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Coordinates: 45°34′13.4″N 122°43′13.6″W / 45.570389°N 122.720444°W / 45.570389; -122.720444
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{{short description|Torpedo boat of the United States Navy}}
{{Italic title prefixed|18}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |display title=Patrol torpedo boat ''PT-658''}}
|+Motor Torpedo Boat ''PT-658''
|+Motor torpedo boat ''PT-658''
{{Infobox ship image
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:Aerial_view_PT658_at_35knots_Columbia_River_October_2014.jpg|300px|PT658 at 35knots]]
|Ship image=Aerial view PT658 at 35knots Columbia River October 2014.jpg
|Ship image size=300px
|Ship caption=''PT-658'' in October 2014
|Ship caption=''PT-658'' at 35 knots in October 2014
}}
}}
{{Infobox ship career
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Hide header=
|Ship country={{nowrap|USA}}
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|USA}}
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|USA}}
|Ship name=
|Ship name=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship ordered=
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|Ship yard number=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=February 24, 1945
|Ship laid down=24 February 1945
|Ship launched=April 11, 1945
|Ship launched=11 April 1945
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=July 30, 1945
|Ship completed=30 July 1945
|Ship acquired=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=1945
|Ship commissioned=1945
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|Ship out of service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=Small Boat, C105343, August 27, 1946<br />Floating Equipment, December 3, 1948<br />"RCT-13" November 7, 1949
|Ship reclassified=*Small Boat, C105343, 27 August 1946
*Floating Equipment, 3 December 1948
*"RCT-13" 7 November 1949
|Ship refit=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship identification=
|Ship identification=*{{MMSI Number|367655060}}
*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: WDH8139
|Ship motto=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=
|Ship fate=*Sold 30 June 1958
|Ship status=Sold June 30, 1958<br />[[Museum ship]] from 1993
*[[Museum ship]] from 1993
|Ship notes=
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
|Ship badge=
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|Ship sensors=Raytheon SO/[[SO3 radar]]
|Ship sensors=Raytheon SO/[[SO3 radar]]
|Ship EW=Farnsworth BN Interrogator Responsor and Hazeltine BK Transponder [[Identification friend or foe|IFF]]
|Ship EW=Farnsworth BN Interrogator Responsor and Hazeltine BK Transponder [[Identification friend or foe|IFF]]
|Ship armament={{Plainlist |
|Ship armament=
* 2 × {{convert|22.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} [[Mark 13 torpedo]]es
* 4 × {{convert|22.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} [[Mark 13 torpedo]]es
* 1 × [[Bofors 40 mm]] [[autocannon]]
* 1 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors 40 mm]] [[autocannon]]
* 1 × 37 mm [[M4 cannon]]
* 1 × 37 mm [[M4 cannon]]
* 2 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon]]s
* 2 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon]]s
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* 2 × Mk6 420 lb[[depth charge]]s
* 2 × Mk6 420 lb[[depth charge]]s
* 2 × Mk50 Rocket Launchers (8 cell) firing {{convert|5|in|abbr=on}}Mk7 spin-stabilized rockets SSR
* 2 × Mk50 Rocket Launchers (8 cell) firing {{convert|5|in|abbr=on}}Mk7 spin-stabilized rockets SSR
* 1 × M2 [[60mm Mortar]] for target illumination mounted on bow
* 1 × 60mm [[M2 Mortar]] for target illumination mounted on bow
* 2 × .30 cal [[Browning Automatic Rifle]]s BAR
* 2 × .30 cal [[Browning Automatic Rifle]]s BAR
* 2 × [[Thompson submachine gun]]s
* 2 × [[Thompson submachine gun]]s
* 2 × [[M1 carbine]]s
* 2 × [[M1 carbine]]s
* 1 × 35 gal Mk6 TiCl4 Smoke generator
* 1 × 35 gal Mk6 TiCl4 Smoke generator
}}<!--end plainlist-->
|Ship armor=
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
|Ship notes=
}}
}}
{{Infobox NRHP
{{Infobox NRHP
|embed=yes
| embed = yes
|name=''PT-658'' (motor torpedo boat)
| name = ''PT-658'' (motor torpedo boat)
|nrhp_type=
| nrhp_type =
|location=Vigor Industrial Shipyard, Pier 307 5555 N Basin Av., [[Portland, Oregon]]
| location = Vigor Industrial Shipyard, Pier 307 5555 N Basin Av., [[Portland, Oregon]]
| coordinates = {{coord|45|34|13.4|N|122|43|13.6|W|display=inline,title}}
|lat_degrees=45
⚫
| locmapin = Oregon
|lat_minutes=34
⚫
| map_width = 300
|lat_seconds=13.4
⚫
| built =
|lat_direction=N
⚫
| builder =
|long_degrees=122
⚫
| added = 4 September 2012<ref name="NPS-weekly"/>
|long_minutes=43
| area =
|long_seconds=13.6
⚫
| refnum = 12000602
|long_direction=W
⚫
|locmapin=Oregon
⚫
|map_width=300
⚫
|built=
⚫
|builder=
⚫
|added=September 4, 2012<ref name="NPS-weekly"/>
|area=
|governing_body=Private
⚫
|refnum=12000602
}}
}}
|}
|}
'''Motor Torpedo Boat ''PT-658''''' is a ''PT-625''-class Higgins {{convert|78|ft|adj=on}} [[PT boat]], built for the [[United States Navy]] during World War II. ''PT-658'' is a prime example of US Navy Motor Torpedo Boat development during World War II. ''PT-658'' was in the last group of four boats delivered from the 36-boat contract NObs-1680, October 1944 for ''PT-625'' to ''PT-660''. Delivered and accepted on July 31, 1945, she was fitted with all of the latest armaments and design modifications as a result of lessons learned from previous contracts and battlefield experience. In this way, ''PT-658'' is a showcase of the final form that Motor Torpedo Boats would take by the end of World War II. ''PT-658'' was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on September 4, 2012.<ref name="NPS-weekly">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20120914.htm |title=Weekly list of actions taken on properties: 9/04/12 through 9/07/12 |date=September 14, 2012 |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=September 25, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Rare World War II boat in Oregon added to National Register |date=September 5, 2012 |publisher=[[Oregon Parks and Recreation Department]] |url=http://www.prd.state.or.us/news.php?id=1649 ||archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20120920162300/http://www.prd.state.or.us/news.php?id=1649 |archivedate=2012-09-20|accessdate=September 11, 2012}}</ref> Of three PT boats listed on the National Register, she is the only one maintained in operating condition.<ref name="oreg-2012sep">{{cite news |last=Parks |first=Casey |title=PT-658, last remaining operable PT boat from World War II, named to National Register of Historic Places |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=September 8, 2012 <!-- (online date September 7, 2012) --> |page=B2 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/09/pt-658_last_remaining_operable.html |accessdate=December 7, 2014}}</ref>
'''Motor torpedo boat ''PT-658''''' is a ''PT-625''-class Higgins {{convert|78|ft|adj=on}} [[PT boat]], built for the [[United States Navy]] during World War II. ''PT-658'' is a prime example of US Navy motor torpedo boat development during World War II. ''PT-658'' was in the last group of four boats delivered from the 36-boat contract NObs-1680, October 1944 for ''PT-625'' to ''PT-660''. Delivered and accepted on 31 July 1945, she was fitted with all of the latest armaments and design modifications as a result of lessons learned from previous contracts and battlefield experience. In this way, ''PT-658'' is a showcase of the final form that motor torpedo boats would take by the end of World War II. ''PT-658'' was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on 4 September 2012.<ref name="NPS-weekly">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20120914.htm |title=Weekly list of actions taken on properties: 9/04/12 through 9/07/12 |date=14 September 2012 |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=25 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Rare World War II boat in Oregon added to National Register |date=5 September 2012 |publisher=[[Oregon Parks and Recreation Department]] |url=http://www.prd.state.or.us/news.php?id=1649 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920162300/http://www.prd.state.or.us/news.php?id=1649 |archivedate=2012-09-20|accessdate=11 September 2012}}</ref> Of three PT boats listed on the National Register, she is one of 2 maintained in operating condition.<ref name="oreg-2012sep">{{cite news |last=Parks |first=Casey |title=PT-658, last remaining operable PT boat from World War II, named to National Register of Historic Places |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=8 September 2012 <!-- (online date 7 September 2012) --> |page=B2 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/09/pt-658_last_remaining_operable.html |accessdate=7 December 2014}}</ref><ref group=note>[[PT-305]], at [[The National WWII Museum]] in [[New Orleans]], has been restored to operating condition as of March 2017, but it not (yet) listed in the ''National Register''. [[Patrol torpedo boat PT-657|PT-657]] is operating in a non-historical configuration as the charter fishing boat ''Malahini'' out of [[San Diego]].</ref>


