Helena Frye
PT boats were fast-moving, heavily armed vessels used by the U.S. Navy to engage enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans during World War II. They were designed to achieve speeds of 40 knots, with a range of 259 miles at 35 knots, or 518 miles at cruising speed. The Elco PT boats, the largest of the three types of PT boats built for U.S. use during the war, had a designed speed of 41 knots.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Engine | Packard V-12 Marine Engine (4M-2500) |
| Engine horsepower | 1,100-1,500 |
| Engine weight | 2,900 pounds |
| Top speed | 40 knots |
| Operating radius at top speed | 275 miles |
| Cruising speed | 550 miles |
| Range at 35 knots | 518 miles |
| Range of torpedoes | 16,000 yards (15,000 m) at 36 knots (67 km/h) |
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What You'll Learn
- The U.S. Navy used the Packard V-12 Marine Engine in all PT boats
- The design was based on the 1925 Liberty Aircraft Engine, which was converted for racing
- The Navy increased the horsepower from 1,100hp to 1,500hp to maintain speed as armament was added
- PT boats had a range of 259 miles at 35 knots, or 518 miles in total
- The Elco PT boats were the largest of the three types of PT boats built for U.S. use during World War II
The U.S. Navy used the Packard V-12 Marine Engine in all PT boats
The U.S. Navy used the Packard V-12 Marine Engine (4M-2500) in all PT boats during World War II. The design was based on the 1925 Liberty Aircraft Engine, which had been converted for use in racing. The Navy steadily increased the horsepower from 1,100hp to 1,500hp so that the PT boats could maintain high speed as increasingly heavier armament was added to them. The final engine was a super-charged, water-cooled, gasoline-powered V-12 engine that weighed 2,900 pounds. With a full fuel load, the PT boat had a range of 259 miles at 35 knots, which amounted to a total of 518 miles. The performance specification was to achieve 40 knots with an operating radius of 275 miles at top speed (550 miles at cruising speed). The smaller boat proposal was to weigh no more than 20 tons so that it could be easily transported by larger cargo ships. The Elco PT boats had three 12-cylinder Packard gasoline engines generating a total of 4,500 horsepower for a designed speed of 41 knots.
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The design was based on the 1925 Liberty Aircraft Engine, which was converted for racing
The design of the U.S. Navy's World War II PT boats was based on the 1925 Liberty Aircraft Engine, which was converted for racing. The engine was updated and modified throughout the war, with the Navy steadily increasing the horsepower from 1,100hp to 1,500hp so that the boats could maintain high speed as heavier armament was added. The final engine was a super-charged, water-cooled, gasoline-powered V-12 engine that weighed 2,900 pounds. With a full fuel load, the PT boat had a range of 259 miles at 35 knots, which amounted to a total of 518 miles. The performance specification was to achieve 40 knots with an operating radius of 275 miles at top speed (550 miles at cruising speed). The Elco PT boats, the largest of the three types of PT boats built for U.S. use during World War II, had a designed speed of 41 knots.
PT boats were fast-moving and heavily armed, and were used to engage enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans. They were also converted into gunboats, which were effective against small craft, especially the armoured barges used by the Japanese for inter-island transport. Several saw service with the Philippine Navy, where they were named "Q-boats".
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The Navy increased the horsepower from 1,100hp to 1,500hp to maintain speed as armament was added
The U.S. Navy used the Packard V-12 Marine Engine (4M-2500) in all U.S. Navy World War II PT boats. The design was based on the 1925 Liberty Aircraft Engine, which had been converted for use in racing. The Navy increased the horsepower from 1,100hp to 1,500hp so that the PT boats could maintain high speed as increasingly heavier armament was added to them. The final engine was a super-charged, water-cooled, gasoline-powered V-12 engine that weighed 2,900 pounds. With a full fuel load, the PT boat had a range of 259 miles at 35 knots, which amounted to a total of 518 miles. The performance specification was to achieve 40 knots with an operating radius of 275 miles at top speed (550 miles at cruising speed). The smaller boat proposal was to weigh no more than 20 tons so that it could be easily transported by larger cargo ships.
The Elco PT boats were the largest in size of the three types of PT boats built for U.S. use during World War II. They had three 12-cylinder Packard gasoline engines generating a total of 4,500 horsepower for a designed speed of 41 knots. Fast-moving, heavily armed U.S. Navy PT boats harried enemy forces in the Pacific and European Theatres in World War II. They engaged enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans. Some were converted into gunboats which could be effective against enemy small craft, especially armoured barges used by the Japanese for inter-island transport.
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PT boats had a range of 259 miles at 35 knots, or 518 miles in total
PT boats were fast-moving, heavily armed vessels used by the U.S. Navy during World War II. They were used to engage enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans. Some were even converted into gunboats to be used against enemy small craft, especially the armoured barges used by the Japanese for inter-island transport.
The U.S. Navy used the Packard V-12 Marine Engine (4M-2500) in all of their PT boats during World War II. The engine was based on the 1925 Liberty Aircraft Engine, which had been converted for use in racing. Over the course of the war, the Navy made several updates and modifications to the engine, increasing the horsepower from 1,100hp to 1,500hp. This allowed the PT boats to maintain high speeds even as heavier armaments were added.
The final engine was a super-charged, water-cooled, gasoline-powered V-12 engine that weighed 2,900 pounds. With a full fuel load, the PT boat had a range of 259 miles at 35 knots, which amounted to a total of 518 miles. This range was important for the PT boats' ability to complete their missions effectively. For example, the journey from New Guinea to Leyte Gulf, a distance of approximately 1,200 miles, was considered too far for the boats to complete in one hop, even with an escort.
The performance specification for PT boats was to achieve 40 knots with an operating radius of 275 miles at top speed (550 miles at cruising speed). The Elco PT boats, the largest of the three types of PT boats built for U.S. use during World War II, had three 12-cylinder Packard gasoline engines generating a total of 4,500 horsepower for a designed speed of 41 knots.
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The Elco PT boats were the largest of the three types of PT boats built for U.S. use during World War II
PT boats were fast-moving and heavily armed, and they engaged enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans. Some were converted into gunboats, which were effective against enemy small craft, especially the armoured barges used by the Japanese for inter-island transport. Several saw service with the Philippine Navy, where they were named "Q-boats". The primary anti-ship armament on the standard PT boat was four 21-inch Mark 8 torpedoes, each with a 466-pound (211 kg) TNT warhead and a range of 16,000 yards (15,000 m) at 36 knots (67 km/h). Two twin .50-inch (12.7 mm) M2 Browning heavy machine guns were mounted for anti-aircraft defence and general fire support.
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Frequently asked questions
A PT boat could reach speeds of 35 knots, or 67km/h.
PT boats were fast-moving, heavily armed boats used by the U.S. Navy during World War II.
PT boats were used to engage enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans.
PT boats were designed to achieve 40 knots with an operating radius of 275 miles at top speed.
