U.S. Navy Lieutenant John F. Kennedy commanded PT-109 in the Solomon Islands during World War II and his boat was attacked by a Japanese destroyer on this day in history, August 2, 1943.
Kennedy's PT-109, a fast but small patrol torpedo boat, was torn apart in a sudden collision in the South Pacific.
It exploded and sank in the early morning darkness.
Kennedy bravely answered. He swam miles across the open ocean from one remote island to another to save his crew, pulling his one injured man through the sea with his belt clenched in his teeth. .
This event had ripple effects in his career and in world history.
The story of his incredible rescue efforts in World War II is " following Kennedy into politics, and his leadership." provided a strong foundation for the appeal of the JFK Presidential Libraries and Museums case.
Two of Kennedy's crew of twelve were never found. They were presumed killed instantly during the clash.
All ten of his remaining men survived. Historians credit Kennedy for his calm and quick reactions, and for his strength and endurance as a swimmer, despite severe physical limitations that initially prevented him from participating in the war.
Several men were injured and filled with fuel. Some people felt sick after swallowing the fuelwater. Still, Kennedy led the survivors to swim to the nearest island, 3.5 miles away, relying solely on his two wooden planks salvaged from the
wreck. In 2009, a healthy man helped the wounded.
Engineer Patrick McMahon was badly burned in the explosion of PT-109.
Kennedy had McMahon in tow all the way by hand and teeth. did,” reports the JFK Library.
Kennedy fell when he reached a small island called Plum He Pudding, later renamed Kennedy Island. The rest of the crew also landed.
Their ordeal is just beginning.
Kennedy swam and explored the surrounding islands again, moving troops as needed. At the same time, it fended off Japanese patrols and hazards in the Pacific. }.
Finally, he met two of his sympathetic natives on one of his islands, and enlisted their help to carve a message into a coconut.
"11 ALIVE NEED SMALL BOAT … KENNEDY" read part of his short message.
The islanders who left the island by canoe miraculously passed the message written on the coconut into the hands of the Allied patrol.
Kennedy and crew The crew were rescued by PT-157 and PT-171 on 8 August, six days after the boat was torn from below.
Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the highest non-combat honor, for his gallantry in the Navy, and for injuries sustained during his ordeal. Purple was awarded his heart.
Major American media covered his story. The nation learned that Kennedy was initially declared physically unfit for military service due to a severe back injury he sustained while playing football at Harvard University. {67
However, he used the connections of his wealthy father, Joseph Kennedy (including Captain Alan Kirk, Chief of Naval Intelligence), to leave the red tape and join the Navy..
" PT-109 's survival story permeated popular culture and became perhaps Kennedy's greatest political asset," National Geographic reported. reported in 2002. -109.
The torpedo tubes and other wreckage were discovered 1,200 feet below sea level by the same explorer Robert Ballard who discovered the wreckage of the Titanic.
Kennedy's heroism proved him one of the formative events of his life.
"President Kennedy carried a PT-109 float at his inaugural parade, handed out his 109 tie pins to visitors, and had a permanent display of medals. 'National's Geographic wrote after discovering the wreckage.
"On his desk in the Oval Office lay the most important coconut in the world, lacquered and almost illegible."
