Motor torpedo boat ''PT-617'', also known as ''Big Red Cock'' and ''Dragon Lady'', "is the sole surviving 80' Elco type PT boat and represents the United States's most heavily used, highly favored, and combat-tested PT boat type in World War II." She is a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

at the

PT Boat Museum PT Boat Museum is located in Fall River, Massachusetts as part of Battleship Cove. It is a museum that exhibits two National Historic Landmark ships, an Elco boat, PT 617, and a Higgins boat, PT 796. External linksPT Boat Museum offic ...

in Fall River, Massachusetts. The Elco type boat was the predominant type and is the same type as the famous commanded by John F. Kennedy; the "Higgins" boat is the other type. ''PT-617'' was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. and

Design

''PT-617'' is a ''PT-103''-class ELCO motor torpedo boat. The hull was constructed of two layers of mahogany planking laid diagonally over laminated spruce, white oak, and mahogany frames, reinforced with longitudinal battens, secondary transverse frames, and clamps. A layer of fabric, impregnated with marine glue, was laid between the two layers of planking. The boat had a displacement of (fully loaded) and was in length, with a beam of , and a draft of . Her three liquid-cooled, supercharged, 12-cylinder

Packard Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958. One of the "Thr ...

4M-2500 engines each drove a single shaft, giving the boat a top speed of . With a full load of 3,000 gallons (9 tons) of high octane

aviation fuel Aviation fuels are petroleum-based fuels, or petroleum and synthetic fuel blends, used to power aircraft. They have more stringent requirements than fuels used for ground use, such as heating and road transport, and contain additives to enhanc ...

she had a maximum cruising radius of . ''PT-617'' was very heavily armed for her size with four Mark 13 torpedoes, a and two guns in the bows, a Bofors 40 mm gun at the stern, and two twin

.50 caliber This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the to caliber range. *''Length'' refers to the cartridge case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a ...

M2 Browning machine guns in mounts each side of the cockpit. There were also two

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

s mounted on racks on the stern, along with a smoke generator. Two Mark 50 rocket launchers and a mortar were also installed. In addition the crew were issued with

small arms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

, each man carrying a M1911.45 caliber pistol, and the boat carried a .30 caliber

Browning Automatic Rifle The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) is a family of American automatic rifles and machine guns used by the United States and numerous other countries during the 20th century. The primary variant of the BAR series was the M1918, chambered for the . ...

, M1903 Springfield .30-06 bolt-action rifles, .45 caliber Thompson submachine guns, 3-inch rockets, and Mk 2 grenades.

Ship history

''PT-617'' was built by the Electric Launch Company of

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...

. Laid down on 29 March 1945, and launched on 28 July, she was not completed until 21 September, after

the end of the war ''The End of the War'' ( sr, Kraj rata, Крај рата) is a 1984 Yugoslav war film directed by Dragan Kresoja. The film was selected as the Yugoslav entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 57th Academy Awards, but was not accepted a ...

. The boat was assigned to MTB Squadron 42 and slated for service with the Pacific Fleet, but this was later cancelled. The boat was placed out of service on 28 January 1946, and finally sold on 23 October 1947. In private hands the boat served as a yacht, and as a salvage and as a diving platform. She was bought by PT Boats, Inc. in 1979, and after restoration to her World War II configuration officially went on display on 1 September 1985.

References

External links

PT-617 web gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pt 617 National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Fall River, Massachusetts 617 1945 ships Museum ships in Massachusetts Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Fall River, Massachusetts World War II on the National Register of Historic Places

Design

Ship history

See also

References

External links