By Chris Knauss
Mariner Editor

  A mechanical engineer by trade, John Patnovic is "semi-retired," but you wouldn't know it by the speed of his gate. He's a tall man with long strides and a huge presence at Worton Creek Marina. For six years, John and his wife Libby have owned the marina, a quiet, pleasant backwater alcove of hospitality on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Welcoming transient boaters, they've seen all shapes and sizes of boats cruise up the creek to visit their full service marina, pool and picnic area, and Harbor House Restaurant. But no craft can compare to what's sitting on blocks there now.
  It's a huge (78-foot, 24-foot beam, 75-ton), gray, wooden Nasty Class PTF Trumpy patrol boat, largely intact, but in much need of repair. Patnovic hopes that once restored the PTF-19 will become a floating, operating, hands-on exhibit that teaches and honors the history of both the United States and the Navy.
Patnovic's passion for PT boats began as a kid building models of the famous WWII boats. Through the years, he's kept abreast of their history and kept an eye on boats that might be up for sale. Since the early 80s, he has followed the status of a cache of PTF (Patrol Torpedo Fast) boats laid up in Norfolk since the 70s. When the owner recently dropped the price, Patnovic and three partners made a deal for the PTF-19.
  Looking at the neglected PTF and the enormous task ahead of him, it wasn't hard to come up with the first question: Why?
  "Basically because I'm brain damaged," said John. "I've always been interested in PT boats. I've always liked boats and been around boats and that type of thing. Through exposure on TV and as a kid Revell had a model of a PT boat and that kind of stuff. As I've gotten older I've bought different books on them and things like that. I've just always been interested in the fast patrol boats."
Two original T18-37K Napier-Deltic engines can run the 80-foot boat at 46 knots.
  "In World War II the (PT) boats were powered with three Packard gasoline engines," said Patnovic. "The boat that we have here is actually called a PTF and it was built during the Vietnam era and used in Vietnam up and down the coast of North and South Vietnam for covert operations."
John hopes he can get two original Napier-Deltics running for a true restoration of the original PTF. As part of the purchase agreement, the partnership can cannibalize seven other downtrodden PTFs to get the bits and pieces missing from number 19.
  "Right now we've probably got 98 percent of the parts to make this thing original," said Patnovic. "And the object is to a do a museum-quality restoration on display initially at Worton Creek. We've got five engines -- two engines in the boat and I have three other engines that we bought with the boat -- and hopefully we can make two engines out of the five. But that's going to be a time-consuming effort because the engines are huge. They're 3100 horsepower each. They each have three crankshafts. They were built in England and used in these boats.
  "This particular boat, the PTF-19, was built at the Trumpy boat yard in Annapolis in 1968. And back in 1968 to run an 80-foot boat 46 knots, that was light speed. It's still fast today, but with gas turbines and everything else they're running big boats faster than that even. Back in 1968 that was practically unheard of."
  Only two other PTFs remain as viable historical crafts: PTF-17 on static display at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in Buffalo N.Y. and PTF-3 being restored by a Boy Scout Troup in Orange City, Fla. Restoring World War II PT boats doesn't appear to be an option.
  "There's really nothing left in terms of restoring a World War II PT boat," said Patnovic. "There are some hulls around but there's no fittings. You'd have to make everything from scratch, so what you'd have is a replica as opposed to a real boat."
  Patnovic knows it will take a platoon of volunteers and a battalion of financial benefactors to complete the PTF restoration. John and his project partners have invested tens of thousands of dollars. Even with his group's personal resources, including access to a well-equipped boatyard and skilled staff, John estimates it could cost over a quarter of a million dollars to get the job done. But he says he's ready to stay the project course, which he hopes to complete within three to six years.
  "We really haven't started working on the boat yet," he said. "I've had probably 15 people volunteer to help with this thing, but we're in the spring season with the boatyard right now and I haven't had a lot of time to devote to it. But that will hopefully change within the next few weeks. We have gotten our official approval of our 501C-3 non-profit corporation so we can ask people for donations and they can take it off their income taxes."
  If you're interested in helping fund the cost of restoration, donations can be made to PTF-19 Adventure Inc., Worton Creek Marina, 23145 Buck Neck Road, Chestertown, MD 21620. More volunteers are also needed. For more information you can reach John at wortoncrek@friend.ly.net. The phone number there at the marina is 410-778-3282 and the marina web site is www.wortoncreek.com
There's a very informative web site at www.ptfnasty.com if you'd like to learn more about the boat.

                    Photo by Lt Kurt Froyen, USNR, OIC PTF-19

The PTF in its original camouflage  glory.

                                                  Photo by Chris Knauss
John Patnovic on top of the PTF-19
at Worton Creek Marina.

Patnovic hopes to complete the restoration
PTF-19 in three to six years.

PTF-19 was built at the Trumpy boat yard
in Annapolis in 1968.