The Sinking Of Pt 109

Author : William Doyle
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 292 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2015-10-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9780062346605

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PT 109 by William Doyle Pdf

The extraordinary World War II story of shipwreck and survival that paved John F. Kennedy's path to power – hailed as a “breathtaking account” by James Patterson, “masterfully written” by historian Douglas Brinkley, and “the finest book” ever written on the subject by Lt. Commander William Liebenow, the man who rescued JFK and the PT 109 crew in August 1943. 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. Featuring castaways on a deserted island, a spy network of Solomon Island natives, an Australian coast watcher hidden on the side of a volcano, an S.O.S. note carved into a coconut, and a daring rescue attempt led by Kennedy's fellow American PT boats, PT 109 is an unforgettable American epic of war and destiny.

Author : Robert J. Donovan
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 164 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 1963
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II by Robert J. Donovan Pdf

Author : Charles River Charles River Editors,Charles River
Publisher : CreateSpace
Page : 48 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2015-01-14
Category : History
ISBN : 1507551045

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The Sinking of Pt-109 by Charles River Charles River Editors,Charles River Pdf

*Includes pictures *Includes quotes from Kennedy and the crew about PT-109 *Includes footnotes and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "There's nothing in the book about a situation like this. A lot of you have families and some of you have children. What do you want to do? I have nothing to lose." - John F. Kennedy after the collision with a Japanese destroyer On the night of August 1, 1943 and in the early morning hours of the next day, one of America's many patrol torpedo boats in the Pacific, PT-109 and her crew of 12 men, was performing its usual role in the Pacific Islands: a night patrol of the Blackett Strait in search of enemy convoys transporting large numbers of Japanese troops to southern Guadalcanal and other strategic locations. However, on this dark, moonless night, PT-109, with its engines idling to avoid creating wake, was severed in two by a collision with a Japanese destroyer, the Amagiri. With only seconds to respond after sighting the destroyer, the crew was unable to get the boat out of the Japanese destroyer's path, and it's unclear whether the Japanese destroyer even knew the other boat was there. While the destroyer suffered minimal damage, two crew members on PT-109 were instantly killed, and the other 10 who initially survived would have to struggle for their lives. In many ways, what happened following the collision is remembered better than the actual sinking, in part because the survivors' tale was so harrowing, and their survival was marked by their own bravery. Though the role and effectiveness of PT Boats continues to be a topic of debate, the crew's survival is a story of undisputed valor and providence. Of course, the story's association with a future president never hurts, and like so much of John F. Kennedy's life, the PT-109 incident is controversial. Kennedy survived the attack and famously saved nearly a dozen of his crew, one of whom he saved by swimming for several miles while clenching the crew member's lifejacket with his teeth. A member of the swim team at Harvard, Kennedy also did the bulk of the swimming when looking for food after the survivors reached a deserted island. For this, Kennedy ultimately received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, but in the process, he suffered a back injury that would trouble him for the rest of his life. After recovering, Kennedy re-enlisted in the Navy and served on PT-59 until he was honorably discharged in 1945, just before Japan's surrender and the end of the War. Kennedy received numerous military awards, among them a Purple Heart and a World War II Victory Metal, and though he was not yet president and perhaps only held that ambition in the back of his mind, Kennedy had already seen more combat than most presidents. Naturally, his future political career would benefit from his service, but given that he was in charge of the crew at the time of PT-109's sinking, critics and detractors have pointed to it and try to pin the blame on him. The Sinking of PT-109 chronicles the famous and controversial incident that made Kennedy a hero during World War II. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about PT-109 like never before, in no time at all.

