Elco PT Boat PT-617 - Engine Room
Bill Maloney 1/20/2007 |
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The Elco PT Boat uses 3 Packhard V-12 marine engines. There are some more detail shots in the Higgins PT Boat Engine Room gallery that show the transmission shift lever better. The captain did not have direct control of engaging, disengaging or reversing the Packard V12s. He would have to call down to the engine room to make any of those changes. When Lt. John F. Kennedy was rammed and sunk by a Japanese Destroyer one very black night, he was idling with all 3 engines in neutral. He is said to have heard the destroyer moments before it struck. He couldn't engage the gears via the engine room to power the boat out of the way in time to avoid being sunk. After that it was standard procedure to keep one engine transmission in gear at all times.
Packard 4M-2500 W-14 V12 Marine Engine Specifications:
# Cylinders - 12
Fuel - 100 Octane Avgas
Cylinder Bore Diameter - 6 3/8"
Piston Stroke - 6 1/2"
Displacement - 2,490 Cubic Inches
Compression Ratio - 6.4:1
Weight - 2,950 lbs
Induction System - Gear Driven Centifugal Supercharger
Electrical System - 24 Volt