Their aircraft roots gave them many features of aircraft engines , such as superchargers , intercooler s , dual magnetos , two spark plugs per cylinder , and so on . Packard built the Rolls - Royce Merlin aero engine under license alongside the 4M - 2500 , but with the exception of the " PT - 9 " prototype boat brought from England for Elco to examine and copy , the Merlin was never used in PTs . The 4M - 2500s initially generated 1200 hp ( 895 kW ) each , together roughly the same power as a Boeing B - 17 bomber . They were subsequently upgraded in stages to 1500 hp ( 1 , 150 kW ) each , for a designed speed of 41 knots ( ) . The final engine version , the Packard 5M - 2500 , ( late 1945 ) had a larger supercharger , aftercooler , and power output of 1850 hp . This much power could push the fully loaded boats at 45 to 50 knots . However , using the older 4M - 2500 engines , increases in the weight of the boats due to more weaponry offset the potential increase in top speed . Fuel consumption of these engines was phenomenal ; a PT boat carried 3 , 000 gallons ( 11 , 360 liters ) of 100 octane avgas . A normal patrol for these boats would last a maximum of 12 hours . The consumption rate for each engine at a cruising speed of 23 knots was about 66 gallons ( 250 l ) per hour ( 200 gallons [ 760 l ] per hour for all 3 engines ) . However , at top speed , consumption increased to 166 gallons ( 628 l ) per hour per engine ( or 500 gallons [ 1 , 890 l ] per hour for all 3 engines ) . Navy acceptance trials for every boat required it be able to demonstrate ability to achieve design speed of 41 + knots . Going at this speed , the 3 , 000 gallons of fuel would be used in only about 6 hours . Wartime conditions such as hull fouling and engine wear could sometimes cause the boats ' top speed to be degraded until maintenance could be performed . Service . Early use . Originally conceived as anti - ship weapons , PT boats were publicly credited with sinking several Japanese warships during the period between December 1941 and the fall of the Philippines in May 1942 . Attacking at night , PT crews may have sometimes failed to note a possible torpedo failure . Although the American Mark 8 torpedo did have problems with porpoising and circular runs , it could and did have success against common classes of targets . The Mark 3 and Mark 4 exploder s were not subject to the same problems as the Mark 6 exploder s on U . S . submarines ' Mark 14 torpedo es . Introduction of the Mark 13 torpedo to PT boats in mid - 1943 all but eliminated the early problems that PT boats had with their obsolete Mark 8s . Night attacks . PTs would usually attack at night . The cockpits of PT boats were protected against small arms fire and splinters by armor plate . Direct hits from Japanese guns could and did result in catastrophic gasoline explosions with near - total crew loss . They feared attack by Japanese seaplanes , which were hard to detect even with radar , but which could easily spot the phosphorescent wake left by PT propellers . Bombing attacks killed and wounded crews even with near misses . There are several recorded instances of PT boats trading fire with friendly aircraft , a situation also familiar to U . S . submariners . Several PT boats were lost due to " friendly fire " from both Allied aircraft and destroyers . Radar use . Initially , only a few boats were issued primitive radar sets . Later in the war , as more PTs were fitted with dependable radar , they developed superior night - fighting tactics and used them to locate and destroy many enemy targets . During the Guadalcanal and Solomon Island campaigns in 1942 – 1943 , the PT boats of Squadron ( RON ) 2 , 3 , 5 and 6 would lie in wait to ambush a target from torpedo range ( generally about ) . During some of these nighttime attacks , the PT boats ' position may have been given away by a flash of light caused by grease inside the black - powder - actuated Mark XIII torpedo tubes catching fire during the launching sequence . In order to avoid return fire by the enemy ships , the PT boat could deploy a smoke screen using stern - mounted generators as they escaped and evaded the enemy ships . The enemy forces would use searchlights or seaplane - dropped flares to locate the fleeing PT boat , illuminating them for destruction by their heavy - caliber guns . Use of depth charges . Sometimes PT boats used depth charges as a last - ditch confusion weapon to scare off pursuing destroyers . They could adjust the depth charge setting to go off at , and by the time it exploded the pursuing destroyer would be right above the explosion . Starting in mid - 1943 and thereafter , the old black powder actuated Mk13 Torpedo tubes loaded with Mark 8 torpedoes were removed and replaced with a newer style of torpedo launcher . The new Mark 1 " Roll - off " torpedo launcher rack ( which was loaded with an improved Mark 13 aerial torpedo ) effectively eliminated the flash of light from burning grease which would give away the position of the PT boat . The new launcher did not use any form of explosive to launch the torpedo , and weighed about less than the old tube style launchers . During the war , a few PT boats were modified to become " PT Gunboats " . In the PT Gunboat , the torpedoes were all removed and replaced with more and heavier guns . These versions mounted extra armor , though tests showed this was not very effective . Solomon Islands campaign . The effectiveness of PT boats in the Solomon Islands campaign , where there were numerous engagements between PTs and capital ships as well as against Japanese shipborne resupply efforts dubbed " The Tokyo Express " in " the Slot " , was substantially undermined by defective Mark 8 torpedoes . The Japanese were initially cautious when operating their capital ship s in areas known to have PT boats , since they knew how dangerous their own Type 93s were , and assumed the Americans had equally lethal weapons . The PT boats at Guadalcanal were given credit for several sinkings and successes against the vaunted Tokyo Express . In several engagements , the mere presence of PTs was sufficient to disrupt heavily escorted Japanese resupply activities at Guadalcanal . Afterwards , the PT mission in the Solomon Islands was deemed a success . Theatres of operation . Throughout World War II , PTs operated in the southern , western , and northern Pacific , as well as in the Mediterranean Sea and the English Channel . Some served during the Battle of Normandy . During the D - Day invasion , PTs patrolled the " Mason Line " , forming a barrier against the German S - boats attacking the Allied landing forces . They also performed lifesaving and anti - shipping mine destruction missions during the invasion . Barge attacks . Perhaps the most effective use of PTs was as " barge busters " . Since both the Japanese in the New Guinea area and the Germans in the Mediterranean had lost numerous resupply vessels to Allied air power during daylight hours , each attempted to resupply their troop concentrations by using shallow draft barges at night in very shallow waters . The shallow depth meant Allied destroyers were unable to follow them due to the risk of running aground and the barges could be protected by an umbrella of shore batteries . The efficiency of the PT boats at sinking the Japanese supply barges was considered a key reason why the Japanese had severe food , ammunition , and replacement problems during the New Guinea and Solomon Island Campaigns , and made the PT boats prime targets for enemy aircraft . The use of PT boat torpedoes was ineffective against these sometimes heavily - armed barges , since the minimum depth setting of the torpedo was about 10 feet ( 3 m ) and the barges only drew 5 feet ( 1 . 5 m ) . To accomplish the task , PTs in the Mediterranean and the Pacific ( and RN and RCN MTBs in the Mediterranean ) installed more and heavier guns which were able to sink the barges . One captured Japanese soldier ' s diary described their fear of PT boats by describing them as " the monster that roars , flaps it wings , and shoots torpedoes in all directions . " Though their primary mission continued to be attack on surface ships and craft , PT boats were also used effectively to lay mines and smoke screens , coordinate in air - sea rescue operations , rescue shipwreck survivors , destroy Japanese suicide boats , destroy floating mines , and to carry out intelligence or raider operations . After the war , American military interviews with captured veterans of the Imperial Japanese Navy , supplemented by the available partial Japanese war records , were unable to verify that all the PT boat sinking claims were valid . Like many other victory claims by all parties involved ( aircraft pilots , surface ships , submarines ) this unclear verification was due in part to the Japanese military ' s policies of destroying military records . Supply . Although they did have