Motor torpedo boat ''PT-617'', also known as ''Big Red Cock'' and ''Dragon Lady'', "is the sole surviving 80' Elco type

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the war ...

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 at the PT Boat Museum in

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

. The Elco type boat was the predominant type and is the same type as the famous commanded by

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

; the "Higgins" boat is the other type. ''PT-617'' was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

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 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 she had a maximum cruising radius of . ''PT-617'' was very heavily armed for her size with four

Mark 13 torpedo The Mark 13 torpedo was the U.S. Navy's most common aerial torpedo of World War II. It was the first American torpedo to be originally designed for launching from aircraft only. They were also used on PT boats. Design Originating in a 1925 des ...

es, a and two guns in the bows, a

Bofors 40 mm Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: *Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s ...

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 The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, ...

machine guns in mounts each side of the cockpit. There were also two depth charges 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, each man carrying a M1911 pistol, M1911.45 caliber pistol, and the boat carried a .30 caliber M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, Browning Automatic Rifle, 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. Laid down on 29 March 1945, and launched on 28 July, she was not completed until 21 September, after Victory over Japan Day, the end of the war. The boat was assigned to MTB Squadron 42 and slated for service with the United States Pacific Fleet, 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 PT boats, 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