PT 300

[PT144]

Hello,
Im wondering if anyone knows where i might be able to get a photo of the wreck of USS PT 300 which was hit and sunk by Kamikazi at Mindoro in WW2.I believe it is a diveable wreck.
Im searching on behalf of the daughter of a crew member who was on the boat when sunk.
Any info greatly appreciated,Thank you
Michael

[colleen]

Hi Michael - It has been over a year and no new info on the PT 300....so sad! I can give you the lat and long. I believe it is in only 30 ft of water, but I dont know for sure. Thanks for your help. If the boat burned, then all the armament would have sunk - the boat was made of wood, right? Thanks again, and if you ever hear any news, please let me know!

Colleen - niece of WWII sailor who died on the 300.

[Timerover51]

I found the following information on the loss of PT-300 on the Hyperwar website, At Close Quarters, PT Boats in the US Navy.

On December 18 three planes came over. Only one went into a suicide dive. Lt. Comdr. Almer P. Colvin, commander of Squadron 16, gave PT 300 a last-second swing to the right. The plane apparently had anticipated the maneuver. It swung right with the PT and crashed into the engineroom, splitting the boat in half. The stern sank immediately; the bow burned for 8 hours. Colvin was seriously wounded, four men were killed, four men were missing, and two officers and four men were wounded. Only one man of the crew of PT 300 escaped without injury.

There is a photo on the site showing another PT boat that had been hit and virtually cut in half by a Kamikaze attack. The loss of PT-300 is given on page 406.

[Timerover51]

Sorry for the additional post, but there does not appear to be a way of editing a previous post that I could locate quickly. Given that the stern sank immediately, that would not have burned, but as the boat was made of two layers of half-inch mahogany marine plywood, with a waterproof canvas layer between, it probably has long since be consumed by marine organisms. However, the engines and stern armament, likely to be a 40mm Bofors, along with any torpedoes still carried should still be possible to locate. The fact that the bow floated for an extended period of time indicates that the impact must have been near the front cockpit, as the large bow buoyancy compartment was still intact, but not weighted down by heavier armament or engines. That probably drifted a bit, as it burned for eight hours prior to sinking, so it likely burned to the waterline and then what was left sank.

I spent a lot of time studying PT boats prior to accompanying Dr. Robert Ballard in his search for PT-109 in the Solomon Islands. My name is Dale Ridder, and I was responsible for identifying the wreck. I hope the information I posted helps you.

[colleen]

Interesting!

[Justin Taylan]

Dear all,

Here is the Pacific Wrecks page on PT-300 that was sunk by kamikaze attack on December 18, 1944 off Mindoro.

PT-300
https://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/ptboat/PT-300.html

If anyone is a family member of this crew, get in touch to share more information about this loss and the crew.