RPPC 1940 WWII USN PT BOAT PIN Adv BASTAIN BROS NY E39

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c1940 RPPC 1940 WWII USN PT BOAT PIN - Order a beautiful sterling silver miniature of your war product, struck from steel dies which produce an emblem of absoultly original design and workmanship.. Sell these war-time mementos to your employees at cost, to wear as a useful souvenir of fine war effort of your company.... BASTAIN BROS. COMPANY NY - WONDERFUL FOR THE WWll SWEETHEART JEWELRY COLLECTOR Please see SHIP Biography below POSTMARKED - NONE RP RPPC Real Photo Post Card CONDITION Very Good / Excellent with slight edge wear - Original Antique Postcard...not a reproduction! Please view our site for more of ANTIQUE POSTCARDS to combine for NO additional shipping charge! PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat (hull classification symbol "PT", for "Patrol Torpedo"), a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The PT Boat used in World War II was built using classic "planing-type" hull forms that were inspired by the racing boats that dominated the world boat racing circuit and set water speed records between the wars. However, the original pre-WW1 "Torpedo boats", developed in the early 20th century, were originally designed using "displacement-type" hulls rather than planing type hulls. The original purpose of both types of boats were similar to each other, namely to be an inexpensive way to deliver torpedoes which could destroy capital ships without having to spend the money to build a large ship. By WWII, the initial mission of the American PT boats was to battle destroyers, which themselves were originally created as a defense against torpedo boats. Indeed, the name "destroyer" is actually a shortening of the name "torpedo boat destroyer" from the World War One era. The Navy's impetus for building the PT boat fleet was for both economic and material reasons. Ten PT boats could be built for the cost of one modest-sized destroyer escort. Another reason was a shortage of steel, which had to be conserved for building larger ships, at the beginning of the war. Towards the end of the war, the US was able to build a massive naval fleet, and the wood construction of the PT boats enabled more steel to be used for that purpose. Later in the war, the boats were much more effective as gunboats against targets their own size, such as armored barges that the Japanese used to shuttle troops and supplies between islands. Among the notable PT boats that were publicized during the war was PT-41, a 77 foot Elco boat commanded by Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley, who rescued General Douglas MacArthur from certain capture by the Japanese in a daring escape from Corregidor Island, Philippines. Bulkeley was awarded the Medal of Honor for his operations in the Philippines before rescuing MacArthur. This story inspired both a book, They Were Expendable, and a movie of the same name. This story of the diminutive PT boats beating overwhelming odds went a long way to prop up sagging American morale in the dark days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Several other PT Boats were publicized during the war as part of press coverage of invasions and battles. Several boats in RON2 and RON5 (PT 36,37,39,44,46,48,59,109,115,123) were featured in Life Magazine's article about the PT Boat Captains at the battles off Guadalcanal, featuring the exploits of LT Stilly Taylor, Nikoloric, Les Gamble, and the Searles brothers, Bob and John. Other PT Boats gaining notoriety during the war were PT-363 and PT-489, which were utilized by LCDR Murray Preston during his exploits in rescuing a downed aviator in Wasile Bay, off Halmahera Island w he was awarded the Medal of Honor. After the war had ended, another PT boat was made famous as part of a presidential campaign, which was PT-109. The PT-109 was commanded by future United States President John F. Kennedy. All postcards are original (not reproductions) and are in good, very good, excellent or mint condition! Please view all scans. A... read more

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