a small refrigerator on board , PT boats lacked the larger capacity refrigerators of larger ships to store meat , milk , butter , and eggs , so crews depended on the ingenuity of their cook , who might also be quartermaster and signalman , and what he could do with sandwiches , Spam , Vienna sausage , beans , and orange marmalade . PT boat squadrons were supported by either PT boat tenders or PT boat bases which supplied the boat crews with hot meals cooked aboard the larger command ' s facilities . The PT boat crews were usually located at the end of the supply chain , and as a result , they became proficient at finding " alternative means " of meeting their needs . PT boat crews would often beg , borrow , or barter with nearby ships or military units for supplies . At the front lines , it was not uncommon to see crewmen fish by aiming rifles or tossing grenades into the water near the boat . Gunboats . In the Solomon Islands in 1943 , three PT boats , " PT - 59 " , " PT - 60 " , and " PT - 61 " , were converted into " PT gunboats " by stripping them of all original armament except the two twin . 50 cal ( 12 . 7 mm ) gun mounts , then adding two 40mm and four twin . 50 cal ( 12 . 7 mm ) mounts . Lieutenant John F . Kennedy was the first commanding officer of " PT - 59 " after its conversion . On 2 November 1943 , " PT - 59 " participated in the rescue of 40 to 50 Marines from Choiseul Island and a foundering landing craft ( LCP ( R ) ) which was under fire from Japanese soldiers on the beach . In 1944 , several Higgins boats ( " PT222 " , " PT - 283 " , " PT - 284 " , " PT - 285 " , and " PT - 282 " ) were converted , releasing " PT - 59 " , " PT - 60 " , and " PT - 61 " for transfer back home to the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Training Command ( MTBSTC ) school in Melville , Rhode Island for use in training in hull repair techniques . Boats . Many PT boats became famous during and after World War II : Losses . According to the book " " At Close Quarters : PT Boats in the United States Navy " " 99 of the 531 PT boats that served during World War II , were lost to various causes . Remaining boats . At the end of the war , almost all surviving U . S . PT boats were disposed of shortly after V - J Day . Hundreds of boats were deliberately stripped of all useful equipment and then dragged up on the beach and burned . This was done to minimize the amount of upkeep the Navy would have to do , since wooden boats require much continuous maintenance , and they were not considered worth the effort . The boats also used a lot of high octane gasoline for their size , making them too expensive to operate for a peacetime navy . Much of this destruction ( 121 boats ) occurred at PT Base 17 , on Samar , Philippines , near Bobon Point . A total of 11 PT boats , and 2 experimental PT boat hulls in various states of repair , survive today in the U . S . : " PT - 48 " is possibly the last surviving Elco PT boat . In July 1942 , " PT - 48 " ( nicknamed " Prep Tom " and " Deuce " ) was assigned to MTB RON 3 . This second Squadron 3 was the first to arrive in the Solomons and saw heavy engagement with the " Tokyo Express " . PT 48 was one of the first 4 boats to arrive at Tulagi , on 12 October 1942 . On the night of 13 / 14 October 1942 , PT - 48 engaged a Japanese destroyer at . This Squadron saw action in the Solomon Islands , Guadalcanal , and Funafuti . " PT - 48 " is today in need of major restoration , after having been cut down to and used as a dinner cruise boat . Because of this boat ' s extensive combat history , having survived 22 months in the combat zone at Guadalcanal ( more time in combat than any other surviving PT boat ) , a preservation group , “ Fleet Obsolete ” of Kingston , New York , acquired and transported it to Rondout Creek in 2008 for eventual repair . " PT - 305 " ( " Half Hitch " , " Barfly " , " USS Sudden Jerk " ) is a Higgins boat , assigned during the war to RON22 , and saw action against the Germans in the Mediterranean Sea . Squadron 22 was operating with the British Coastal Forces , and saw action along the northwest cost of Italy and southern coast of France . In June 1945 the squadron was shipped to the U . S . for refitting and transfer to the Pacific , but the war ended while still in New York . The " PT - 305 " was cut down to for use as an oyster seed boat in Crisfield , Maryland . " PT - 305 " was acquired by the Defenders of America Naval Museum ( DOANM ) , and