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| Elco PT boat | |
|---|---|
| Name | PT boat |
| Builder | Electric Launch Company (Elco) |
| Operator | United States Navy |
Elco PT boat The Elco PT boat was a family of American patrol boat designs produced by the Electric Launch Company (Elco) for the United States Navy during World War II, serving in theaters including the Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean. Combining high speed derived from Packard Motor Company engines, wooden hull technology from Elco (boatbuilder), and tactics informed by Naval War College doctrine, Elco boats contributed to coastal interdiction, raiding, and special operations alongside units such as Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three and commanders associated with the PT-109 incident. Their development intersected with procurement decisions by the Bureau of Ships, strategic priorities set by Admiral Ernest King and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, and material constraints shaped by wartime industry including Bethlehem Steel and General Motors.
Elco designs evolved from early 20th-century motor launch innovations pioneered by Isaac Rice and companies like Electric Launch Company and influenced by high-speed craft studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and performance trials involving Sparrows Point shipyards and C. Raymond Hunt. Initial design work referenced prototype concepts evaluated by the Office of Naval Procurement and technical directives from the Bureau of Construction and Repair; designers balanced factors including hull form tested at David Taylor Model Basin, propulsion packages leveraging Packard Marine Engines and propeller research associated with William Froude theory. Development responded to combat lessons from the Spanish Civil War and doctrinal debates at the United States Naval Academy over the role of fast attack craft versus destroyers and submarines like those from Electric Boat Company.
Construction was concentrated at Elco yards in Bayonne, New Jersey and supported by subcontractors including Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation and timber suppliers from Pacific Northwest mills. Production ramp-up required coordination with the War Production Board, allocation of diesel and gasoline engines from Packard Motor Car Company and gearboxes from firms like General Motors, while labor came under jurisdiction of United States Maritime Commission standards and unions such as the AFL–CIO. Shipbuilding techniques married traditional lapstrake and plank-on-frame wooden construction to emergent assembly practices promoted by Henry J. Kaiser, enabling serial production of 70-foot and 80-foot models under contracts managed through the Procurement Directorate and overseen by naval inspectors from New York Navy Yard and Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
Elco PT boats were produced in multiple classes, most notably 70-foot and 80-foot variants, with later experimental types adopting different engines and weapon fits; these designations were administered by the Bureau of Ships. Typical specifications included wooden hulls, top speeds exceeding 40 knots using Packard V12 engines, and displacements suited for coastal operations as defined by Naval Architecture standards from SNAME publications. Variants encompassed changes in armament, fuel capacity, radio suites from RCA, and modifications for operations coordinated with units such as Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons and special mission detachments tied to Office of Strategic Services planning.
Elco boats operated across the Solomon Islands campaign, Guadalcanal campaign, Aleutian Islands Campaign, Normandy landings, and Mediterranean operations including Sicily campaign and actions around Salerno. They executed torpedo attacks informed by intelligence from Naval Intelligence and direction from commands like Commander, South Pacific. Operations often coordinated with escorts including Destroyer Tenders, aviation assets from United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy patrol squadrons, and Allied units such as Royal Navy motor torpedo boats during combined operations in the English Channel and Adriatic Sea.
Typical crews reflected complement sizes set by the Bureau of Naval Personnel and included officers trained at the Naval Academy and enlisted sailors seasoned via training centers at Melville, Rhode Island and Coronado, California. Armament packages varied; common fits included twin torpedo tubes carrying Mark 8 torpedos or later Mark 13 torpedos, machine guns from manufacturers like Browning and Colt, Oerlikon 20 mm cannons procured through Sperry Corporation supply chains, depth charge racks for antisubmarine work tied to doctrine from ASW schools, and rocket mounts developed with input from Bureau of Ordnance specifications.
Elco boats participated in high-profile incidents such as the sinking of enemy shipping during the Battle of Blackett Strait and actions associated with the PT-109 collision involving John F. Kennedy, while suffering losses from air attack, shore batteries, and navigational hazards exemplified by patrols near Rabaul and operations in the Solomon Islands. Losses and heroic actions were recorded in after-action reports submitted to commands like Commander, Seventh Fleet and memorialized in unit histories preserved by institutions including the Naval History and Heritage Command and National Museum of the United States Navy.
Elco PT boats influenced postwar small combatant concepts, informing the design of subsequent fast attack craft and contributing to Cold War developments in coastal warfare evaluated by Office of Naval Research and shipbuilders such as Bath Iron Works and Electric Boat. Lessons regarding hull materials, propulsion reliability from firms like Packard, and mission integration with naval aviation and special operations shaped doctrine at institutions including Naval Postgraduate School and influenced export patterns to allied navies such as Royal Australian Navy and Hellenic Navy. Museums and restorations at sites like PT Boat Museum and exhibits curated by the Smithsonian Institution preserve artifacts and technical documentation for scholarship in maritime history and naval engineering.
Category:Patrol vessel classes