==Service history==
==Service history==
''PT-658'' was one of a group of PT boats assigned to MTB Squadron 45 in April 1945, for transfer to the [[USSR]] under [[Lend-Lease]]. By the time she was completed on July 30, 1945, this transfer had been cancelled. ''PT-658'' was transported to Bremerton on the deck of ''LST-375'' from New Orleans along with ''PT-657'', ''PT-659'', and ''PT-660'', arriving on September 25, 1945. ''PT-658'' was then stationed at [[Port Hueneme, California]], where on August 27, 1946, she was reclassified as a Small Boat and renumbered C105343 to serve as a missile range patrol boat. On December 3, 1948, she was reclassified as Floating Equipment.<ref name="factsheet" /> ''PT-658'' was then transferred to [[Naval Air Station Point Mugu]], reclassified as ''RCT-13'', and used for patrolling the Point Mugu missile test range for stray craft into the missile landing area, and for towing targets. Also during this period, ''PT-658'' served twice a week as a high speed transport, carrying men and supplies to the USAF D.E.W. Radar Station on [[Santa Rosa Island, California|Santa Rosa Island]], off the coast of [[Los Angeles]] in the [[Channel Islands of California|Channel Island Group]]. ''PT-658''{{'}}s survival has been attributed to her completion late in the war, and that she was never sent overseas.<ref name="APviaSeattleTimes">{{cite news |title=Veterans Want To Hear Old PT Boat Howl |date=November 6, 1994 |newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19941106&slug=1940150 |accessdate=June 7, 2012}}</ref>
''PT-658'' was one of a group of PT boats assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 45 in April 1945, for transfer to the [[USSR]] under [[Lend-Lease]]. By the time she was completed on 30 July 1945, this transfer had been cancelled. ''PT-658'' was transported to [[Bremerton, Washington]] on the deck of ''LST-375'' from [[New Orleans]] along with ''PT-657'', ''PT-659'', and ''PT-660'', arriving on 25 September 1945. ''PT-658'' was then stationed at [[Port Hueneme, California]], where on 27 August 1946, she was reclassified as a Small Boat, renumbered C105343, and served as a missile range patrol boat. On 3 December 1948, she was reclassified as Floating Equipment.<ref name="factsheet" /> ''PT-658'' was then transferred to [[Naval Air Station Point Mugu]], reclassified as ''RCT-13'', and used to patrol the Point Mugu missile test range for watercraft straying into the missile landing area, and for towing targets. Also during this period, ''PT-658'' served twice a week as a high speed transport, carrying men and supplies to the [[United States Air Force]] D.E.W. Radar Station on [[Santa Rosa Island, California|Santa Rosa Island]], off the coast of [[Los Angeles]] in the [[Channel Islands of California|Channel Island Group]]. ''PT-658''{{'}}s survival has been attributed to her completion late in the war, and that she was never sent overseas.<ref name="APviaSeattleTimes">{{cite news |title=Veterans Want To Hear Old PT Boat Howl |date=6 November 1994 |newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19941106/1940150/veterans-want-to-hear-old-pt-boat-howl |access-date=7 June 2012}}</ref>


