Courtesy of FoxNews:
A historic World War II boat that
survived dozens of operations -- and a few near-misses -- on the other side of
the Atlantic is finally heading home to the waters where its journey began more
than 70 years ago.
PT-305, fresh off a multi-year
restoration project at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, is
traveling atop a barge set to reach the Industrial Canal near Louisiana’s Lake
Pontchartrain by midday Tuesday.
“This is a big deal for all of us,
but especially for the men and women for the last ten years who put blood,
sweat and tears into the restorations,” Stephen Watson, museum executive vice
president and COO, told FoxNews.com Monday.
The battle-hardened boat, nicknamed
the U.S.S. Sudden Jerk, operated in the Mediterranean along the coasts of
southern France and Northern Italy. PT-305 conducted more than 77 offensive
patrols and operations, fought in 11 separate actions and sank three German
ships during its 14-month deployment, according to the museum.
Following WWII, PT-305 took on a
civilian role as a tour boat in New York Harbor, a fishing charter and an
oyster boat, while falling into disrepair before the New Orleans museum scooped
it up in 2007.
From there, a volunteer crew worked
more than 100,000 hours on the project at the museum’s restoration pavilion to
get PT-305 running again.
On Friday afternoon, the boat was
moved outside the facility where volunteers, according to Watson, gathered for
some quiet time before traffic lights and public signage was removed to make
way for its 1-mile trek to the Mississippi River.
The next day, the boat, resting on a
cradle, was lifted up onto a self-propelled modular transporter and was headed
on its way.
“It was just a remarkable thing to
see. They made it look so easy,” Watson said of the crew who walked alongside
the vehicle and PT-305 as it slowly turned corners and moved through the
streets.
Working in coordination with the Port
of New Orleans, PT-305 arrived Saturday when no cruise ships were docked. It
was hoisted onto a barge, which traveled down river, and is now heading back in
the other direction through canals toward Lake Pontchartrain.
On a personal note, I saw this project a couple of years ago and was very impressed with the attention to detail and devotion the volunteers put into the project.... It is nice to hear it's finally back where it belongs!
Until next time,
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
