The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
WWII relic sailing the Canal
Sometime within the next week, a vintage PT Boat will be seen making its way west on the Erie Canal.
The boat left Kingston on Monday, heading up the Hudson River to Watervliet, said Jeff Sondles, spokesperson of the Liberty Aviation Museum located in northern Ohio. The museum purchased the World War II- era boat from an individual in Kingston, who told them about New York’s Erie Canal, and that is how the museum is getting the craft to Ohio.
Once it reaches western New York, the boat will travel Lake Erie to continue its voyage home to Port Clinton, Ohio.
The voyage is expected to last until June 26.
Sondles said the boat is equipped with 0.50 caliber browning machine guns, a 20 mm Oerlikon cannon, four torpedo tubes and depth charge launchers, and more.
Weapons are deactivated and do not function.
The museum, which will hold a grand opening July 20, is home to several vintage civilian and military aircraft with some water and road craft.
A 70- foot- long craft, the PT- 728 was originally built in the Annapolis Yacht Yard in Baltimore, Md., and prior to its purchase had been restored and was used for educational tours on the Hudson River.
PT Boats hold a lot of historical significance, Sondles said. Patrol Torpedo boats were used for raids and behind- the- scene commando work.
It was a PT Boat that carried Gen. Douglas MacArthur on his escape from the Philippines during the days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Sondles said
These small boats were so fast and maneuverable they earned the name “Mosquito Fleet” due to their rapid tactics. To make the PT Boats light and fast they were made of wood — offering little protection in the event of an attack.
“There are a lot of WWII veterans still around that might be interested in seeing the boat,” Sondles said.
The Dispatch will have daily updates on the PT728’ s voyage online at: www. oneidadispatch. com
For more information on Liberty Aviation Museum, visit: www. libertyaviation
museum. org