On June 30, 1958, ''PT-658'' was sold to a private individual in the Oakland and Alameda, California area and renamed ''Porpoise''. The private owner changed very little of her structure during the time he owned her. In 1993, she was donated by the late owner's estate to the veterans of Save the PT Boat, Inc. of Portland, Oregon. ''PT-658'' was transported from Alameda to Portland in May 1994 by the 144th Transportation Unit of the Washington National Guard on the deck of the US Army Logistics Support Vessel {{ship||General Brehon B. Somervell|LSV-3}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/weekly_features/2012/PT658Oregon.pdf#page=14 |format=pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Motor Torpedo Boat PT-658 |first=Bob |last=Alton |first2=Barbara |last2=Brunkow |date=June 12, 2010 |website=[[National Park Service]] |page=14}}</ref>
On 30 June 1958, ''PT-658'' was sold to a private individual in the [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] and [[Alameda, California]] area and renamed ''Porpoise''. The private owner changed very little of her structure during the time he owned her. In 1993, she was donated by the late owner's estate to the veterans of Save the PT Boat, Inc. of [[Portland, Oregon]]. ''PT-658'' was transported from Alameda to Portland in May 1994 by the 144th Transportation Unit of the Washington National Guard on the deck of the U.S. Army Logistics Support Vessel {{ship||General Brehon B. Somervell|LSV-3}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/weekly_features/2012/PT658Oregon.pdf#page=14 |format=pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Motor Torpedo Boat PT-658 |first=Bob |last=Alton |first2=Barbara |last2=Brunkow |date=12 June 2010 |website=[[National Park Service]] |page=14}}</ref>


