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PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat (hull classification symbol "PT", for "Patrol Torpedo"), a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet".
The PT Boat used in World War II was built using classic "planing-type" hull forms that were inspired by the racing boats that dominated the world boat racing circuit and set water speed records between the wars. However, the original pre-WW1 "Torpedo boats", developed in the early 20th century, were originally designed using "displacement-type" hulls rather than planing type hulls. The original purpose of both types of boats were similar to each other, namely to be an inexpensive way to deliver torpedoes which could destroy capital ships without having to spend the money to build a large ship. By WWII, the initial mission of the American PT boats was to battle destroyers, which themselves were originally created as a defense against torpedo boats. Indeed, the name "destroyer" is actually a shortening of the name "torpedo boat destroyer" from the World War One era. Though many would question the military effectiveness of the boats in this role[citation needed], their psychological impact in deterring Japanese attacks was significant[citation needed]. The Navy's impetus for building the PT boat fleet was for both economic and material reasons. Ten PT boats could be built for the cost of one modest-sized destroyer escort. Another reason was a shortage of steel, which had to be conserved for building larger ships, at the beginning of the war. Towards the end of the war, the US was able to build a massive naval fleet, and the wood construction of the PT boats enabled more steel to be used for that purpose. Later in the war, the boats were much more effective as gunboats against targets their own size, such as armored barges that the Japanese used to shuttle troops and supplies between islands.
Here are articles to help you learn more about the PT Boat, its history and heritage.
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