Maritime Preservation & Training Foundation, Ltd.

Maritime Preservation & Training Foundation, Ltd. Preserving PTF-26, last of 841 PT boats built by US Navy, now operating as a training vessel on the Ohio River. https://museumships.us/ptboat/ptf-26

Associate Member - Historic Naval Ships Association, Inc.

Sharing random shots of PTF-26 during its remarkable 58 years of service. Enjoy!
05/10/2026

Sharing random shots of PTF-26 during its remarkable 58 years of service. Enjoy!

10/07/2025

MPTF’s new name reflects the foundation’s updated mission and purpose.

BAYOU LA BATRE, AL - Under the watchful eye of SBU-22 veteran David Rawls, PTF-26 has undergone a process involving disa...
09/08/2025

BAYOU LA BATRE, AL - Under the watchful eye of SBU-22 veteran David Rawls, PTF-26 has undergone a process involving disassembly, testing, surface decontamination, restoration, repair, etc.
The bottom line is that PTF-26 will emerge from her time at Steiner Shipyard in the best condition she has been in forty years or so. Well done, David and crew.

YES, PTF-26 NEEDS YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT now more than ever. Many people have told us how excited and inspired they are ...
08/18/2025

YES, PTF-26 NEEDS YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT now more than ever. Many people have told us how excited and inspired they are to see PTF-26 in operation and now undergoing a major overhaul at Steiner Shipyard in Bayou La Batre, AL. We are too. But the fact is that this process isn’t cheap and we have virtually no external sources of income at present. We are reliant on volunteer labor supplied by veterans and naval history buffs and the sacrificial contributions made by a few retired veterans (drawn from pensions and/or retirement savings).
We could finish PTF-26’s rehab with an additional $25,000. We have enough on hand to accomplish the majority of the work on the propellers, shafts, seals and starboard engine retooling (it’s a little complicated). With an infusion of fresh funds between now and Sept. 10 we can also properly remove a dozen years of growth and corrosion, prep and prime the hull and protect the hull in prime fashion with a modern anti-foul protective bottom paint. It’s clear PTF-26 needs it. What is not clear is whether or not we can pay for it before PTF-26 goes back in the water. Wouldn’t you like to be the one who made it possible now, rather than sometime later? Please consider making a generous donation to MPTF today (via the QR if you prefer). Thank you!

BECAUSE YOU ASKED FOR THEM here are more snapshots from the “Blast Furnace” record heatwave transit of the Tenn-Tom Wate...
08/13/2025

BECAUSE YOU ASKED FOR THEM here are more snapshots from the “Blast Furnace” record heatwave transit of the Tenn-Tom Waterway by CAPT Gary Fischmann and his intrepid crew. Thank goodness (and Professor Bill Coscarelli) for the major upgrade in shipboard AC systems, especially in forward berthing (now known as “the meat locker”). No, the AC doesn’t extend to the engine room but we’d like to make the control room and charthouse (CIC) more tolerable. PTF-26 is currently at Steiner Shipyard in Bayou La Batre, LA and will be “on the hard” through Labor Day at a minimum. She will have work done on shaft seals and propellers, and we hope to get her bottom scraped and anti-fouled before she gets back in the water.

08/10/2025

Sincere thanks to the hardworking transit team who safely guided PTF-26 from downtown Mobile to Bayou La Batre’s Steiner Shipyard for a long overdue and much needed haul out. Hand salute to Navy veterans David Rawls, Jeff Richards, Mike Klapka and Coast Guard vet Dave Woods.

It’s good to have friends…
08/06/2025

It’s good to have friends…

08/05/2025

PTF-26 arrives in Mobile, AL after a six day transit of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. After a drydock period, PTF-26 will be on display at GulfQuest National Maritime Museum in downtown Mobile through Fall 2025.

“ESSAYONS!” A full-throated shout out to our colleagues and battle buddies of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is a...
07/30/2025

“ESSAYONS!” A full-throated shout out to our colleagues and battle buddies of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is a distinct honor to witness firsthand the hard work of your skilled and dedicated professionals. Thank you for your service and obvious enthusiasm for PTF-26, now in its second half century of service to our country.

PTF-26 made a brief stop at Paducah to take on provisions, install an air conditioning unit and offload retrograde (tras...
07/27/2025

PTF-26 made a brief stop at Paducah to take on provisions, install an air conditioning unit and offload retrograde (trash & recyclables). Sunday morning CAPT Gary Fischmann and five veteran crewmembers headed up the Tennessee River. PTF-26 is en route to a Mobile shipyard willing to drydock the historic naval vessel.

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220 Fountain Avenue
Golconda, IL
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