==Restoration==
==Restoration==


A dedicated group of PT Boat veterans formed the organization Save the PT Boat, Inc., a [[501(c)(3)]] [[non-profit organization]]. The group restored ''PT-658'' to her original 1945 configuration between 1995 and 2005. ''PT-658'' is now fully functional and afloat, the only restored US Navy PT Boat that is operational today.<ref name="oreg-2012sep" /><ref name="Trib2011Aug">{{cite news |last=Newell |first=Cliff |title=Car-Boat Show to offer spectacle, fun |date=August 17, 2011 |newspaper=[[Portland Tribune]] |publisher=[[Pamplin Media Group]] |url=http://portlandtribune.com/component/content/article?id=10974 |accessdate=August 25, 2013}}</ref>
A dedicated group of PT boat veterans formed the organization Save the PT Boat, Inc., a [[501(c)(3)]] [[non-profit organization]]. The group restored ''PT-658'' to her original 1945 configuration between 1995 and 2005. ''PT-658'' is now fully functional and afloat, one of only two restored U.S. Navy PT boats that are operational today.<ref name="oreg-2012sep" /><ref name="Trib2011Aug">{{cite news |last=Newell |first=Cliff |title=Car-Boat Show to offer spectacle, fun |date=17 August 2011 |newspaper=[[Portland Tribune]] |publisher=[[Pamplin Media Group]] |url=http://portlandtribune.com/component/content/article?id=10974 |accessdate=25 August 2013}}</ref>


(The second, ''[[PT-305]]'', was the beneficiary of some leftover parts collected by the ''PT-658'' restoration team.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ganey|first=Terry|title=The Saga of PT 305 |url=http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/perspectives/the-saga-of-pt/article_50b1825b-27ba-5702-83df-6124186c94fe.html |publisher=Columbia Daily Tribune|accessdate=23 July 2012|date=8 November 2009}}</ref>)
⚫
''PT-658''{{'}}s restoration included a full armament of four Mark 13 Torpedoes, two twin [[.50 BMG|.50 caliber]] [[M2 Browning machine gun|Browning M2]] machine guns, a [[Bofors 40 mm gun|40 mm Bofors cannon]], two [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm Oerlikon cannon]], two eight-cell Mark 50 Spin Stabilized 5 inch Rocket Launchers, and two Mark 6 {{convert|300|lb|kg|abbr=on}} [[trinitrotoluene|TNT]] [[depth charge]]s. She has three working {{convert|1850|hp|abbr=on}} [[Packard]] Model 5M-2500 [[V12 engine|V12]] gasoline engines.


⚫
''PT-658''{{'}}s restoration includes (non-functional replicas of) a full armament of four Mark 13 torpedoes, two twin [[.50 BMG|.50 caliber]] [[M2 Browning machine gun|Browning M2]] machine guns, a [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors cannon]], two [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm Oerlikon cannon]], two eight-cell Mark 50 Spin Stabilized 5 inch rocket launchers, two Mark 6 {{convert|300|lb|kg|abbr=on}} [[trinitrotoluene|TNT]] [[depth charge]]s, and a 60&nbsp;m [[M2 mortar]].<ref name=RTNov2014>{{cite news |title=PT boat obtains new replica 60mm mortar! |url=http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/pdf-doc/Rooster%20Tail%20July%202014%20Volume%206%20Issue%202%20Rev2.pdf#page=6 |journal=The Rooster Tail |volume=6 |issue=2 |page=6 |date=November 2014 |publisher=Save the PT Boat, Inc.}}</ref> She has three working {{convert|1850|hp|abbr=on}} [[Packard 1A-2500|Packard 5M-2500]] [[V12 engine|V12]] gasoline engines.
⚫
''PT-658'' Heritage Museum is located in [[Portland, Oregon]] at the Swan Island Industrial Park. She is moored to Pier 307 of [[Vigor Industrial]] Shipyard as of October, 2013. Visitor access is provided via the marked Gate 18 at 5555 N. Lagoon Avenue. The ''PT-658'' Heritage Museum is open to the public every Monday, Thursday and Saturday 9am to 4pm for visitors. She has been moved into the new boathouse and the group continues to raise money for ongoing projects such as deck replacement, charthouse repair, and bottom replacement. Money is also being raised for final boathouse improvements and to build a ''PT-658'' Heritage and Education Center. In May 2010, replacement of the deck was completed in time for various summer festivals and shows.


