PT boats were built in eleven US boatyards, by the end of the war 808 were built in three lengths: 70, 78 and 80 foot. Boats had a top speed of 41 knots (76 km/h 47 mph) with 4,500 horsepower. The boats were powered with three Packard 4M-2500 and later 5M-2500 supercharged gasoline-fueled, liquid-cooled V-12 marine engines. Some PTs had a 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannon added. 50-inch (12.7 mm) M2 Browning heavy machine guns. For anti-aircraft defense they had two twin. The main anti-ship weapon was four 21-inch Mark 8 torpedoes, each with a 466-pound (211 kg) TNT warhead. PT (Patrol Torpedo) boat are well known as these small boats were heavily armed, pound for pound the deadliest boats of the war, also called motor torpedo boat. Some were station on the West Coast of the United States to support the vast training centers. Most were used in the Pacific war across the vast South Pacific, in the Island hopping campaign. The 104-foot had a cold-weather option, that added a heating system, ice protection on the hull, insulation for working around Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands. Many had the Hull classification designation Air Rescue Boats or ARB or AVR or P or C or R. Most were manned by the United States Army Air Forces. There were four standard designs used: 104-foot, 85-foot, 63-foot and 42-foot. The boats were as small as 22-foot and the largest 104-foot. These boats were fast boats used to rescue pilots, crew, and passengers from downed aircraft in search and rescue, air-sea rescue missions. By the end of World War II, America had produced 300,000 planes, creating a need to have crash rescue boats, also called Recovery Craft, stationed around the globe. Main article: Crash boats of World War IIĬrash boats of World War II were wooden speed boats built to rescue the crew of downed United States and other Allies airplanes during World War II. Treadwell wrote a book called Splinter Fleet: The Wooden Subchasers of World War II in 2000 outlining the work of the 40,000 men that served on Submarine chaser in the open seas. Submarine chasers, destroyers, destroyer escorts and Anti-submarine aircraft has ended the U-boat as a major threat in the Battle of the Atlantic. By the end of World War II, submarine chasers had sunk around 67 German U-boats. US Navy boats were armed with one 3"/50 caliber gun, one Bofors 40 mm gun, three Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, two rocket launchers, four K-guns and Mousetraps and two depth charge racks. By the time the war ended 438 sub chasers had been launched and commissioned. These are wooden 110-foot (34 m) and 98 tons boats used in anti-submarine warfare. Submarine chasers (hull designation "SC") were built to combat the threat U-boats put on merchant convoys as they departed American ports to support the Allies. Main articles: Submarine chaser, SC-1-class submarine chaser, and SC-497-class submarine chaser There was a shortage of steel and steel shipyards, so there was no debate about the need for a vast wooden fleet of boats and ships. During World War II the situation was different. In the end, both men turned in their resignation over the heated debate. William Denman, President of the Emergency Fleet Corporation supported the building of wooden ships for the war and General Goethals disapproved. During World War I there was a debate as to if wooden boats and ships should be used in war time. Many were abandoned or destroyed, a few served in the Korean war and a few in the Vietnam War, some sold to private and some donated. After the war, many of these boats were deemed not needed. The Splinter fleet is in contrast to the more common steel hull war ships and Merchant Marine ships. Some worked near shore and others working in the open ocean, called the Blue-water navy. These wooden boats ranged from 19 to 200 feet in length. Wooden boats have lighter weight and are easier to repair than steel hull boats. In addition to new boat construction, some wooden boats built between 19 were acquired for the war effort, some used as-is and others converted for war use. Some of the wooden boats went to Allied nations on the Lend-Lease program. The boats were built for the US Navy, the, United States Army Air Forces, United States Coast Guard, and US Army. Under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program and War Shipping Administration contracts went out to over fifty boatyards across the country. Many were built by craftsmen in family-owned small businesses. Most of the boats were built by boatyards that already had the tools and knowledge from building yachts, sailboats and motor boats. They could be built quickly, in just 60 to 120 days. These boats were built in small boatyards on the West coast and East coast, Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. The boats served in many different roles during the war. Splinter fleet or Splinter navy was a nickname given to the United States wooden boats used in World War II.
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