A 48-star 34″x52″ flag, log and pictures from “Coral Queen/Coral Princess,” officially known as PT-520, a PTRon 35 80′ Elco that served in Europe during WWII is up for auction next week at Cowans.
The flag was used by PT-520 until August 25 1944 when the radio mast it was affixed to was shot away by a German shell and was preserved by a coxswain. According to Navsource, PT-50 was transferred to the Russkis in April 1945 and later scuttled in the Barents in 1956– but the flag and log remain.
Serving in the European Theater of World War Two from June to November 1944, PT-520 participated in numerous actions against German sea and air forces in the English Channel and coast of France. This flag was present during its participation in Operation Overlord, where it was assigned to the “Mason Line”, a net of defensive measures on the western flank of the invasion preventing the attack of German ships. PT-520 was stationed two to three miles from Omaha and Utah areas, sweeping for mines and performing search and rescue operations. After the success of the invasion, PT-520 continued to operate along the French coast, rescuing downed pilots, fending off aerial raids and engaging German minesweepers and fast attack craft. The log states that during its operational career, the vessel sunk two R-Boats, two E-Boats, and one “T.L.C.”
