PT-109 was an 80-foot (24 m) Elco PT boat (patrol torpedo boat) last commanded by Lieutenant (junior grade) John F. Kennedy, future United States president, in the Solomon Islands campaign of the Pacific theater during World War II.

Feb 22, 2011 · JFK's PT-109 famously collided with a Japanese ship in World War II—and it sent the future president on a quest to get even for the loss of two men.

The film was based on the book PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II, by Robert J. Donovan. Like most Hollywood films, it took some liberties with facts, such as Kennedy’s boat being reported as missing and a search initiated immediately.

On August 2, 1943, PT 109 was struck by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri and the entire crew was thrown into the Pacific. After fifteen hours at sea, eleven survivors made it to a nearby island with Kennedy towing one injured crew member to land.

Dec 3, 2018 · In a harrowing ordeal, JFK helped ensure the survival of his men, taking actions that would earn him a Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart in World War II.

The story of John F. Kennedy’s World War II exploits are well known, but the rest of his time in the U.S. Navy has not received much attention.

Jul 11, 2002 · Experts from the U.S. Navy recently confirmed the May 2002 find is most likely the World War II patrol boat. PT-109 sank in the Solomon Islands when a Japanese destroyer sliced through it,...

Aug 5, 2021 · On the moonless, starless night of Aug. 1, 1943, PT-109 was one of 15 patrol torpedo boats in the Blackett Strait, south of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands. While PT-109 ran silent to avoid...

Feb 8, 2011 · With virtually no warning, a Japanese destroyer emerged from the black night and smashed into PT-109, slicing it in two and igniting its fuel tanks. The most famous collision in U.S. Navy history occurred at about 2:30 a.m. on August 2, 1943, a hot, moonless night in the Pacific.

Feb 14, 2025 · In the spirit of it all, let’s recall the story of the real PT-109, the little torpedo boat whose star-crossed fate made a war hero out of JFK, and eventually helped propel him into the...