United States PT-Boats of World War II in Action

Hardcover 23x28 cm, 160 pages. Great book that covers the life of the PT Boat in USN from beginning to end. Great detail to help the reader fully and understand the PT Boat. The author has traced the development of PT boats in the pre-WW2 years to the eventual mass production of boats to supply both the Pacific and European (and Mediterranean) theatres. He looks at how the boats were first conceived and also covers the aspect of how, initially, the US Navy was 'shy' on the concept of PT boats. Amazingly Gen. Douglas MacArthur championed the PT boat cause and this was picked up by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy to push the idea of fast boats that could not only deliver a quick 'punch', but had other useful capacities such as covert travel around the Pacific's many island groups. The rest, as they say, is history. It also examines the various armaments and ordnance the boats were endowed with; I particularly was interested in reading about the two different torpedoes the boats were armed with; the early Mk VIII torpedo and its tube launching system as compared to the later Mk XIII and it's 'roll off' system. The book is divided into various chapters concerning development, armament, myths (could these boats do fifty knots?) and also some of the gallant men who crewed them. The book is very well illustrated with many photographs of the various types of boats, their armament and where they were based. This early reference is all in black and white and some of the photos are not of the best resolution, however I found this book informative and able to cover the full scope of the subject. 071371025X / ‎ 9780713710250 Blandford