PT-658 was intended for Lend-Lease transfer to the Soviet Union but was completed too late for wartime delivery. Its factory armament already went far beyond four Mark 13 torpedoes: it included 40 mm and 37 mm cannon, two 20 mm Oerlikons, twin .50-calibre mounts, depth charges, and sixteen five-inch rockets. A 60 mm illumination mortar, small arms, and a smoke generator further expanded what its sixteen-person crew could do. This late-war Higgins PT boat left the factory configured for gunfire, rockets, reconnaissance support, and close coastal combat before any crew improvisation. Its standard weapons fit makes the evolution from motor torpedo boat to motor gunboat visible in one surviving craft.
Notable Point · 43:02-46:10
PT-658 left the factory as a heavily armed gunboat
PT-658's standard fit combined torpedoes with 40 mm, 37 mm, and 20 mm cannon, heavy machine guns, depth charges, rockets, and an illumination mortar.