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Motor Torpedo Boat Photo Archive

PT-63



Call sign:
Nan - Baker - Xray - Xray

ex-BPT-15
ex-PTC-31
ex-PT-63

Destroyed by fire 18 June 1944
77' Elco Motor Torpedo Boat:

  • Planned as PTC-31
  • Reclassified PT-63 in June 1941
  • Laid down 9 August 1941 by the Electric Boat Co., Elco Works, Bayonne, NJ
  • Reclassified BPT-15 prior to completion
  • Launched 23 October 1941
  • Transfer to Great Britain canceled
  • Reclassified PT-63 in December 1941
  • Completed 7 February 1942 and assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron FOUR (MTBRon 4) under the command of LT Rollin E. Westholm, USN
  • MTBRon 4 was the training squadron, based at the MTB Squadrons Training Center, Melville, R.I. It was the largest squadron, having a peak of 28 boats in service at one time
  • Transferred 15 April 1943 to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron FIVE (MTBRon 5) under the command of CDR Henry Farrow, USN
  • MTBRon 5 was assigned to Panama Sea Frontier from September 1942 until the spring of 1943, when it was shipped to the Solomons. There its boats were in action at Rendova, Vella Lavella, Treasury,
    Bougainville, Green, and Emirau. After assignment to the Southwest Pacific area at the end of 1944, the squadron was decommissioned and its boats were distributed to replenish other squadrons which had suffered operational losses
  • Destroyed by fire 18 June 1944 while refueling off New Ireland, Papua, New Guinea.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 40 t.
  • Length 77'
  • Beam 19' 11"
  • Draft 4' 6"
  • Speed 41 kts.
  • Complement 15
  • Armament: Two twin .50 cal. Browning M2 machine guns in Dewandre turrets and four 21" torpedoes
  • Propulsion: Three 1,200shp Packard V12 M2500 gasoline engines, three shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    PT-63 89k Joe Radigan
    PT-63 211k c. June 1944
    Emirau Island, Papua, New Guinea
    What remains of PT-63
    From the collection of Torpedoman 3rd Class John E. Mirus, Jr., crew member    		 Rick Schaefer
    There is no DANFS history available for PT-63
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    This page created by Joseph M. Radigan and maintained by Tom Bateman
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