PT-59 had all four of her torpedo tubes removed, as well as her two depth charges, but retained two heavy 40-millimeter Bofors cannon anti-aircraft guns fitted fore and aft.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,936 |
16 Facts About PT-59
2.
PT-59 was first assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Four, the training squadron based at Melville, Rhode Island.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,937 |
3.
In October 1942 PT-59 departed for the South Pacific on board the Liberty ship SS Roger Williams.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,938 |
4.
In November 1942 PT-59 arrived at the Solomon Islands with MTB Squadron 2, numbering 8 boats.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,939 |
5.
PT-59 quickly fired two torpedoes, one of which struck it amidships.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,940 |
Related searches
Rhode Island Roger Williams Pacific Solomon Islands PT-109 Boston Miami Philadelphia Norfolk Manhattan 1970s6.
At 74 feet, the PT-59 was six feet shorter than the PT-109, but it would soon bristle with far more and heavier guns and armament, which required a larger crew to operate.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,941 |
7.
On Tulagi Island, under Kennedy's supervision and with his help, PT-59 had all four of her torpedo tubes removed, as well as her two depth charges, and was converted into a more powerful gunboat, and re-designated as PTGB-1.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,942 |
8.
PT-59 retained two heavy 40-millimeter Bofors cannon anti-aircraft guns now fitted fore and aft.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,943 |
9.
On 7 October 1943, the five-week redesign of PT-59 was completed, and on the following day Kennedy was promoted to full lieutenant.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,944 |
10.
PT-59 took aboard ten Marines near the crippled craft and fed them canned peaches, the first meal they had had in days.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,945 |
12.
PT-59 remained in the Solomons until August 1944, when she and five other 77-ft Elco PT boats, including PT-36 and PT-47 were transported back to the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Training Center at Melville, Rhode Island.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,947 |
13.
PT-59 was redesignated as a "Small Boat" and renumbered C102583 on 14 October 1944, and along with ex-PT-47, used briefly as a crash rescue boat at NAS Norfolk, before being transferred to the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 15 December 1944 to serve as a test subject for dehydration tests.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,948 |
15.
PT-59 is looking to raise funds from Kennedy focused organizations to fully explore the area.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,950 |
16.
PT-59 joined Kennedy on several patrols of PT-59, while Kennedy captained the boat from Lambu Lambu.
| FactSnippet No. 2,427,951 |