Warbird Information Exchange

Yes, I was there the day they put her in a sling and put her back into the water. Bilge pumps were put in place then water levels were monitored for 48 hrs as the hull swelled. She was pretty tight from the git go. The next few days were spent fitting all of the deck structures which had been built, installed, then removed for the overland trip to the boatyard on Clear Lake outside of Houston.

The volunteer crew worked very hard to finish her out with very little real money and many donations from interested companies and individuals. Just before she was run for the first time in many years, the Nimitz Museum heirarchy had her repossed at gunpoint from the volunteer crew who had believed they were going to be allowed to run her at least once. To that end they kept working, right up until the museum personnel figured she was good enough for their display purposes. PT 309 was hoisted out of the water, placed on a trailer and taken to the dry climate of Fredricksburg, Texas. A hole was dug and a simulated dock was built inside a metal building. The boat and trailer were placed into the hole, only her deck and deck structures are visible to the public.

PT309 could have been a wonderful living history exhibit and ambassador extolling the virtues of the Nimitz Museum to a community of 4,000,000 people, instead, she sits, in little Fredricksburg, Texas, far off the beaten path. But because of some narrow minded individuals, she sits high and dry where only a handful see just her top deck each year.

3 Packard V-12 engines.

The Elcos in the Pacific were driven up on a reef in the Philippines and summarily torched.

And boy do they sound GREAT !!

As a side note you'll notice that the surviving PTs are Higgins boats. They were shipped home after VE Day and were prepping to be shipped to the Pacific to join the home invasion when VJ day occurred.

The Elcos in the Pacific were driven up on a reef in the Philippines and summarily torched. Only a few Elcos survive, one is at the Battleship Massachusetts.

The Nasty class boats used in Viet Nam were built in Norway and the design was said to contain the best features of the Elco 80s, the Higgins 78s and the British Vosper MTBs.

Clifford, they dropped her in the hole and walked away.

In my eye the Elco 80 footers were the most attractive boats though I have read that the Higgins boats were more nimble. In any case they are both very attractive boats.

For several years I had followed the restoration efforts of PT-309 when she was still near the Texas. It was disheartening the way she was taken from that group and moved to Fredricksberg. Once she got there it appears nothing else was done to continue the efforts.

if the bow of the boat was sleak it was an elco, if the bow was stubby- a higgins. How did your friend operate a pt boat? Thats something that cost money at the time

This was Gus Stevens down in Biloxi. He owned a chain of restaraunts and was sort of connected with the DIxie mafia. In fact the boat was stolen by the dixie mafia in some kind of shell game that Gus got sucked into. I would have to see ap icture of each of the types to kow, and even then I woudln't be sure. This was 30 years ago.