what does pt stand for in pt boat
Patrol Torpedo
title: PT boat text: PT boat A PT boat (short for "patrol torpedo boat") was a torpedo-armed fast attack craft used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the war by ineffective torpedoes, limited armament, and comparatively fragile construction that limited some of the variants to coastal waters. The PT boat was very different from the first generation of torpedo boat, which had been developed at the end of the 19th century and featured a displacement hull form. These first generation torpedo title: PT boat text: fire support. Some boats shipped a 20 mm Oerlikon cannon. Propulsion was via a trio of Packard 4M-2500 and later 5M-2500 supercharged gasoline-fueled, liquid-cooled marine engines. Nicknamed "the mosquito fleet" – and "devil boats" by the Japanese – the PT boat squadrons were hailed for their daring and earned a durable place in the public imagination that remains strong into the 21st century. At the outbreak of war in August 1914, W. Albert Hickman devised the first procedures and tactics for employing fast maneuverable seaworthy torpedo motorboats against capital ships, and presented his proposal to Rear Admiral David W. Taylor, title: PT boat text: and 55-ft) of British Royal Navy Coastal Motor Boats were obtained for testing. The larger boat was used for experiments until 1930. In 1938, the U.S. Navy renewed their investigation into the concept by requesting competitive bids for several different types of motor torpedo boats, but excluded Hickman's Sea Sled. This competition led to eight prototype boats built to compete in two different classes. The first class was for boats, and the second class was for boats. The resulting PT boat designs were the product of a small cadre of respected naval architects and the Navy. On 11 July 1938, title: PT boat text: torpedo boat training in the oceans around Midway and Hawaii during the last two years of the war. During World War II, Vospers of Great Britain arranged for several boatyards in the United States to build British-designed Motor Torpedo Boats under license to help the war effort. The boatyards were located in Annapolis, City Island, Miami, and Los Angeles. 146 boats, armed with torpedoes, were built for Lend Lease, and exported to Allied powers such as Canada, Britain, Norway, and the Soviet Union. These boats were never used by the U.S. Navy, and only about 50 were used by the title: PT boat text: boats rode low in the water, displaced up to 300 tons, and had a top speed of . During World War I Italy, the US and UK developed the first high-performance motor torpedo boats (often with top speeds over ) and corresponding torpedo tactics, but these projects were all quickly disbanded with the Armistice. World War II PT boats continued to exploit some of the advances in planing hull design borrowed from offshore powerboat racing and were able to grow in size due to advancements in engine technology. During World War II, PT boats engaged enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges,