Thesis: The American Patrol
Torpedo Boats (PT) of World War II had a tremendous impact on the South
Pacific during World War II.
The American PT Boats of World War II had a tremendous impact on the
overall Southern Pacific campaign. The effect PT Boats had on the Japanese has
not been studied as much as other battles of the Southern Pacific. PT Boats
were versatile craft that inflicted psychological and physical damage on the
Japanese by torpedoing enemy surface vessels harassing Japanese shipping. These
multifaceted boats performed various roles. They were experts in reconnaissance,
intelligence gathering, and search and rescue missions for downed pilots.
PT Boats carried a large amount of armament and were swift and agile, as
opposed to their much larger American Warships. They were experts at assaulting
Japanese warships, barges, troop transports, and supply shipping. American PT Boats were credited with
preventing General MacArthur’s capture in the Philippines by covertly helping
him escape through enemy waters. The PT boat Captain Lt. John D.
Bulkeley would later receive the Medal of Honor for his bravery during this
operation. The most famous PT Boat Captain of World War II was Lt J.G. John F.
Kennedy on PT-109. Kennedy’s PT 109 would be preying on Japanese’s shipping in
the “Toyko Express” when his ship was rammed and destroyed by a Japanese
Destroyer. Kennedy would later become the 35th President of The United States.
The exploits and impact PT boats made on the overall objective have not been
studied as frequently as other major surface battles during the same timeframe.
The American PT Boats, though often overlooked, were very successful in the
South Pacific.
Bibliography (in progress)
WEBSITES
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/u-s-navy-pt-boats.html
https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/john-f-kennedy-and-pt-109
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2018/september/fifty-tons-fury-bring-back-patrol-torpedo-boat
https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2003/summer/pt109.html
Pound for pound, these were the deadliest boats of World War II
BOOKS
Ballard, Robert D., and Michael Hamilton Morgan. Collision
with History: The Search for John F. Kennedy’s PT 109. Washington, DC:
National Geographic, 2002.
Bulkley, Robert Johns. At Close Quarters: PT Boats
in the United States Navy. (Washington, DC: Naval History Division)
1962.
Breuer, William Devil Boats: The PT War Against Japan
(Presidio Press, 1995)
Donovan, Robert J. PT109: John F. Kennedy in World
War II. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961.)
Keresey, Dick. “Farthest Forward.” American
Heritage, July/August 1998
W. L. White, They Were Expendable: An American Torpedo
Boat Squadron in the U.S. Retreat from the Philippines (Bluejacket Books,
1998)
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