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PT 509: The Last Patrol, by John Ovenden and Paul Haslam
PT 509: The Last Patrol, by John Ovenden and Paul Haslam
PT509: The Last Patrol chronicles the story of the US motor torpedo boats which harassed enemy fleets around the German-occupied Channel Islands in WWII, and of one particular boat which engaged in a heroic action.
The diving twist to the tale comes with the nostalgic visit to the Channel Islands of an MTB squadron veteran.
Shelton Bosley, now 77, was not aboard PT509, but knew the men who were. Bosley dives the remains of the attack craft which, 56 years earlier, had failed to score torpedo hits on a German convoy in poor visibility and elected to close in and use its guns.
After a vicious gunfight the 24m, wood-built PT509 ended up colliding with one of the ships, catching fire and sinking with the loss of 16 crew.
Bosley was tracked down by Jersey diver, wreck-researcher and producer of the video John Ovenden. The veteran was flown over for his 'awesome' dive in some 18m of water, close to Jersey's south-west cliffs.
'It's more than I expected,' a clearly moved Bosley says to camera. He is also shown ruefully inspecting machinery and shot-up metalwork raised and now on display at Jersey Maritime Museum, which is run by the local diver who first located the wreck.
Much of the video is concerned with the history of the affair, and the human side of the loss. It is professionally constructed and includes extensive MTB and German-occupation archive footage, and interviews with US and German veterans. The underwater footage of Bosley's dive is brief, if only because there is not a lot left of PT509 except for three enormous engines, a deck gun and a host of smaller metal items.
Judged purely on its limited diving content, the video might prove disappointing. If you are interested in the history of the MTBs, it comes together as a rewarding whole.
Paul Fenner
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PT 509: The Last Patrol, by John Ovenden and Paul Haslam (Underwater Video Services 01534 484599). VHS, 57min, £9.95
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