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NavSource Online:
Motor Torpedo Boat Photo Archive

PT-222



Call sign:
Nan - Charlie - Uncle - Fox
78' Higgins Motor Torpedo Boat:

  • Laid down 7 October 1942 by Higgins Industries, New Orleans, LA
  • Launched 3 February 1943
  • Completed 19 March 1943, placed in service and assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron SIXTEEN (MTBRon 16) under the command of Lt. Comdr. Russell H. Smith, USN
  • MTBRon 16 participated in the Aleutian campaign from August 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 16 was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for action at Mindoro from December 15 to 19, 1944
  • The "Little One", ex-"Three Dueces", ex-"Warhead", ex-"Ruptured Duck" was placed out of service, stripped and destroyed by U.S. Forces 26 November 1945 at Samar, Philippines.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 56 t.
  • Length 78'
  • Beam 20' 8"
  • Draft 5' 3"
  • Speed 41 kts.
  • Complement 17
  • Armament: As built - Four 21" torpedoes, two depth charge racks aft, one 20mm mount and two twin .50 cal. machine guns
    1944 - Removed two aft torpedo racks and added a 40mm mount aft, one 20mm mount forward (later replaced by a 40mm mount)
  • Propulsion: Three 1,500shp Packard W-14 M2500 gasoline engines, three shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    PT-222 371k 26 February 1943
    New Orleans, LA
    MTBRon 16 commissioning day    		 Jerry Gilmartin, MMC(SW), USN, Ret.
    PT-221 225k Being stripped at Samar along with PT-221 and others
    PT-221 472k
    Boat Captains
    01LT Robert J. Wehrli, USNR - Awarded the Silver StarJanuary 1945
    Courtesy Joe Radigan
    There is no DANFS history available for PT-222
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    This page created by Joseph M. Radigan and maintained by Tom Bateman
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