⚫
''PT-658'' Heritage Museum is located in [[Portland, Oregon]] at the [[Swan Island Industrial Park]]. She is moored to Pier 307 of [[Vigor Industrial]] Shipyard as of October, 2013. Visitor access is provided via the marked Gate 18 at 5555 N. Lagoon Avenue. The ''PT-658'' Heritage Museum is open to the public every Monday, Thursday and Saturday 9am to 4pm for visitors. She has been moved into the new boathouse and the group continues to raise money for ongoing projects such as deck replacement, charthouse repair, and bottom replacement. Money is also being raised for final boathouse improvements and to build a ''PT-658'' Heritage and Education Center. In May 2010, replacement of the deck was completed in time for various summer festivals and shows.
⚫
Funding raised for additional restoration work included a $14,000 grant from the [[Oregon Cultural Trust]], awarded in July 2010.<ref name="cultural trust">{{cite news |last=Row |first=D. K. |title=Oregon Cultural Trust looks to the future as it announces new grants |date=July 26, 2010 |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |location=Portland, Oregon |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/art/index.ssf/2010/07/oregon_cultural_trust_looks_to.html |accessdate=June 7, 2012}}</ref>


⚫
Funding raised for additional restoration work included a $14,000 grant from the [[Oregon Cultural Trust]], awarded in July 2010.<ref name="cultural trust">{{cite news |last=Row |first=D. K. |title=Oregon Cultural Trust looks to the future as it announces new grants |date=26 July 2010 |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |location=Portland, Oregon |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/art/index.ssf/2010/07/oregon_cultural_trust_looks_to.html |accessdate=7 June 2012}}</ref>
⚫
When originally launched in 1945, ''PT-658'' wore a [[camouflage]] paint scheme, (specifically, Camouflage Measure 31-20L) and this was restored in early 2011.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fowler |first1=Chuck |last2=Withers |first2=Dan |title=Patrol and Rescue Boats |year=2011 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, South Carolina |isbn=978-0-7385-7581-0 |page=55 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=qfzrSHKztzMC&pg=PA55 |accessdate=September 11, 2012}}</ref> In July 2011, two Mark 50 eight-cell rocket launcher mounts were added to the port and starboard bow. In May 2012, an original SOA Radar mast (obtained on loan from PT Boats Inc. of Germantown, Tennessee) was installed along with an appropriately sized radar dome, signal generator and waveguide. Simultaneously, the 40mm Bofors cannon mount was improved with the addition of an ammunition clip holder/loader handrail to the rear of the mount, along with adjustable seats and authentic aerial spider type gunsights. Further equipment additions added by the crew in 2014 include authentic IFF dipole antennae on the chart house and radar mast, and a US M2 60mm mortar on the starboard side of the bow.

