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Motor Torpedo Boat Photo Archive

PT-596



Call sign:
Nan - Able - Easy - Xray
80' Elco Motor Torpedo Boat:

  • Laid down 6 December 1944 by the Electric Boat Co., Elco Works, Bayonne, NJ
  • Launched 21 April 1945
  • Completed 10 May 1945, placed in service and assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron FORTY (MTBRon 40) under the command of Lt. Comdr. George E. Cox, Jr., USNR
  • MTBRon 40, assigned to the Pacific Fleet, arrived at Samar, Philippine Islands, in the summer of 1945, but had no action with the enemy prior to the cessation of hostilities
  • The "Hell Razor" was placed out of service 21 December 1945
  • Struck from the Naval Register 8 January 1946
  • Transferred to the State Department, Foreign Liquidation Commission in May 1946 and sold
  • Fate unknown.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 56 t.
  • Length 80'
  • Beam 20' 8"
  • Draft 5'
  • Speed 41 kts.
  • Complement 17
  • Armament: One 37mm mount, one 40mm mount, one 20mm mount, two Mk 50 rocket launchers, four 21" torpedoes and two twin .50 cal. machine guns
  • Propulsion: Three 1,500shp Packard W-14 M2500 gasoline engines, three shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    PT-596 228k Exploded view Joe Radigan
    PT-596 136k PT Boats Public Group
    PT-596 492k c. Summer 1945
    U.S. Navy photo    		 .
    PT-596 399k c. August 1945
    Side elevation and deck plans from "Allied Coastal Forces of World War II: Vol. II" by John Lambert and Al Ross    		 Robert Hurst
    PT-596 155k c. August 1945
    The two Mark 50 rocket launchers have been swung outboard to the firing position
    U.S. Navy photo from "Allied Coastal Forces of World War II: Vol. II" by John Lambert and Al Ross    		 Joe Radigan
    PT-596 136k c. August 1945 PT Boats Public Group
    PT-596 554k c. 1945
    Ensign Bob Hostetter at Isabela Province, Philippines
    From the collection of Ens. Robert Hostetter    		 Jerry Gilmartin MMC(SW), USN, Ret.
    PT-596 275k c. 1945
    Isabela, Philippines PT Base 16/Samar, Phillipines Base 17
    Back row left to right: Hunter, Unknown, R. Hawley, Balish, Cetti, Spirog, Schonemaz, Bettenkort, Hough, and McMahon
    Front row: Bob Hostetter, CO, XO (1st XO before he left), Hostetter took over after that as XO
    From the collection of Ens. Robert Hostetter
    PT-594 102k c. 1945
    Samar, Philippines
    PT-594, PT-595, PT-596, PT-589 and PT-590
    From the collection of Richard M. Landis, MoMM3c    		 John De Noma
    There is no DANFS history available for PT-596
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    This page created by Joseph M. Radigan and maintained by Tom Bateman
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