The real PT-73 was a 78-foot Higgins boat assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 13, which saw service in the Aleutians and in the Southwest Pacific theater. On 15 January, 1945 it ran aground, and was destroyed to prevent it falling into enemy hands.
Where is the PT-73 boat today?
“PT-73” was later sold to the Mayor of Hawthorne, CA, and was converted to a sportfishing boat. It was destroyed when it broke loose of its mooring near Santa Barbara and washed up on the beach during a storm.
Did a PT boat ever sink a ship?
Though few PTs sank major Japanese ships, they enjoyed more success in other operations, including reconnaissance and search and rescue. The boats often harassed and broke up Japanese barge traffic, earning the nickname “devil boats” among the enemy.
What does PT stand for in PT boat?
Patrol, Torpedo
PT (Patrol, Torpedo) boats were small, fast, and expendable vessels for short range oceanic scouting, armed with torpedoes and machine guns for cutting enemy supply lines and harassing enemy forces. Forty-three PT squadrons, each with 12 boats were formed during World War II by the U.S. Navy.
Is Taratupa Island real?
Taratupa: an island in the Pacific Ocean housing a US Navy PT boat base and one of two primary settings in the 1960s sitcom McHale’s Navy.
Why was Mchales Navy Cancelled?
FOX411: You say that “McHale’s Navy” got cancelled because it was in black and white. Conway: Yes it was four years in black and white. They were coming into color and it was to go into color in the fifth year. They thought they would never be able to resell the four years in black and white so they cancelled it.
Is anyone still alive from McHale’s Navy?
HOLLYWOOD, July 18 (UPI) —Joe Flynn, who played the gruff commander of a PT boat base in the television series “McHale’s Navy,” was found dead today in the swimming pool of his home. He was 49 years old. He leaves his wife, the former Shirley flaskIn, and two sons, Tony and Kenneth.
Are there any surviving PT boats?
Today, just four combat-veteran PT boats still exist in the United States; of those, only PT-305 is fully restored and operational, complete with original-model engines. An operational PT-305 promises to become one of The National WWII Museum’s most exciting artifacts and teaching tools.
Was the PT 109 ever found?
The wreckage of PT-109 was located in May 2002, at a depth of 1,200 feet (370 m), when a National Geographic Society expedition headed by Robert Ballard found a torpedo tube from wreckage matching the description and location of Kennedy’s vessel.
Is anyone alive from McHale’s Navy?
Is there anyone from McHale’s Navy still alive?
Deceased (1924–1974)
Joe Flynn/Living or Deceased
What was the name of the boat used for the pt73?
The vessel used for shots of the PT-73 under way was a 72-foot type II Vosper MTB (Motor Torpedo Boat), a British design built under license in the U.S. for export to Russia. The war ended in August 1945 before the boat, the real number of which was PT-694, could be sent to the Soviet Union.
What happened to the PT-73?
“PT-73” was later sold to the mayor of Hawthorne, California, and was converted to a sport fishing boat. It was later destroyed when it broke loose of its mooring near Santa Barbara and washed up on the beach during a storm.
Who was the commanding officer of the PT 73?
During World War II, Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale (Borgnine) is the commanding officer of the U.S. Navy PT boat, PT-73, stationed at the Pacific island base Taratupa.
Where is McHale’s Island in pt73?
McHale was the Commanding Officer of the fictional U.S. Navy PT-73. He and his men were stationed in the Pacific on an island they refer to as McHale’s Island. It is directly across from another South Pacific island called Taratupa, which is where the main Naval Base is located.
