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Local author puts his passion for PTs in print |
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This photograph is one of more than 800 that Feeding Hills resident Frank J. Andruss has collected of PT boats and the workers that built them. Andruss' love of the unique war-time vessels has led to his authoring of "Building the PT Boats," now available through Nimble Books.
Reminder Publications submitted image
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By Amanda Lemon
Staff Intern
AGAWAM Frank J. Andruss Sr. is a man with a passion.
"Besides my family, PT [Patrol Torpedo] boats are the single most important thing in my life," he said. Now Andruss has put that dedication to good use.
The lifelong Feeding Hills resident and long-time PT boat enthusiast has just completed his first book on the subject. "Building the PT Boats" is a pictorial homage to the men and women responsible for the construction of over 700 PT boats used in World War II.
Andruss spent more than two years completing research, which would lay the foundation for his book, after amassing a collection of over 800 photographs of workers and the boats they created. The piece is the first of its kind, with no other PT boat literature focusing solely on the workers responsible for creating the crafts.
"Frank has put together a wonderful look into the everyday life of the common worker as they went to work each day," Fred Zimmerman, publisher of Nimble Books, said.
Fifty-two-year-old Andruss developed his love for PT boats at the age of 10 after seeing the film "PT-109," which depicted the sinking of the boat under the command of President John F. Kennedy and the ensuing six-day fight for survival. A uniform from PT-109 crew member Gerard Zinger is one of the many highlights of Andruss' extensive personal collection.
Also featured in the collection of artifacts are a number of personal items belonging to Medal of Honor winner Lt. John D. Bulkeley and several uniforms worn by the workers who built the PT boats. These are the only known uniforms in existence from ELCO, the company responsible for producing the majority of the boats used during the war.
Andruss' personal collection is arguably the largest private accumulation of artifacts in the country. The collection has been on display in several exhibits across Western Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. "I never realized I'd meet the people I have or acquire the collection of rare artifacts that I now own or put [in] the exhibits that I've been a part of," he said.
"Building the PT Boats," published by Nimble Books, is available through online vendors.
Andruss will appear at the Navy War College Museum in Newport, R.I., for his first book signing. The appearance will be accompanied by a lecture to the Navy classmen who attend the college.
For further information, contact Andruss at mosquitofleet@comcast.net.
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