
After flying cover for some bombers over Bougainville LT.Thomas (SMITTY) Smiths Hellcat was hit by one of the many Japanese anti-aircraft guns around the runway!!! With no way to make it back to the USS Princeton LT. Smitty knew he would have to ditch his plane in the unfriendly waters of the Solomons island!!!!After sending out a mayday Lt.Smitty brought his plane down and prepaired himself for what he hoped wasnt going to be along night!!! [img]<a%20href="http://imageshack.us"><img%20src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/1812/ptboat028ru9.jpg"%20border="0"%20alt="Image%20Hosted%20by%20ImageShack.us"></a><br><a%20href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=67&i=ptboat028ru9.jpg"><img%20src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/1812/ptboat028ru9.2ead9cf4d5.jpg"%20border="0"></a>%20With%20his%20plane%20going%20down%20ol'Smitty%20knew%20he%20better%20bug%20out%20and%20get%20into%20his%20liferaft!!![/img]<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/3766/ptboat035ml2.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"></a><br><a href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=76&i=ptb ... .jpg"><img src="http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/3766/p ... dac9ec.jpg" border="0"></a> After getting far enough away ol'smitty just sat back and gave a salute as he watch his plane slip under the waves!!![img]<a%20href="http://imageshack.us"><img%20src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/1949/ptboat039jo1.jpg"%20border="0"%20alt="Image%20Hosted%20by%20ImageShack.us"></a><br><a%20href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=67&i=ptboat039jo1.jpg"><img%20src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/1949/ptboat039jo1.561b99cdbd.jpg"%20border="0"></a>%20<a%20href="http://imageshack.us"><img%20src="http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/884/ptboat020av5.jpg"%20border="0"%20alt="Image%20Hosted%20by%20ImageShack.us"></a><br><a%20href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=154&i=ptboat020av5.jpg"><img%20src="http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/884/ptboat020av5.c83d985e3a.jpg"%20border="0"></a>%20<a%20href="http://imageshack.us"><img%20src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/7224/ptboat037sk5.jpg"%20border="0"%20alt="Image%20Hosted%20by%20ImageShack.us"></a><br><a%20href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=67&i=ptboat037sk5.jpg"><img%20src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/7224/ptboat037sk5.2dd71574a6.jpg"%20border="0"></a>%20%20Now%20alone%20in%20unfriendly%20water%20LT.Smitty%20hoped%20and%20prayed%20that%20he%20would%20be%20found%20and%20not%20by%20the%20Japanese!!![/img]<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/6821 ... 017yz8.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"></a><br><a href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=154&i=pt ... .jpg"><img src="http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/6821 ... 31a39f.jpg" border="0"></a> Meanwhile as Pt 109 was waitting for the Japanese Navy to come out at night---the radio man heard Smittys mayday and told the Captain!!!With no time to waste PT 109 headed to the last know location of LT.Smittys last radio call!!! [img]<a%20href="http://imageshack.us"><img%20src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/2687/ptboat012fb2.jpg"%20border="0"%20alt="Image%20Hosted%20by%20ImageShack.us"></a><br><a%20href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=67&i=ptboat012fb2.jpg"><img%20src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/2687/ptboat012fb2.64b437e094.jpg"%20border="0"></a>[/img]<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/8122/ptboat021ae2.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"></a><br><a href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=67&i=ptb ... .jpg"><img src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/8122/p ... 6943a2.jpg" border="0"></a> [img]<a%20href="http://imageshack.us"><img%20src="http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/1060/ptboat010lm8.jpg"%20border="0"%20alt="Image%20Hosted%20by%20ImageShack.us"></a><br><a%20href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=154&i=ptboat010lm8.jpg"><img%20src="http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/1060/ptboat010lm8.e96a1cb6a4.jpg"%20border="0"></a>[/img]<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/9327/ptboat011mi8.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"></a><br><a href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=67&i=ptb ... .jpg"><img src="http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/9327/p ... 515b3e.jpg" border="0"></a> As PT 109 got into the area of Smitty last radio call---Smitty saw the PT boat 1st but the noise from the boats engines drowned out his cries for help!!![img]<a%20href="http://imageshack.us"><img%20src="http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/7281/ptboat014hw1.jpg"%20border="0"%20alt="Image%20Hosted%20by%20ImageShack.us"></a><br><a%20href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=377&i=ptboat014hw1.jpg"><img%20src="http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/7281/ptboat014hw1.2c64d8d6ab.jpg"%20border="0"></a>[/img]<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/593/ptboat041yk8.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"></a><br><a href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=60&i=ptb ... .jpg"><img src="http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/593/pt ... aaa776.jpg" border="0"></a> Ol'Smitty was lucky one of the crewmen saw him and PT 109 was able to fish the ol' LT out of the drink!!! [img]<a%20href="http://imageshack.us"><img%20src="http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/21/ptboat042rt7.jpg"%20border="0"%20alt="Image%20Hosted%20by%20ImageShack.us"></a><br><a%20href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=377&i=ptboat042rt7.jpg"><img%20src="http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/21/ptboat042rt7.78f53e61ce.jpg"%20border="0"></a>[/img]<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/6584/ptboat046zp9.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"></a><br><a href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=60&i=ptb ... .jpg"><img src="http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/6584/p ... f1514d.jpg" border="0"></a> Now that Smitty was safe and sound aboard the PT boat the captain of the PT boat got the call to head back to base ASAP!!! Some new orders just came in---Help land Marine Raiders on Bougainville!!! But thats a different story for later!!! [img]<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/3718 ... 026ed2.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"></a><br><a href="http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=377&i=pt ... .jpg"><img src="http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/3718 ... 755eec.jpg" border="0"></a> ---RED---