PT 109 : an American epic of war, survival, and the destiny of John F. Kennedy

A thrilling, moment-by-moment account of one of the most famous events of World War II—the sinking of PT-109 and John F. Kennedy's heroic actions that saved his crew—and a fascinating examination of how that extraordinary episode shaped the future president's life. At 2:00 a.m. on the moonless night of August 2, 1943, U.S. Patrol Torpedo boat PT-109, captained by Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, was struck by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri near the Solomon Islands. The American ship was cleaved in two and rocked by an explosion; two crew members died instantly; the remaining eleven survivors clung to the sinking wreckage, adrift in enemy waters. Despite injuring his back, Lt. Kennedy—towing a severely burned sailor by the strap of a life jacket—led his battered and exhausted men on a harrowing three-and-a-half mile swim to a tiny uninhabited island. Desperate for food and water, Kennedy set off on a solo reconnaissance mission, scouting two larger... In The Early Morning Darkness Of August 2, 1943, During A Chaotic Nighttime Skirmish Amid The Solomon Islands, The Japanese Destroyer Amagiri Barreled Through Thick Fog And Struck The U.s. Navy's Motor Torpedo Boat Pt 109, Splitting The Craft Nearly In Half And Killing Two American Sailors Instantly. The Sea Erupted In Flames As The 109's Skipper, John F. Kennedy, And The Ten Surviving Crewmen Under His Command Desperately Clung To The Sinking Wreckage; 1,200 Feet Of Ink-black, Shark-infested Water Loomed Beneath. 'all Hands Lost,' Came The Reports Back To The Americans' Base: No Rescue Was Coming For The Men Of Pt 109. Their Desperate Ordeal Was Just Beginning--so Too Was One Of The Most Remarkable Tales Of World War Ii, One Whose Astonishing Afterlife Would Culminate Two Decades Later In The White House. Drawing On Original Interviews With The Last Living Links To The Events, Previously Untapped Japanese Wartime Archives, And A Wealth Of Archival Documents From The Kennedy Library, Including A Lost First-hand Account By Jfk Himself, Bestselling Author William Doyle Has Crafted A Thrilling And Definitive Account Of The Sinking Of Pt 109 And Its Shipwrecked Crew's Heroics. Equally Fascinating Is The Story's Second Act, In Which Doyle Explores In New Detail How This Extraordinary Episode Shaped Kennedy's Character And Fate, Proving Instrumental To Achieving His Presidential Ambitions: 'without Pt 109, There Never Would Have Been A President John F. Kennedy,' Declared Jfk Aide David Powers.--book Jacket. Prologue: Samurai In The Mist -- Give Me A Fast Ship -- Summit Meeting On Fifth Avenue -- Into The Labyrinth -- The Front Line -- The Raid -- The Battle Of Blackett Strait -- Lost At Sea -- Land Of The Dead -- The Hand Of Fate -- The Rescue -- Life And Death At The Warrior River -- The Winged Chariot -- Mission To Tokyo -- The Greatest Actor Of Our Time. William Doyle. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In the early morning darkness of August 2, 1943, during a chaotic nighttime skirmish amid the Solomon Islands, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri barreled through thick fog and struck the U.S. Navy's motor torpedo boat PT 109, splitting the craft nearly in half and killing two American sailors instantly. The sea erupted in flames as the 109's skipper, John F. Kennedy, and the ten surviving crewmen under his command desperately clung to the sinking wreckage; 1,200 feet of ink-black, shark-infested water loomed beneath. 'All hands lost, ' came the reports back to the Americans' base: no rescue was coming for the men of PT 109. Their desperate ordeal was just beginning -- so too was one of the most remarkable tales of World War II, one whose astonishing afterlife would culminate two decades later in the White House. Drawing on original interviews with the last living links to the events, previously untapped Japanese wartime archives, and a wealth of archival documents from the Kennedy Library, including a lost first-hand account by JFK himself, William Doyle has crafted a definitive account of the sinking of PT 109 and its shipwrecked crew's heroics. In the story's second act, Doyle explores in new detail how this extraordinary episode shaped Kennedy's character and fate, proving instrumental to achieving his presidential ambitions: 'Without PT 109, there never would have been a President John F. Kennedy, ' declared JFK aide David Powers