⚫
When originally launched in 1945, ''PT-658'' wore a [[camouflage]] paint scheme, (specifically, Camouflage Measure 31, Design 20L) and this was restored in early 2011.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fowler |first1=Chuck |last2=Withers |first2=Dan |title=Patrol and Rescue Boats |year=2011 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, South Carolina |isbn=978-0-7385-7581-0 |page=55 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qfzrSHKztzMC&pg=PA55 |accessdate=11 September 2012}}</ref> In July 2011, two Mark 50 eight-cell rocket launcher mounts were added to the port and starboard bow. In May 2012, an original SOA radar mast (obtained on loan from PT Boats Inc. of Germantown, Tennessee) was installed along with an appropriately sized radar dome, signal generator and waveguide. Simultaneously, the 40mm Bofors cannon mount was improved with the addition of an ammunition clip holder/loader handrail to the rear of the mount, along with adjustable seats and authentic aerial spider type gunsights. Further equipment additions added by the crew in 2014 include authentic IFF dipole antennae on the chart house and radar mast, and a US M2 60mm mortar on the starboard side of the bow.<ref name=RTNov2014/>


{{Gallery
{{Gallery
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|width=160
|width=160
|height=170
|height=170
|lines=4
|align=center
|align=center
|File:PT-658.JPG|alt1=|''PT-658'' in Portland, Oregon, in 2007
|File:PT-658.JPG|alt1=|''PT-658'' in Portland, Oregon, in 2007
|File:Motor Torpedo Boat PT-658.jpg|alt2=|''PT-658'' in 2006, in the paint scheme she wore from the late 1940s through 2010
|File:Motor Torpedo Boat PT-658.jpg|alt2=|''PT-658'' in 2006, in the paint scheme she wore from the late 1940s through 2010
|File:PT-658 near the Broadway Bridge in Portland, Oregon (2012).jpg|alt3=|In 2011, ''PT-658'' was restored to her original paint scheme, a camouflage pattern known as [[Ship camouflage#United States|Measure 31-20L]].
|File:PT-658 near the Broadway Bridge in Portland, Oregon (2012).jpg|alt3=|In 2011, ''PT-658'' was restored to her original paint scheme, a camouflage pattern known as [[World War II ship camouflage measures of the United States Navy|Measure 31-20L]].
|File:Photo taken of PT658,PT659 and PT660 renamed as RCT13,14,and 15 in PT Mugu Nov 1949.jpeg|alt4=|''PT-658'', ''PT-659'' and ''PT-660'' (''RCT-13'', ''RCT-14'' and ''RCT-15''), [[Naval Air Station Point Mugu|Point Mugu]] Boat Basin November 1949
|File:Photo taken of PT658, PT659 and PT660 renamed as RCT13, 14, and 15 in PT Mugu Nov 1949.jpeg|alt4=|''PT-658'', ''PT-659'' and ''PT-660'' (''RCT-13'', ''RCT-14'' and ''RCT-15''), [[Naval Air Station Point Mugu|Point Mugu]] Boat Basin November 1949
|image:DickLowe.JPG|alt5=|PT veteran Dick Lowe in front of bunk
|image:DickLowe.JPG|alt5=|PT veteran Dick Lowe in front of bunk
}}
}}
{{-}}
{{Clear}}


==See also==
==See also==
* [[List of museum ships]]
* [[List of museum ships]]
* [[Patrol torpedo boat PT-657]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist |group=note}}


==References==
==References==
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|title=PT658 Fact Sheet
|title=PT658 Fact Sheet
|website=Save the PT Boat!
|website=Save the PT Boat!
|accessdate=June 7, 2012
|accessdate=7 June 2012
}}</ref>
}}</ref>
}}
}}
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|PT-658 (ship, 1945)|''PT-658''}}
{{Commons category|PT-658 (ship, 1945)|''PT-658''}}
*{{official website |http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/contents.htm |''PT 658'' - Save The PT Boat!}}
*{{official website |http://www.savetheptboatinc.com |''PT 658'' - Save The PT Boat!}}
* {{navsource|12/05658|PT-658}}
* {{navsource|12/05658|PT-658}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.hnsa.org/ships/pt658.htm |website=Historic Naval Ships Association |title=''PT-658''}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.hnsa.org/ships/pt658.htm |website=Historic Naval Ships Association |title=''PT-658'' |access-date=7 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514134711/http://www.hnsa.org/ships/pt658.htm |archive-date=14 May 2012 |url-status=dead }}


{{Overlook, Portland, Oregon}}
{{Overlook, Portland, Oregon}}
{{PT boat}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:PT-658}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:PT-658}}
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[[Category:Overlook, Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Overlook, Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:World War II on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:World War II on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Museum ships in Oregon]]

