Benjamin Buttons (1 Viewer)

[Sahara]

It was my wifes turn to pick the movie to rent tonight and she picked "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Buttons". I'm not gonna comment on the movie since I fell asleep 3/4's into it but I did notice something that sparked my curiosity. In the movie Buttons is a deck hand on a tug boat during WWII. The captain of this tug boat contracted his services with the US Navy. In the movie they outfit this tug boat with a MG and it runs into a naval battle that had just taken place. Well needless to say a German sub surfaces and it engages the tug boat. I won't say what happens incase anyone wants to see the movie but I was wondering if this was common practice that private tug boats would be contracted and outfitted. Also I think its far fetched but has there ever been any documented encounters between a tug boat and any enemy ships during WWII?

 

[sceic2]

During the few years just before WW2 and the two years just after war was declared, the US Navy was desperate for patrol vessels. It took a couple of years for the shipyards to catch up with the overwhelming need for every kind of craft possible. The Navy grabbed anything that was reasonably able to act in a defensive mode. The Navy especially lacked the smaller type ships needed for coastal patrol and used civilian craft whenever possible.

Here is an example, it's a quote from a "Sea Classics" magazine article..."Though too small to act as ocean escorts, the U.S. Navy recruited 52 pleasure yachts for sorely needed coastal patrols which included a variety of wartime tasks that released larger ships for U-boat hunting.

The crewmen of a former pleasure yacht turned coastal patroller scans the horizon for possible airmen downed on training missions off the Florida coast.

Note the water-cooled .50 Browning fitted in the forward circular gun tub. These small vessels reverted to harbor duties as larger patrol vessels like the steel-hulled 173-ft PCs became available.

Just prior to our entrance into World War II, the U.S. Navy began to acquire private yachts from business corporations and private ... "

You can read more at the following link http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-73464004.html

I don't know of any specific examples of tugs engaging U-Boats, but it does seem reasonable and possible. More investigation would need to be done to accurately answer your question.

 

[Sahara]

During the few years just before WW2 and the two years just after war was declared, the US Navy was desperate for patrol vessels. It took a couple of years for the shipyards to catch up with the overwhelming need for every kind of craft possible. The Navy grabbed anything that was reasonably able to act in a defensive mode. The Navy especially lacked the smaller type ships needed for coastal patrol and used civilian craft whenever possible.

Here is an example, it's a quote from a "Sea Classics" magazine article..."Though too small to act as ocean escorts, the U.S. Navy recruited 52 pleasure yachts for sorely needed coastal patrols which included a variety of wartime tasks that released larger ships for U-boat hunting.

The crewmen of a former pleasure yacht turned coastal patroller scans the horizon for possible airmen downed on training missions off the Florida coast.

Note the water-cooled .50 Browning fitted in the forward circular gun tub. These small vessels reverted to harbor duties as larger patrol vessels like the steel-hulled 173-ft PCs became available.

Just prior to our entrance into World War II, the U.S. Navy began to acquire private yachts from business corporations and private ... "

You can read more at the following link http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-73464004.html

I don't know of any specific examples of tugs engaging U-Boats, but it does seem reasonable and possible. More investigation would need to be done to accurately answer your question.

Thanks for the info. Its appears that like you said it was not at all uncommon for private ships from tug boats to yachts to be recruited for a vast number of jobs. I still haven't found anything about an engagement between between a u-boat and a tug boat but I would have to imagine that that would be a pretty rare occurrence. I'm not doubting it ever happened but it would be intriguing to read up on such an event.

 

[Njja]

Movie was interesting, I always enjoy watching Pitt in movies, I especially

enjoyed the scenes of him riding classic motorcycles. They appear all to

briefly in the movie. The one scene of him riding one handed down the

country road brought back lots of memories.