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Own a piece of maritime history for $1M
BY JOHN DeSANTIS Citizen Staff
jdesantis@keysnews.com
A World War II-era patrol boat — the
last of its kind still military-rigged —
that in recent years had a berth in Key
West is up for sale in a world-famous
retail catalogue.
Hammacher Schlemmer is offering
the PT-728 for $1 million in its spring
catalogue. The New York-based retailer
is selling the boat as part of a consignment
deal with its Brooklyn, N.Y.,
owner.
“It was an interesting ship. It took
people out on a high-speed run,”
recalled Bill Verge, a former Key West
city commissioner, local military
and Coast Guardsman who had no association with the vessel.
The vessel is owned by former Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Robert Iannucci, now a real estate developer. The boat is berthed near the Hudson River in Kingston, N.Y., about 90 miles north of New York City.
The consignment deal came about as the result of a company buying team's forays, said Trish Hammond, a spokeswoman for Hammacher Schlemmer.
"Our image buyer worked with the vendor in order to secure the item for sale in our catalog," Hammond said.
Hammacher Schlemmer is internationally known as the gift store for the person who has everything. The PT boat appears in the same catalog whose pages feature a killer whale private submarine and the F-117 pilot's watch, along with special neck massagers and electric pumice stones.
PT stands for patrol torpedo. There were more than 80 such boats produced during World War II and the 728 was one of the last. The wood-framed vessel is 71.2 feet long and 18 feet wide, with a gross tonnage of 55 and net tonnage of 15. It has a full depth of 7.3 feet.
The PT-728 did not see active service during WWII, as it was completed in August 1945, near the same time the U.S. ended the war in the Pacific by using nuclear bombs against Japan.
Primarily, the PT boats saw service in the Pacific. Stateside, they did have a training center in Miami but were occasionally seen in the Florida Keys, said Monroe County historian Tom Hambright.
"They used to run here on trial runs," Hambright said.
The vessel cost $800,000 to build, according to published reports on its history. It was armed with twin 50-caliber machine guns, one 20 millimeter gun and four torpedoes.
The Japanese referred to the PT boats as "devil boats."
The most famous PT boat was PT-109, captained by then-Lt. J.G. John F. Kennedy during WWII, who later became president of the U.S. The boat was sunk and Kennedy employed heroic efforts to save his crew members.
The 728 had its day in the sun as well, making a guest appearance on the television show McHale's Navy.
The PT-728 first came to Key West in the early 2000s, then left and returned in 2006.
At the time, Iannucci said he had always wanted to own a PT boat. The PT-728 is now one of four that he owns. The other three are not for sale.
In Key West, the vessel docked at the historic Singleton Shrimp Dock in front of the Conch Republic Seafood Co.
The daily tours consisted of an educational narrative by crew members wearing WWII-era uniforms, along with a "full speed simulated torpedo run" that required the 49 passengers to don helmets and man battle stations.
Own a piece of maritime history for $1M
BY JOHN DeSANTIS Citizen Staff
jdesantis@keysnews.com
A World War II-era patrol boat — the
last of its kind still military-rigged —
that in recent years had a berth in Key
West is up for sale in a world-famous
retail catalogue.
Hammacher Schlemmer is offering
the PT-728 for $1 million in its spring
catalogue. The New York-based retailer
is selling the boat as part of a consignment
deal with its Brooklyn, N.Y.,
owner.
“It was an interesting ship. It took
people out on a high-speed run,”
recalled Bill Verge, a former Key West
city commissioner, local military
and Coast Guardsman who had no association with the vessel.
The vessel is owned by former Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Robert Iannucci, now a real estate developer. The boat is berthed near the Hudson River in Kingston, N.Y., about 90 miles north of New York City.
The consignment deal came about as the result of a company buying team's forays, said Trish Hammond, a spokeswoman for Hammacher Schlemmer.
"Our image buyer worked with the vendor in order to secure the item for sale in our catalog," Hammond said.
Hammacher Schlemmer is internationally known as the gift store for the person who has everything. The PT boat appears in the same catalog whose pages feature a killer whale private submarine and the F-117 pilot's watch, along with special neck massagers and electric pumice stones.
PT stands for patrol torpedo. There were more than 80 such boats produced during World War II and the 728 was one of the last. The wood-framed vessel is 71.2 feet long and 18 feet wide, with a gross tonnage of 55 and net tonnage of 15. It has a full depth of 7.3 feet.
The PT-728 did not see active service during WWII, as it was completed in August 1945, near the same time the U.S. ended the war in the Pacific by using nuclear bombs against Japan.
Primarily, the PT boats saw service in the Pacific. Stateside, they did have a training center in Miami but were occasionally seen in the Florida Keys, said Monroe County historian Tom Hambright.
"They used to run here on trial runs," Hambright said.
The vessel cost $800,000 to build, according to published reports on its history. It was armed with twin 50-caliber machine guns, one 20 millimeter gun and four torpedoes.
The Japanese referred to the PT boats as "devil boats."
The most famous PT boat was PT-109, captained by then-Lt. J.G. John F. Kennedy during WWII, who later became president of the U.S. The boat was sunk and Kennedy employed heroic efforts to save his crew members.
The 728 had its day in the sun as well, making a guest appearance on the television show McHale's Navy.
The PT-728 first came to Key West in the early 2000s, then left and returned in 2006.
At the time, Iannucci said he had always wanted to own a PT boat. The PT-728 is now one of four that he owns. The other three are not for sale.
In Key West, the vessel docked at the historic Singleton Shrimp Dock in front of the Conch Republic Seafood Co.
The daily tours consisted of an educational narrative by crew members wearing WWII-era uniforms, along with a "full speed simulated torpedo run" that required the 49 passengers to don helmets and man battle stations.
