PT-3

PT-3

PT-3

USA

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Motor torpedo boat

Boat

Purchase:250

Show in game

Description

The 58 ft PT-3 is a premium rank I American motor torpedo boat with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea" as part of the release of fleet into open beta test.

General info

Survivability and armour

The 58 ft PT-3 has no external armor to protect it, and as such can not sustain much fire before sinking. Its hull is 40 mm of wood, while the superstructure, also made of wood, is 15 mm thick.The most vulnerable sections of the ship are the bridge and the aft section housing the torpedo and depth charge racks as well as the main propulsion system. This is the area that is also the most likely to catch fire as well. When housed, the torpedo and depth charges can be detonated from sustained fire. The 12.7 mm AN-M2 machine guns can not be knocked out separate to the ship itself. The small crew size of 12 means the PT-3 can take even less of a beating than the PT-6.

Mobility

The PT-3 has great mobility, and can achieve a top speed of 63 km/h. When compared to the PT-6, the PT-3 with its shorter length overall can turn much sharper and can navigate narrow waters more easily, however it is slower than PT-6. From its top speed of 63 km/h, it takes roughly 14 seconds to come to a full stop using the auto stop feature. Compared to other vehicles at its BR, It is slower than the LS 3 and G-5, but is faster than the Type T-14 and the MTB-1 1.

Armament

Primary armament

The PT-3 is armed with 2 turrets containing a single AN-M2 12.7 mm machine gun located aft of the bridge. They are placed to overlap slightly when firing forward or aft, so as to ensure that all lateral angles can be covered from aircraft and surface threats. They are unable to target aircraft that are flying directly above the ship. The guns are suitable for taking down other similarly sized boats, yet may prove inadequate against more heavily armored opponents.

AP rounds are a good recommendation since they do similar amounts of damage to unarmored targets as Universal belts. Additionally, using AP means you will have a better chance at penetrating the armor of Russian low tier boats and sub-chasers.

Torpedo armament

2 450 mm Mk.7 torpedoes are located in tube launchers aft of the ship. They are guided by the direction that the ship is facing. They can be fired while the ship is stationary or reversing and require 50m to arm before they will detonate. They are powerful enough to sink any ship within the PT-3s BR range, and have a range of 3.65 km.

Special armament

When researched you can equip 4 Mk.6 depth charges. They are located at the stern of the boat between the torpedo tubes.

Usage in battles

The PT-3 can be used either as a hit and run vessel or as an ambush vessel. To employ the hit and run method, dodge and weave incoming fire as you attempt to get close enough to use torpedoes. Once fired, disengage and cover your retreat using smoke. If you come across enemy ships that are close to you, use the depth charges when crossing the bow of the enemy ship using a delayed fuse to quickly sink them. If using as an ambush vessel, locate a position that has cover that you can retreat behind and come to sop next to it. Use your machine guns at any targets you see, and if you receive incoming fire or are reloading, put the boat in reverse and activate smoke as you retreat into it. Slightly alter course to avoid incoming enemy blind fire. Be sure to not get caught with low ammo for your machine guns as they take some time to reload.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Main armament is effective at neutralizing both PT boats and aircraft

• Large ammo reserves for the primary armament

• Maneuverable

• Smaller profile than the PT-6

• Quick acceleration and deceleration

Cons:

• Low crew count; lower than the PT-6

• Unarmored

• Slower than Russian and German counterparts; slower than the PT-6

• Machine guns can take some time to reload

History

PT-3 was layed down on August 1, 1939 by Fisher Boat Works in Detroit, Michigan as hull No.. It was launched on April 18, 1940 and it was completed on June 20 of the same year. It entered service on July 24 and it was assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron ONE (PTRon 1) to be evaluated. PTRon 1 was the first squadron of its kind, and it was a squadron of experimental ships when it was created and was under the command of Lt. Earl S. Caldwell, USN.

It was to be given to the Royal Navy on April 19, 1942 and would have been re-designated as the HM MTB-273. However, the transfer was cancelled and was instead transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) with the designation Bras D'Or (M 413). It was intended to be used as a high speed rescue launch boat. Following its service in the war, it was was returned to the US on April 10, 1945 and once again re-designated, this time as the B-119. The last transfer in its long and storied history was between the United States Navy (USN) to the War Shipping Administration on May 2, 1946.

It still survives today in rather poor condition and can be found at Flanigan Brothers Boatyard, Fairton, NJ (as of 2012), waiting to be restored.

The ship historically had a displacement of 25 t, a length of 58 ft, and a beam of 18 ft. It was powered by two 1,350 hp Packard gasoline engines, and had two shafts. The armament consisted of two .50 cal machine guns, two 18 inch Mk. 7 torpedoes, and two Mk. 6 depth charge racks.

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the ship;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

Bibliography

• Radigan, Joseph M. PT-3. NavSource Naval History. http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/05003.htm

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on ship;
• other literature.