Overview

The 'Spearhead' series is designed to look at the cutting edge of war, dealing with units capable of operating completely independently in the forefront of battle. Each volume in the series examines the chosen unit's origins and history, its organisation and order of battle, its battle history theatre by theatre, its insignia and its markings. Also covered are biographies of the most important commanders of each unit. Each title ends with an assessment of unit effectiveness - as seen by the unit itself, by its opponents and the light of more recent historical research. The books also include a detailed reference section with a critical bibliography, a listing of relevant museums and web sites, information about reenactment groups and memorials. Motor Torpedo Boat development had its beginning in the early 1900s culminating with actual combat use in World War 1. It was the British, French and Italian navies who led the way in development and deployment of this specialised craft. However it wasn't until the late 1930s that the US Navy seriously took on the challenge of creating its own Patrol Torpedo Boat programme. The USA originally developed three designs (PTs 1 to 8) but these were found to be Inadequate. In the mean time the Electric Boat Co (ELCO) purchased a British 70ft boat, designed by Hubert Scott-Paine. This boat was subsequently shipped to the US and numbered PT9 by the Navy. During preliminary testing the Navy was impressed enough to award ELCO a contract to build 10 PT boats (PT10 to 19) based on the PT9 design. It was realised that the boat's designed length was not sufficient to utilise the longer US torpedo so the overall length was increased to accommodate the standard US torpedo and the hull structure was reengineered to strengthen it for heavier seas. ELCO was again awarded a contract to build 24 new boats (PT20-44) with the recommended modifications, which increased the length to 77ft. It would be some of these new boats that would become the first US PT boats to see action in World War 2. During the time ELCO was building the new boats, two other companies were developing PT boats to compete with ELCO: Higgins industries and Huckins Yacht Works. Just prior to the start of the war, the Navy Department held competition trials known as the 'Plywood Derby'. At the completion of the trials the Navy was impressed with all three designs, with the ELCO 77 footer coming out on top, followed by the Higgins 76 footer and Huckins 74ft boat. Although ELCO came in first, the Navy saw the merits of the other two boats and decided to offer all three companies contracts. ELCO received the lion share (385 boats by the end of the war), Higgins was second (199 boats) and Huckins with the smallest contract (18 boats). It appears most of the ELCO designed boats served in the Pacific theatre, with a small number used in the English Channel and Mediterranean Sea. Approximately half of the Higgins designed boats served in the Mediterranean Sea and English Channel with the other half serving in the Pacific and Aleutians. Huckins designed boats were assigned to the training squadron, in Melville Rhode Island, the Panama Canal zone and Hawaii. In 1940 the US Navy's PT Boats were organised into Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons, regularly shortened to the nickname of 'Ron'. A total of 45 Rons were commissioned, but only 37 saw service by war's end. Squadrons generally comprised of 12 to 16 boats each, but a few were larger. Originally conceived as anti-ship weapons, PTs were also used effectively to lay mines and smoke screens, to rescue downed aviators, and to carry out intelligence or ralder operations. For all those interested in military history, the new 'Spearhead' series is an excellent account of each of the individual units. Written by acknowledged experts in the subject, each volume is a detailed account of the development and operational record of some of the most famous military units in history.

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9780711030442

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Now resident in Edinburgh, Angus Konstam is a leading historian of US military history who has had numerous works published. This is his second book for Ian Allan Publishing and follows on from his first contribution to the 'Spearhead' series on the 7th U-boat flotilla.

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