World War II Honoree

Robert Chester 'Bob' Pratt

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Sebago Lake, Maine

Honored By

C.J. Willis

Relationship

Shipmate

ASSIGNED IN THE AMERICAN AREA TO THE PATROL TORPEDO (PT) BOAT TRAINING STATION AT MELVILLE, RHODE ISLAND. UPON COMPLETION OF TRAINING, HE AND OTHER SHIPMATES WERE ORDERED TO NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA TO PICK UP A NEW PT BOAT AT THE HIGGINS INDUSTRIES PLANT. HE JOINED MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT SQUADRON 19 (RON 19) AND WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL ‘PLANK OWNERS’ OF PT-242. HIS BOAT SAILED FROM NEW ORLEANS ON MAY 15, 1943, ACROSS LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN TO MIAMI, FLORIDA, CUBA, MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA AND THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL. THEIR BOAT WAS THEN LOADED ONTO AN OIL TANKER AT TABOGA ISLAND IN THE GULF OF PANAMA NEAR BALBOA AND TRANSPORTED TO THE NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS AND UNLOADED AT ESPIRITU SANTO. HIS BOAT WAS ASSIGNED TO MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT (MTB) SQUADRONS SOUTH PACIFIC. SAILED ABOARD HIS BOAT TO TULAGI AND RENDOVA ISLANDS IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS EN ROUTE TO THE SQUADRON’S FIRST FORWARD BASE ON VELLA LAVELLA ISLAND. ARRIVED AT VELLA LAVELLA IN EARLY NOVEMBER, 1943. SERVED AS A QUARTERMASTER OVERSEAS IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC AREA IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC ABOARD PT-242, NICKNAMED ‘CELESTE’ WITH HIS BATTLE STATION IN THE CHART HOUSE. PARTICIPATED IN THE BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO, AND TREASURY-BOUGAINVILLE OPERATIONS. FROM BASES AT VELLA LAVELLA AND TREASURY ISLAND IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS, HIS BOAT PATROLLED THE COASTS OF BOUGAINVILLE AND CHOISEUL TO INTERDICT ENEMY RE-SUPPLY VESSELS, ATTACK ENEMY SHORE POSITIONS, SEARCH FOR DOWNED PILOTS, AND PERFORM GUARD AND SPECIAL PATROL MISSIONS. ON THE NIGHT OF DECEMBER 27, 1943, OFF BOUGAINVILLE, HIS BOAT AND ANOTHER ENCOUNTERED THREE JAPANESE BARGES AND TOOK THEM UNDER FIRE. THE FIREFIGHT RESULTED IN THE SINKING OF THE BARGES BUT HIS BOAT WAS HIT BY ENEMY FIRE INCLUDING A ROUND THAT SET FIRE TO A TORPEDO WARHEAD IN ITS TUBE. IMMEDIATE ACTIONS BY THE CREW PUT OUT THE FIRE BEFORE THE WARHEAD COULD EXPLODE. AN EXPLOSION COULD HAVE CAUSED CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE. MOVED TO A NEW FORWARD BASE ON GREEN ISLAND, BETWEEN BOUGAINVILLE IN THE SOLOMONS AND NEW IRELAND IN THE BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO, ON MARCH 10, 1944. FROM THEIR BASE ON GREEN ISLAND, HIS BOAT PATROLLED NORTHERN BOUGAINVILLE, AND BUKA IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS; AND NEW BRITAIN AND NEW IRELAND IN THE BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO, TO INTERDICT ENEMY SHIPPING, GATHER INTELLIGENCE, AND HARASS JAPANESE FORCES ASHORE WITH WEAPONS FIRE. PATROLS OFF NEW BRITAIN POSED THE CONTINUAL THREAT OF ENEMY AIR ATTACK AND HIS BOAT WAS ATTACKED SEVERAL TIMES WITH NEAR MISSES BUT NEVER HIT. DURING AN ATTEMPTED NIGHT RUN THROUGH THE NARROW BUKA PASSAGE, HIS BOAT WAS TAKEN UNDER FIRE BY JAPANESE SHORE BATTERIES, AND WHILE TRYING TO SPEED AWAY, EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FAILURE. WITH SHELLS EXPLODING ALL AROUND THEM, THE USE OF THE BOAT’S SMOKE GENERATOR HID THEM FROM VIEW UNTIL THE ENGINE COULD BE RESTARTED AND THEY ZIG-ZAGGED OUT OF HARM’S WAY. ABOUT MAY 15, 1944, HIS BOAT WAS REASSIGNED TO MTB SQUADRON 23, ALSO LOCATED ON GREEN ISLAND. AROUND NOVEMBER 1, 1944, HE AND HIS CREW WERE RELIEVED OF DUTIES AND ORDERED BACK TO THE UNITED STATES FOR REST AND REHABILITATION LEAVE. HE WAS REASSIGNED TO THE PT TRAINING STATION AT MELVILLE, RHODE ISLAND. HE HITCHED A RIDE ON A B-25 ‘MITCHELL’ BOMBER TO THE ADMIRALTY ISLANDS AND THEN ON AN AMERICAN ESCORT AIRCRAFT CARRIER; MADE A STOP AT PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII AND ARRIVED AT THE NAVY PIER AT OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA ON DECEMBER 13, 1944. AFTER REPORTING TO MELVILLE, HE WAS SENT TO THE NAVY RECEIVING STATION IN THE FARGO BUILDING, IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. AWARDED THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 2 BRONZE SERVICE STARS, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED WITH THE RATE OF QUARTERMASTER FIRST CLASS AND ISSUED THE WWII HONORABLE DISCHARGE LAPEL PIN.