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PT boat that saw WWII combat restored, back in Louisiana

Associated Press
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CORRECTS BOAT NUMBER TO 305, NOT 105 - Crew members Bob Wade, left, and Dale Casey, raise an American flag during a media ride Thursday, March 16, 2017, on the PT 305 that was restored by the National WWII Museum, on Lake Pontchartrain, where she was originally tested by Higgins Industries more than 70 years ago, in New Orleans. The U.S. Navy PT boat that sank three vessels and saw action in Europe in World War II is back in New Orleans where it was built, what historians describe as the nation's only fully restored combat ship of that type from the era. Its return to water is the culmination of a 10-year restoration project by the museum. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (The Associated Press)

CORRECTS BOAT NUMBER TO 305, NOT 105 - Members of the media sit on a gun turret during a media ride Thursday, March 16, 2017, on the PT 305, which was restored by the National WWII Museum, on Lake Pontchartrain, where she was originally tested by Higgins Industries more than 70 years ago, in New Orleans, Thursday, March 16, 2017. The U.S. Navy PT boat that sank three vessels and saw action in Europe in World War II is back in New Orleans where it was built, what historians describe as the nation's only fully restored combat ship of that type from the era. Its return to water is the culmination of a 10-year restoration project by the museum. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (The Associated Press)

The PT 305, which was restored by the National WWII Museum, cruises with guests of the museum Thursday, March 16, 2017, on Lake Pontchartrain, where she was originally tested by Higgins Industries more than 70 years ago, in New Orleans. The U.S. Navy PT boat that sank three vessels and saw action in Europe in World War II is back in New Orleans where it was built, what historians describe as the nation's only fully restored combat ship of that type from the era. Its return to water is the culmination of a 10-year restoration project by the museum. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (The Associated Press)

A PT boat that sank three vessels in World War II and has since been painstakingly restored is back on a waterway near New Orleans, where it was built and tested.

The National World War II Museum says PT-305 is the nation's only fully restored combat veteran patrol torpedo boat. Its new boathouse holds exhibits about PT boats and the history of the U.S. Navy's famed attack vessel.

Project historian Josh Schick says he's ridden just once aboard the boat as it moved slowly in a marina at Lake Pontchartrain. He's looking forward to his first full ride Thursday.

He says one surviving crewman and one from a sister boat will attend the PT-305's dedication ceremony March 25. It opens April 1 for $15 tours and $350 rides.