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NavSource Online:
Motor Torpedo Boat Photo Archive

PT-490



Call sign:
Nan - Easy - Item - William
80' Elco Motor Torpedo Boat:

  • Laid down 7 August 1943 by the Electric Boat Co., Elco Works, Bayonne, NJ
  • Launched 29 October 1943
  • Completed 29 November 1943
  • Placed in service 2 December 1943 and assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron THIRTY THREE (MTBRon 33) under the command of Lt. A. Murray Preston, USNR
  • MTBRon 33, assigned to the Southwest Pacific, had action at Aitape, New Guinea; Morotai in the Halmaheras; and San Pedro Bay and Panay in the Philippines. It also based for a time at Dreger Harbor
    and Mios Woendi, New Guinea, but had no action from these bases
  • PT-490 and PT-492 sank Japanese destroyer Uzuki 12 December 1944 in Camotes Sea off Canaguayan Point, Leyte, Philippines
  • The "Little Butch" was transferred to the State Department, Foreign Liquidation Commission in May 1946 and sold
  • Fate unknown.

    Specifications:

    Displacement 56 t.
    Length 80'
    Beam 20' 8"
    Draft 5'
    Speed 41 kts.
    Complement 17
    Armament: Armament: One 40mm, four 21" Torpedoes and two twin .50 cal. machine guns
    Propulsion: Three 3,600shp Packard W-14 M2500 gasoline engines, three shafts.

    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    PT-490 192k c. Summer 1945
    En route from Samar to Negros, Philippines with General of the Army Douglas MacArthur embarked
    PT-490 61k c. Summer 1945
    En route from Samar to Negros, Philippines. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur on left with CO of PT-490
    PT-490 1243k c. Summer 1945
    En route to Negros, Philippines. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur behind QMC Al McCready. Chief McCready was asked by the CO (an ENS) of the PT 490 to pilot the boat while the General was aboard since he was a superior boat handler and navigator. The PT 490 had a very junior navigator on board and the ENS did not want to get lost between Samar and Negros. So he asked Chief McCready, the Squadron Chief, (who was not assigned to that boat normally) to come on board to make sure it all went smoothly. When asked if the General had spoken to him at all during the trip, apparently all he said was “Is everything under control, Chief?” and that was about it.
    PT-490 77k c. Summer 1945
    The crew displaying the personal flag of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur
    PT-490 52k Launching a torpedo
    PT-490 107k Nested outboard of PT-495 and PT-491
    Boat Captains
    01LTJG John M. McElfresh, USNR - Awarded two Silver Stars (1944) October 1944
    Courtesy Joe Radigan
    There is no DANFS history available for PT-490
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    This page created by Joseph M. Radigan and maintained by Tom Bateman
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