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| USN 80' Elco Motor Torpedo Boat 56 Tons 80' x 20' 8" x 5' 1 x 40mm 1 x 37mm cannon 1 x 20mm cannon 2 x Twin .50 cal MG 4 x 21" Torpedoes   USN October 10, 1942  USN October 13, 1942 |
Ship History Built Electric Boat Company (Elco) in Bayonne, NJ. Laid down March 17, 1942 as a 80' Elco Motor Torpedo Boat. Launched June 27, 1942 as PT-111. Completed July 16, 1942 and delivered to the U.S. Navy (USN). Wartime History Assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 5 (MTBRon 5) under the command of Commander Henry Farrow, USN. Assigned to the Panama Canal zone during September 1942 until the spring of 1943. On September 22, 1942 transfered to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron TWO (MTBRon 2) under the command of Lt. Rollin E. Westholm, USN. In early October 1942, PT-111 and PT-112 were loaded aboard USS Tallulah (AO-50) as deck cargo amidship and covered with camouflage netting and shipped overseas to the South Pacific and unloaded at Nouméa then to the Solomon Islands and operated from Tulagi Harbor. Sinking History On February 1, 1943 during the night, twenty Japanese destroyers steamed down the slot as part of Operation KE, the evacuation of their remaining troops from Guadalcanal. Although attacked by two waves of fighters and bombers from Henderson Field at dusk, only one destroyer was damaged. The force approached Cape Esperance, covered by half a dozen patrol planes. All available PT boats were sent to the Savo-Esperance area, including PT-111 under the command of Lt. John H. Clagett with PT-37 and PT-47 stationed two miles southeast of Savo. On the way to their patrol area, PT-111 was bombed and strafed by Japanese aircraft, but suffered no damage. Forty minutes after arriving at station, PT-111 spotted a destroyer three miles east of Cape Esperance and PT-48 spotted two destroyers two miles west of Savo Island. The PT Boats separated and attacked separately. As PT-111 approached within 500 yards of the destroyer released all four torpedoes, but was unable to observe the results due to return gunfire. Thirteen minutes later, PT-111 was hit by gunfire from Kawakaze and burst into flames wounding several of the crew and sank off Cape Esperance on Guadalcanal into Iron Bottom Sound. Aboard, Lt(jg) Philip A. Shribman, O-102637 was declared Missing In Action (MIA). Also sunk was PT-37. During the same battle, PT-115 and PT-38 beached themselves on the western side of Savo Island and were later pulled off by PT-109. This was the most violent action the PT Boats participated in off Guadalcanal, and it was their last, as the Japanese completed their evacuation during the night of February 7-8, 1943. Fates of the Crew After being hit, Lt. Clagett was thrown to the deck wounded but managed to crawl overboard and assisted by the rest of the crew as he was unable to swim. RM2c Russel J. Wackler suffered a compound fractures to his legs and was aided by the crew until he died two and a half hours later. The rest of the crew was rescued by another PT Boat and returned to base. Memorials Shribman and was officially declared dead on February 2, 1944 and remains listed as Missing In Action (MIA). He is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. Wackler was buried at Long Island National Cemetery at plot H, 9491. Clagett passed away November 5, 2013 at age 97. He is buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery at USNA Columbarium Wall 30, Row 1, Column F. References At Close Quarters PT Boats in the United States Navy pages 57, 103-104 (February 1, 1943), 452, 456, 486, 488, 561 (index) NavSource - PT-111 (photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Philip A. Shribman FindAGrave - LtJG Philip A Shribman (tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - Russell John Wackler (grave photo) FindAGrave - LCDR John Henry Clagett (photo, grave photo) Contribute
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