then sold in May 2007 to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans . " PT - 305 " is undergoing restoration ( as of 2012 ) to become a permanent display in the new expansion of the museum . A Higgins , PT - 309 ( " Oh Frankie ! " ) was assigned during the war to RON22 , and saw action against the Germans in the Mediterranean Sea . The squadron was operating under the British Coastal Forces , and saw action along the northwest cost of Italy and southern coast of France . In April 1945 the squadron was shipped to the U . S . for refitting and transfer to the Pacific , but the war ended while still in New York . Coincidentally , the " PT - 309 " ( " Oh Frankie ! " ) , was named in honor of Frank Sinatra , with whom the boats ' Commanding Officer met at a nightclub shortly before MTBRON22 left New York for the Mediterranean Theatre . " PT - 309 " is located at the National Museum of the Pacific War / Admiral Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg , Texas , which was restored by the ( now defunct ) Defenders of America Naval Museum ( DOANM ) . " PT - 309 " is restored ( but non - operational ) in a static diorama display without engines installed . Her external restoration was completed by the Texas group in 2002 , and is to a high standard . " PT - 459 " ( " MAHOGANY MENACE " ) a Higgins boat , was assigned to MTBRON 30 on 15 February 1944 under the command of LCDR Robert L . Searles . MTBRON 30 saw action in the English Channel as part of the Invasion of Normandy . In late June 1945 the squadron was shipped to the U . S . for refitting and transfer to the Pacific , but the war ended while still in New York . After the war , the ex - PT459 was cut down to and highly modified into a sightseeing boat and fishing trawler . She was acquired by Fleet Obsolete in June 2008 and moved to Kingston , New York for possible restoration . " PT - 486 " , an Elco boat , was place in service on 2 December 1943 . It was used in the training squadron ( MTBRON ) 4 in Melville , Rhode Island during World War II until it was placed out of service 16 January 1946 . Along with PT - 557 , the vessel was purchased from BFM Industries ( Brooklyn , NY ) by Capt . George C . Sinn of Wildwood Crest , NJ on 9 October 1951 for $ 1 , 015 . 00 . The vessel was sold in 1952 to Otto Stocker who operated the " Sightseer " as an excursion vessel from Otten ' s Harbor in Wildwood , New Jersey . The business was later sold to Capt . Charles Schumann in the 1980s . He named the vessel Schumann ' s " Big Blue " and ran the business until 2002 . Remarkably , the PT486 was sold to the son of the original owner , Capt . Ronald G . Sinn , who in 2012 sold the boat to " Fleet Obsolete " of Kingston NY . Plans are for restoring the vessel to recreate the World War II appearance . " PT - 615 " , an Elco originally assigned to RON 42 , was commissioned after the war ended . " PT - 615 " was returned to Elco after being sold and was heavily modified into a yacht , which was leased to actor Clark Gable . He named the boat " Tarbaby VI " , and used her through the 1950s . The boat was serviced and stored by Elco . She was sold several times , and moved to Kingston for possible restoration . " PT - 617 " is an Elco boat located in Battleship Cove Naval Museum in Massachusetts . She was obtained from the backwaters of Florida and moved to its current location by JM " Boats " Newberry , the founder of PT Boats Inc . " Boats " along with the team at Battleship Cove Museum restored her during 1984 – 89 , inside and out , at a cost of US $ 1 million . The boat is owned by PT Boats , Inc . , a World War II PT veterans organization headquartered in Germantown , Tennessee . The quality of the restoration was extremely high , and the boat is on display inside a weatherproof building , on blocks out of the water . She is available for public viewing , and has portions of her hull cut away to display the cramped interior of the crew ' s quarters . General visitors are not allowed inside the boat in order to help preserve her historic integrity . " PT - 657 " , a Higgins boat , has been converted into a charter fishing boat . She is located in San Diego and is now named " Malahini " . Perhaps the best example of a surviving Higgins boat is " PT - 658 " , which was completely restored to her original 1945 configuration from 1995 to 2005 . " PT - 658 " is now fully functional and afloat , using the three original Packard V12 5M - 2500 gas engines . It is