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PTF-22

03/11/03  The original Deltics from the PTF 22 were removed by the Navy after her accident. She was sold without engines. I believe I was told that the two sitting beside her were bought from General Propulsion. Unfortunately, I was overseas when that yard was vacated; They had long-since been told to leave when I last saw the PTF, and the whole yard was unimpared; haphazard junk crawling with human denizens. I came back a couple months later, the gate was gone, and the yard was just level dirt with miniscule debris scattered about. I knew three of the residents there; one, I'm told, is now running a shadetree welding business up around Santa Barbara, the other two haven't been seen since. I ask, of course, but when nobody knows my intentions, I always get blank stares. So I have no idea where those two Deltics ended up. I haven't inquired from the rest of the waterfront gang; next time up there I'll remember to ask. If they didn't get hauled to the dump, probably many people will know where to find them. Thanks for working on the site. I hope you enjoyed it, even if it did run away with your weekend. -George.

03/09/03  My E-mail on the web site (see below) about PTF 22 contains all of the information that identifies her, and admittedly its not positive, but here are the details:

 The previous owner who began the conversion identified the boat in the photo as a "PT boat" that had been sold in the 1970's at San Diego with her stern destroyed. He also said she had originally had Napier Deltic diesels, and in the yard were duplicates he had purchased elsewhere to put in her. He described gutting her and rebuilding her as shown in the photo. I'm sure the bridge is new, but there was no evidence the camber of the deck had been modified. 

Bear in mind that this was a telephoto shot from atop a house trailer several hundred feet away and would be distorted by foreshortening. We did scrape the bullnose chock and find the number PTF 22 crudely hammered into it. Also, true to the story, the hull showed signs of former gray paint, while the stern was made of unpainted wood. Incidentally, she was not burned; Los Angeles County doesn't allow such things. She was simply broken up and hauled away to landfill. I have a glimmer of hope that a waterfront drifter who lived on that property, who helped me get aboard her and locate the number on her, might have saved that chock for me, but there's no telling when I'll locate him again. 

George

11/16/02  The photo of the ex-PTF-22, partially converted, with its enclosed bridge, provided by George Schneider, does not appear to be the PTF-22. I have a 2 foot by 2 foot picture of the PTF-22, taken approximately one year before we sank it. I was on it the night it sank. The con in my photo has four windows, not five, and is not curved in the front. The deck of the PTF-22 in my photos shows the deck is more convex to allow water to flow off. The photo on your web site does not match other photos of PTF boats on your site. The approximate measurements from the front of the con to the bow of the boat appear to be shorter on your photo than mine. Similarly, the measurements differ from the rear of the con to the rear of the boat. - Thomas Rascop [caenviro@frys.com]

I keep track of government surplus boats of all kinds, big and small. Although I have some additional names/numbers associated with the disposal of PTF's, there's only one boat for which I have significant information for your site.

The PTF 22 wreck was sold in 1977 to Richard Ryles of Los Angeles. It remained ashore in Wilmington CA for almost 20 years, changing owners frequently. In 1980 work was undertaken to convert her for Black Cod fishing. The stern was rebuilt and an enclosed bridge was built, but before she was engined or outfitted, the Black Cod market fell through. Finally, in 1995, the yard where she was stored was cleared to become a truck repair facility. The operator of the facility had to dispose of the boats, and when he was unable to locate the current owner of the 22, he broke it up. I visited her the year before, and we positively identified her by scraping the chock on her bullnose to reveal a crudely hammered number "PTF 22" under the paint.

Joe Murat was the owner at the time she began rebuilding. I asked him if he'd picked a name for her, and he half-heartedly said, "BLACK COD, I guess". He might have thought that up just to give me an answer, but I'm keeping it in my records in case any publications at the time use that name for her.

Hope this information helps.
-George Schneider