Latest revision as of 04:46, 5 January 2025

Motor torpedo boat PT-658
PT-658 at 35 knots in October 2014
History
United States
BuilderHiggins Industries, New Orleans
Laid down24 February 1945
Launched11 April 1945
Completed30 July 1945
Commissioned1945
Decommissioned1958
Reclassified
  • Small Boat, C105343, 27 August 1946
  • Floating Equipment, 3 December 1948
  • "RCT-13" 7 November 1949
Identification
Fate
General characteristics
Class and typePT-625-class Higgins 78 ft (24 m) PT boat
Displacement103,000 lb (47,000 kg)
Length78 ft 6 in (23.93 m)
Beam20 ft 1 in (6.12 m)
Draft5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Installed power3 × 1,850 shp (1,380 kW) Packard 5M-2500 V12 engines
Propulsion3 shafts
Speed41 knots (76 km/h; 47 mph)
Range520 nmi (960 km; 600 mi) at 2,000 rpm
Complement2 officers, 14 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems		Raytheon SO/SO3 radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys		Farnsworth BN Interrogator Responsor and Hazeltine BK Transponder IFF
Armament
PT-658 (motor torpedo boat)
Patrol torpedo boat PT-658 is located in Oregon
Patrol torpedo boat PT-658
LocationVigor Industrial Shipyard, Pier 307 5555 N Basin Av., Portland, Oregon
Coordinates45°34′13.4″N 122°43′13.6″W / 45.570389°N 122.720444°W / 45.570389; -122.720444
NRHP reference No.12000602
Added to NRHP4 September 2012[1]

Motor torpedo boat PT-658 is a PT-625-class Higgins 78-foot (24 m) PT boat, built for the United States Navy during World War II. PT-658 is a prime example of US Navy motor torpedo boat development during World War II. PT-658 was in the last group of four boats delivered from the 36-boat contract NObs-1680, October 1944 for PT-625 to PT-660. Delivered and accepted on 31 July 1945, she was fitted with all of the latest armaments and design modifications as a result of lessons learned from previous contracts and battlefield experience. In this way, PT-658 is a showcase of the final form that motor torpedo boats would take by the end of World War II. PT-658 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 4 September 2012.[1][2] Of three PT boats listed on the National Register, she is one of 2 maintained in operating condition.[3][note 1]

Service history

[edit]

PT-658 was one of a group of PT boats assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 45 in April 1945, for transfer to the USSR under Lend-Lease. By the time she was completed on 30 July 1945, this transfer had been cancelled. PT-658 was transported to Bremerton, Washington on the deck of LST-375 from New Orleans along with PT-657, PT-659, and PT-660, arriving on 25 September 1945. PT-658 was then stationed at Port Hueneme, California, where on 27 August 1946, she was reclassified as a Small Boat, renumbered C105343, and served as a missile range patrol boat. On 3 December 1948, she was reclassified as Floating Equipment.[4] PT-658 was then transferred to Naval Air Station Point Mugu, reclassified as RCT-13, and used to patrol the Point Mugu missile test range for watercraft straying into the missile landing area, and for towing targets. Also during this period, PT-658 served twice a week as a high speed transport, carrying men and supplies to the United States Air Force D.E.W. Radar Station on Santa Rosa Island, off the coast of Los Angeles in the Channel Island Group. PT-658's survival has been attributed to her completion late in the war, and that she was never sent overseas.[5]

On 30 June 1958, PT-658 was sold to a private individual in the Oakland and Alameda, California area and renamed Porpoise. The private owner changed very little of her structure during the time he owned her. In 1993, she was donated by the late owner's estate to the veterans of Save the PT Boat, Inc. of Portland, Oregon. PT-658 was transported from Alameda to Portland in May 1994 by the 144th Transportation Unit of the Washington National Guard on the deck of the U.S. Army Logistics Support Vessel General Brehon B. Somervell (LSV-3).[6]

Restoration

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A dedicated group of PT boat veterans formed the organization Save the PT Boat, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The group restored PT-658 to her original 1945 configuration between 1995 and 2005. PT-658 is now fully functional and afloat, one of only two restored U.S. Navy PT boats that are operational today.[3][7]

(The second, PT-305, was the beneficiary of some leftover parts collected by the PT-658 restoration team.[8])

PT-658's restoration includes (non-functional replicas of) a full armament of four Mark 13 torpedoes, two twin .50 caliber Browning M2 machine guns, a 40 mm Bofors cannon, two 20 mm Oerlikon cannon, two eight-cell Mark 50 Spin Stabilized 5 inch rocket launchers, two Mark 6 300 lb (140 kg) TNT depth charges, and a 60 m M2 mortar.[9] She has three working 1,850 hp (1,380 kW) Packard 5M-2500 V12 gasoline engines.

