| Accession Number | P03901.011 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Place made | New Guinea1: Papua New Guinea, Papua, Milne Bay |
| Date made | 24 February 1943 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
A US Elco PT Boat anchored, at Kona Kope, next to the Asheville class patrol gunboat, USS Tulsa, ...
Description
A US Elco PT Boat anchored, at Kona Kope, next to the Asheville class patrol gunboat, USS Tulsa, at their PT base at Kona Kope. The PT boat has just returned from rescuing four crew members of A16-245, a 6 Squadron Lockheed Hudson piloted by 415152 Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Ray Kelly. Flt Lt Kelly was forced to ditch the Hudson in the bay when poor weather delayed them long enough for the fuel to run out. Note the serial number 22 and the US Navy ensign on Tulsa's bow. Launched in August 1922 and commissioned in 1923 as patrol gunboat 22 (PG-22), the USS Tulsa served with America's Asiatic Fleet before being forced from the Philippines by the Japanese advance. Refitted in Sydney in October 1942, she escorted PT boats along the New Guinea coast at the start of the Buna-Gona offensives before being based at Kone Kope at Milne Bay from November 1942, serving alternatively as a PT boat tender, supply ship escort and patrol craft.