pt103.gdinc.compt103.com, an Elco 80' 103 Type PT Boat Construction Site

-- Please update your Flash plugin here: http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer -- -- -- -- General | Home | Vet Stories | Manufacturers | Specs | Armament Changes -- | Ships-2 Colors | .50 Cal M2 History | Scaling Tool | Links Components (in progress) | 20mm | .50 Cal | .50 Cal Twin Mount Mark 17 | Bridge | Chart House | Controls | Day Room | Dead Lights | Deck Hatch | Deck Ventilator | Depth Charge | Engine Hatch | Helm | Hull | Smoke Gen | Torpedo Tubes | Turrets Welcome to pt103.com, an Elco 80' PT boat resource site Image based on Elco/B.O.S. outboard profile plan 496536, available at ptboats.org. This website is now sponsored by oaksdata.com (hosts of web sites, applications, databases, E-mail, and groupware systems), and mirrored at pt103.gdinc.com through gdinc.com (Graphic Dimensions, Inc., marketing tools and technical data for art and marketing services). Thanks Tom and Dick! Dick Washichek, webmaster at ptboats.org's forum and owner of Graphic Dimensions, has went through the expense of having microfilm rolls of Elco drawings scanned in and has made them available to the public. It is an amazing collection, details and ordering instructions can be found here: http://www.gdinc.com/microDVD-001.html . Dick also has another collection featuring content on Higgins 78’ PT boats, Bath Iron Works PT 810, Elco 70’ PT & PTC boats, Elco V-Drive, and a Packard Operating Manual available here: http://www.gdinc.com/microDVD-002.html . I now use these drawings extensively in my work, they have helped greatly. Get them while available. The original microfilm was supplied by author Al Ross. Thanks guys! Rare drawings for the 21" Above Water Torpedo Tube Mark 18 Mod 1 and Mod 5, graciously provided from the collection of Al Ross: http://www.pt103.gdinc.com/drawings/21inchAWTorpedoTubeMark18.zip Updates 2011 October 15 update: Helmsman's rubber mat and platform added. See the Helm page. 2011 October 9 update: Helm updated to Elco drawings. See the Helm page. 2011 October 5 update: Forward turret updated to Elco drawings and aft turret added. Turret step updated. See the Turrets page. 2011 June 6 update: Updated the list of drawings on Dick's Elco DVD. 2011 April 30 update: Additions and corrections made to the Manufacturers page. 2010 September 28 update: Bridge control panel drawing updated to Elco drawings. Separate drawings, showing changes, added. See the Controls page. 2010 September 14 update: Packard engine data added to the Specs page. Data was obtained from a manual available on Dick's 2nd DVD, see above for ordering. 2010 April 10 update: Deck construction table added to the Hull page to show which boats had planked decks and which boats had plywood decks. 2010 March 22 update: Turret step, as found on the side of the chart house and day room, added to the Turrets page. 2010 March 21 update: Deck Hatch page added. Deck hatch hold open device drawing moved from Hull page to the Deck Hatch page and the latch raised slightly to match hatch. Deck Ventilator and Dead Lights drawings moved from Hull page to their own pages. 2010 March 1 update: Specs page cleaned up a bit, added camber information, and fuel tank capacity corrected. 2010 February 19 update: Deck hatch hold open device added to the Hull page. 2010 February 7 update: Deck dead light placement and construction added. Deck beam dimension table added. See the Hull page. 2010 January 6 update: Deck vent plan updated to Elco plan specs, on the Hull page. 2009 October 1 update: A 5 view of the .50 cal. Mark 9 carriage added. Jerry Gilmartin supplied me with some measurements from an actual carriage on PT 658 , thanks Jerry! 2009 September 29 update: Redrawn forward turret added. About This is a resource site by Jeff Davidson for the building details of an Elco 80' World War II Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) / Patrol Torpedo (PT) boat with leanings towards a 109 to 138 boat operating in the Pacific theater. The dimensional images found here are to help modelers create an accurate tribute to the boats and the men who sometimes gave up their lives serving on them, and to help preserve their history. They represent a best effort on my part, please confirm dimensions given here for yourself if errors cannot be tolerated. Images are for non-commercial personal use only, please obtain permission for any other use. I can be contacted through elconaut at comcast dot net. Number ranges for boats of this class, listed by production order, are 103-196, 314-367, 372-383, 546-563, 486-545, 731-760, and 565-624. There were quite a few minor and major changes made to them including during production ranges. Depending on available resources I'll try to include as many changes as I can. Please point out any errors you may find. Misinformation about PT boats is fairly common and something I don't want to be guilty of spreading. While this site concentrates on the physical aspects of the PT boat, be sure to read the accounts on the veterans stories page and check other websites on the Links page to learn the stories of the men who served on them. If you have, or know someone that has, any PT related images or items that you or they would like to donate please contact www.ptboats.org . They are dedicated to the preservation of all things PT. Even items like water damaged images can be valuable to history. I would also be grateful for scans of photos or manuals. PT Boat Background Japanese Planning Pearl Harbor Patrol Torpedo boats were built during a war that changed the way of life for Americans virtually overnight. The population was thrust willingly into a role of background support for the troops fighting overseas. Both had an iron will, given by Pearl Harbor, to do what was needed to defend their country. Both did without where they could so that resources could be directed to the war effort. Rationing was in effect, the motto was: Use it all; Wear it out; Make it do; or Go without. Victory gardens were planted to help ease food shortages and its transportation load. Many manufacturers changed production lines, for example a can factory before the war now made depth charges. Meat, sugar, butter, coffee, and gasoline were some of the items rationed. The average driver was allocated 3 gallons of gasoline per week. The Civil Air Patrol was formed to help guard coastlines. Wise words from the Smith Corp. T hey were built almost entirely of wood. Raw materials were in short supply, especially those imported from regions under the cloud of war such as rubber and high demand materials like metals. One resource that America had plenty of at the start of the war was wood and they used it to best advantage in the construction of PT boats. Although it didn't grow in the US, their Mexican friends supplied them with much of the mahogany used throughout the boat as well as many other resources. And they still help, they were one of the first to send aid after hurricane Katrina hit. Packard V12, 4M-2500 Besides being constructed of wood, the boats were relatively small and thus were not well received by many commanders used to having tons of steel under them. But it did not take long to change the perception of weakness that this created. With 3 supercharged Packard V-12 engines developing a total of 3,600 (4,500 by wars end) horsepower, they were quick, maneuverable, had a shallow draft, and were heavily armed. Roaming mostly at night they soon became the bane of the enemies war and supply craft, particularly in the Pacific Theater. They were grouped in squadrons, or RON's, that usually worked together patrolling inshore areas too shallow for warships with deeper drafts. I've seen questions about their true effectiveness but the Japanese had no doubts. From a captured report dated December 6th 1943: Since the beginning of the operation to take the island base of Guadalcanal in August 1942, the enemy has used PT boats aggressively. On their account our naval ships have had many a bitter pill to swallow. One destroyer and two...