the only 100 % authentically restored U . S . Navy PT boat actually operational today . " PT - 658 " is located in Portland , Oregon , at Navy Operational Support Center Portland ' s Swan Island Pier . The group wishes to maintain the boat as a living , breathing artifact dedicated to the history of the PT force of the Second World War . " PT - 658 " was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012 . " PT - 728 " , a surviving Vosper boat built under license at the Annapolis Boat Yard in Maryland , was restored in Key West , Florida . Her deck house was reconfigured to partially resemble an Elco instead of its original Vosper configuration . " PT - 728 " was acquired by Fleet Obsolete and moved to Kingston . There " PT - 728 " allows up to 49 tourists the chance to ride on a " PT boat " . This boat is the only U . S . Coast Guard regulation - approved PT boat licensed to take passengers for hire , and the only surviving U . S . - built Vosper design . In spring of 2012 , " PT - 728 " was acquired by the Liberty Aircraft Museum of Port Clinton , OH for further restoration . " PT - 796 " ( " Tail Ender " ) is a Higgins . After the war ended PT - 796 was used in the Key West / Miami area for experimental purposes . She was retired from service in the late 1950s . Shortly after her retirement from service , the " PT - 796 " was used as a float during President John F . Kennedy ' s inaugural parade to represent " PT - 109 " , with the " PT - 109 " hull number painted on the bow , and several of " PT - 109 " ' s surviving crew members manning the boat . Today , " PT - 796 " is located at the Battleship Cove Naval Museum in Fall River , Massachusetts in a Quonset hut - style building , protected from the weather , and up on blocks . The boat is owned by PT Boats , Inc . , a World War II PT veterans organization headquartered in Germantown , Tennessee . Two of the experimental PT - Boats also still survive , " PT - 3 " ( built by Fisher Boat Works ) in Pennsylvania and " PT - 8 " . " PT - 3 " was a barrel - back boat that was rejected by the Navy during trials in 1941 after being deemed too short to carry 4 torpedoes . PT - 3 and PT - 8 were both part of Squadron 1 ( RON 1 ) during the testing period . After testing was completed in 1941 , PT - 3 was reclassified into a Small Boat and transferred to Harbor Patrol duties for the duration of the war . " PT - 8 " ( built at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard ) in Louisiana was built entirely from aluminum but did not pass the speed acceptance criteria for use as a PT boat for the U . S . Navy due to its weight . She was reclassified as a harbor patrol boat for the duration of the war . The two Vosper boats in England were built by Vosper itself , and the first is in fairly good condition at Portsmouth . The second UK built boat is in private hands , floating on a canal north of London and being used as a private residence , though it is remarkably intact in its World War II configuration . Exported PT boats . Ten Higgins boats were delivered in 1948 for use by the Argentine Navy ( " Armada Argentina " ) during the late 1940s up until the late 1970s . All of these boats are now retired from naval use , with two still in service today as sightseeing boats on Mar del Plata : the " Leonardo da Vinci " No . 8 and the " Mar de la Plata " # 9 . The other six boats are in various states of disrepair or sunk or scrapped . The PT boat design was also exported after the end of the second world war as an unarmed air - sea rescue launch for use by the South African Navy . Cinema stand - ins . The 1963 movie " PT - 109 " used what appears to be five Elco boats . The engine telegraph shows the Elco name , and the boats resemble Elcos . The boats were converted from Air Force Crash Rescue Boats , due to the unavailability of operational survivors . The boats were built with only two Packard engines . The original 1962 – 66 " McHale ' s Navy " TV series used a Vosper boat . In the 1997 movie " McHale ' s Navy " , Air Sea Rescue boats were used . Occasionally Vietnam - era PTF boats ( Patrol Torpedo Fast ) ( built at John Trumpy , Annapolis or Nasty class from Norway ) are incorrectly identified as World War II PT boats . Several PTF boats can still be found around the country , including " PTF - 3 " in Florida , " PTF - 19 " in Chesapeake Bay and " PTF - 26 " in California . These should not to be confused with PT boats , as they differ in many key features .