Over the years the boat was heavily reconfigured to resemble an Elco PT-Boat. PT-728
Built by: Annapolis Yacht Yard Inc., Annapolis, Maryland, under license from the Vosper Thornycroft company of Great Britain.
72' long, 19' at beam. Weight: 47 tons
Original Power plant: 3 Packard marine gas engines - 4,050 total horsepower. Armament: 1 x 20mm Oerlikon gun, 4 x 50 cal machine guns, 2 x 21" torped
oes. This PT boat was originally intended for lend lease use to the Soviet Union in WWII, but the end of the war precluded transfer to the USSR. She is in the process of a complete restoration back to the original WWII military configuration and will be renamed the "Thom Cat" in honor of Ensign Lenny Thom. PT-728 Restoration
Ensign Thom was a Sandusky, Ohio native and served as John F. Kennedy's executive officer on board the famous PT-109. After the sinking of PT-109 and subsequent rescue of the crew, Ensign Thom was assigned a boat of his own, which the crew named "Thom Cat." It is also interesting to note that several US built Vosper designed PT boats were used in the television series "McHale's Navy." These boats were loosely reconfigured to look like 80' Elco PT boats, but the unique hull lines of the Vosper design can be clearly seen in many of the screen shots in the series. PT-728 is currently undergoing extensive restoration including keel, chines, gunwales, framing, and planking. One of the goals of the restoration is to build a safe reliable vessel that will be able to provide generations of people living history experiences of this unique part of World War II history on Lake Erie and the Great Lakes. Follow the PT-728 ThomCat page to view photos of the progress and keep up on news & announcements.
