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Motor Torpedo Boat Photo Archive

PT-77



Call sign:
Nan - Uncle - Sugar - How

Sunk 1 February 1945
78' Higgins Motor Torpedo Boat:

  • Laid down 18 April 1942 by Higgins Industries, New Orleans, LA
  • Launched 15 August 1942
  • Completed 3 September 1942
  • Placed in service 4 September 1942 and assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron THIRTEEN (MTBRon 13) under the command of Comdr. James B. Denny, USN
  • MTBRon 13 participated in the Aleutian campaign from March 1943 to May 1944. Transferred to the Southwest Pacific, the squadron had action at Mios Woendi, Dutch New Guinea; Mindoro, P.I., and
    Brunei Bay, Borneo. It also based for a time at Dreger Harbor, New Guinea, and San Pedro Bay, P.I., but had no action from these bases. As part of Task Unit 70.1.4, Squadron 13 was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for action at Mindoro from 15 - 19 December 1944
  • The "Galloping Ghost" was mistakenly sunk 1 February 1945 by the USS Conyngham (DD 371) and the USS Lough (DE 586) near Talin Point, Luzon, Philippines.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 56 t.
  • Length 78'
  • Beam 20' 8"
  • Draft 5' 3"
  • Speed 40 kts.
  • Complement 17
  • Armament: Four 21" torpedoes, one 40mm mount and two twin .50 cal. machine guns
  • Propulsion: Three 1,500shp Packard W-14 M2500 gasoline engines, three shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    PT-77, 80 & 82 137k 3 August 1942
    Stern view of PT-77, PT-80 and PT-82 under construction
    Higgins Industries photo.    		 .
    PT-77 26k . Hyperwar, U.S. Navy in WW II
    PT-77 28 . Jerry Gilmartin, MMC(SW), USN, Ret.
    PT-77 73 Crossing the wake of an unidentified sister. Both boats, part of Squadron 13 (MTBRon 13), were en route to the Caribbean Sea for transit to the Pacific. After being transported to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Squadron 13 and Squadron 16 participated in the Army invasion of Attu Island, Alaska in May, 1943
    National Archives photo    		 Mike Green
    PT-77 125k 12 May 1944
    Womens Bay, Kodiak Island, Alaska
    National Archives photo    		 Tracy White
    PT-77 430 Original photo: 3 July 1944
    Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, WA
    In Measure 31/5P camouflage
    U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Floating Drydock from "Naval Camouflage 1914-1945: A Complete Visual History" by David Williams
    Replacement photo: 3 July 1944
    Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, WA
    Displaying standard war modifications: torpedo-launching racks (with only mounting pads fitted for after pair), a 40mm gun aft, a 20mm gun forward, and two free-swinging single machine guns abaft the torpedoes. Note the smoke generator aft and the pipe guard just forward of the 40mm gun that prevents it from firing into the boat; the free-swinging single guns have no such guard. The "Ski pole" antenna forward of the radome is an IFF transponder
    Photo from U.S. Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman    		 Robert Hurst
    PT-77 181 3 July 1944
    Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, WA
    Photo from U.S. Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman
    Boat Captains
    01LTJG Frank A. Tredinnick, USNRDecember 1944
    Courtesy Joe Radigan
    There is no DANFS history available for PT-77
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    This page created by Joseph M. Radigan and maintained by Tom Bateman
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