WWII Museum’s PT-305 sails again
by Susan Buchanan 13 Jan 2018 23:57 PST
WWII Museum's PT-305 sails again © National World War II Museum
Commercial workboat philanthropy on display on PT-305: WWII Museum’s PT-305 sails again after a far reaching donor-funded restoration.
In March, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans launched its reconstructed PT-305, built locally by Higgins Industries in 1943. The museum acquired the boat known as the USS Sudden Jerk in 2007, restoration began in 2009, and it now sails Lake Pontchartrain as an interactive exhibit. PT-305, with a fifteen-man crew, belonged to a 12-ship squadron operating in the Mediterranean from 1944 until the war ended in 1945.
“Our administrators estimate we’ve put $3.5 million into the restoration, not counting the value of volunteer time,” Tom Czekanski, the National WWII Museum’s senior curator and restoration manager, said last month. “The vessel, now operating, is valued at $7 million for replacement purposes. The number of hours donated by volunteers has reached 120,000.”
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