PT-658 Heritage Museum is located in Portland, Oregon at the Swan Island Industrial Park. She is moored to Pier 307 of Vigor Industrial Shipyard as of October, 2013. Visitor access is provided via the marked Gate 18 at 5555 N. Lagoon Avenue. The PT-658 Heritage Museum is open to the public every Monday, Thursday and Saturday 9am to 4pm for visitors. She has been moved into the new boathouse and the group continues to raise money for ongoing projects such as deck replacement, charthouse repair, and bottom replacement. Money is also being raised for final boathouse improvements and to build a PT-658 Heritage and Education Center. In May 2010, replacement of the deck was completed in time for various summer festivals and shows.

Funding raised for additional restoration work included a $14,000 grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust, awarded in July 2010.[10]

When originally launched in 1945, PT-658 wore a camouflage paint scheme, (specifically, Camouflage Measure 31, Design 20L) and this was restored in early 2011.[11] In July 2011, two Mark 50 eight-cell rocket launcher mounts were added to the port and starboard bow. In May 2012, an original SOA radar mast (obtained on loan from PT Boats Inc. of Germantown, Tennessee) was installed along with an appropriately sized radar dome, signal generator and waveguide. Simultaneously, the 40mm Bofors cannon mount was improved with the addition of an ammunition clip holder/loader handrail to the rear of the mount, along with adjustable seats and authentic aerial spider type gunsights. Further equipment additions added by the crew in 2014 include authentic IFF dipole antennae on the chart house and radar mast, and a US M2 60mm mortar on the starboard side of the bow.[9]

PT-658
  • PT-658 in Portland, Oregon, in 2007
    PT-658 in Portland, Oregon, in 2007
  • PT-658 in 2006, in the paint scheme she wore from the late 1940s through 2010
    PT-658 in 2006, in the paint scheme she wore from the late 1940s through 2010
  • In 2011, PT-658 was restored to her original paint scheme, a camouflage pattern known as Measure 31-20L.
    In 2011, PT-658 was restored to her original paint scheme, a camouflage pattern known as Measure 31-20L.
  • PT-658, PT-659 and PT-660 (RCT-13, RCT-14 and RCT-15), Point Mugu Boat Basin November 1949
    PT-658, PT-659 and PT-660 (RCT-13, RCT-14 and RCT-15), Point Mugu Boat Basin November 1949
  • PT veteran Dick Lowe in front of bunk
    PT veteran Dick Lowe in front of bunk

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ PT-305, at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, has been restored to operating condition as of March 2017, but it not (yet) listed in the National Register. PT-657 is operating in a non-historical configuration as the charter fishing boat Malahini out of San Diego.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Weekly list of actions taken on properties: 9/04/12 through 9/07/12". National Park Service. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  2. ^ "Rare World War II boat in Oregon added to National Register" (Press release). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b Parks, Casey (8 September 2012). "PT-658, last remaining operable PT boat from World War II, named to National Register of Historic Places". The Oregonian. p. B2. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  4. ^ "PT658 Fact Sheet". Save the PT Boat!. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  5. ^ "Veterans Want To Hear Old PT Boat Howl". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. 6 November 1994. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  6. ^ Alton, Bob; Brunkow, Barbara (12 June 2010). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Motor Torpedo Boat PT-658" (pdf). National Park Service. p. 14.
  7. ^ Newell, Cliff (17 August 2011). "Car-Boat Show to offer spectacle, fun". Portland Tribune. Pamplin Media Group. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  8. ^ Ganey, Terry (8 November 2009). "The Saga of PT 305". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  9. ^ a b "PT boat obtains new replica 60mm mortar!" (PDF). The Rooster Tail. Vol. 6, no. 2. Save the PT Boat, Inc. November 2014. p. 6.
  10. ^ Row, D. K. (26 July 2010). "Oregon Cultural Trust looks to the future as it announces new grants". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  11. ^ Fowler, Chuck; Withers, Dan (2011). Patrol and Rescue Boats. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-7385-7581-0. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
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