Author : Richard Tregaskis
Publisher : Open Road Media
Page : 104 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2016-11-15
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781504040037

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John F. Kennedy and PT-109 by Richard Tregaskis Pdf

From the bestselling author of Guadalcanal Diary: The thrilling true story of the future president’s astonishing act of heroism during World War II. In the early morning hours of August 2, 1943, US Navy motor torpedo boat PT-109 patrolled the still, black waters of Blackett Strait in the Solomon Islands. Suddenly, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri loomed out of the darkness, bearing directly down on the smaller ship. There was no time to get out of the way—the destroyer crashed into PT-109, slicing the mosquito boat in two and setting the shark-infested waters aflame with burning gasoline. Ten surviving crewmembers and their young skipper clung to the wreckage, their odds of survival growing slimmer by the instant. Lt. John F. Kennedy’s first command was an unqualified disaster. Yet over the next three days, the privileged son of a Boston multimillionaire displayed extraordinary courage, stamina, and leadership as he risked his life to shepherd his crew to safety and coordinate a daring rescue mission deep in enemy territory. Lieutenant Kennedy earned a Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart, and the story of PT-109 captured the public’s imagination and helped propel the battle-tested veteran all the way to the White House. Acclaimed war correspondent Richard Tregaskis—who once beat out the future president for a spot on the Harvard University swim team—brings this remarkable chapter in American history to vivid life in John F. Kennedy and PT-109. From the crucial role torpedo boats played in the fight for the Solomon Islands to Kennedy’s eager return to the front lines at the helm of PT-59, Tregaskis tells the full story of this legendary incident with the same riveting style and meticulous attention to detail he brought to Guadalcanal Diary and Invasion Diary. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Richard Tregaskis including rare images from the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming.

Author : John J. Domagalski
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 429 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2014-04-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781612002354

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Into the Dark Water by John J. Domagalski Pdf

The complete World War II record of one of the most celebrated warships in American history—made famous by her final commanding officer, John F. Kennedy. Fleshing out the little-known chronicle of this patrol torpedo boat under two officers during the swirling battles around Guadalcanal, “John Domagalski brings PT-109 and her crew back to life once again and, in doing so, honors all who served in the patrol torpedo service” (Military Review). In these mainly nocturnal fights, when the Japanese navy was at its apex, America’s small, fast-boat flotillas darted in among the enemy fleet, like a “barroom brawl with the lights turned out.” Bryant Larson and Rollin Westholm preceded Kennedy as commanders of PT-109, and their fights leading the ship and its brave crew hold second to none in the chronicles of US Navy daring. As the battles moved on across the Pacific, the PT-boat flotillas gained confidence, even as the Japanese, too, learned lessons on how to destroy them. Under its third and final commander, Kennedy, PT-109 met its fate as a Japanese destroyer suddenly emerged from a dark mist and rammed it in half. Two crewmen were killed immediately, but Kennedy, formerly on the swim team at Harvard, was able to shepherd his wounded and others to refuge. His unsurpassed gallantry cannot resist retelling, yet the courage of the book’s previous commanders have not until now seen the light of day. This book provides the complete record of PT-109 in the Pacific, as well as a valuable glimpse of how the American Navy’s daring and initiative found its full playing field in World War II.

Author : Curtis L. Nelson
Publisher : Potomac Books
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : History
ISBN : 1574881671

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Hunters in the Shallows by Curtis L. Nelson Pdf

Hunters in the Shallows is the first book to examine the development and role of the small torpedo boat in U.S. naval history, from William Cushing's heroic attack on the Confederate ram Albemarle in 1864, to PT operations in World War II. Moreover, it offers the first critical analysis of the PT's operational value. Culled from primary sources, this myth-buster covers the inside story of the scandalous 1939 Elco deal, offers new insight into the roles of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Douglas MacArthur in PT development, dares a shocking reappraisal of MacArthur's dramatic escape from Corregidor by PT boat in 1942, and reassesses the sinking of John F. Kennedy's PT-109. It also contains numerous photos and illustrations tracing American small torpedo boat development from the Civil War through World War II. Sure to be controversial, Hunters in the Shallows is a must read for naval professionals, military historians, and PT boat buffs alike.

Author : Robert J. Donovan
Publisher : International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : WISC:89073158420

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PT 109 by Robert J. Donovan Pdf

A timeless tale of heroism now available to a new generation of readers. This is the story of Kennedy's courage and bravery during an attack on his boat during World War II. 51 photos.

Author : James W. Graham
Publisher : ForeEdge
Page : 293 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2014-04-01
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781611684117

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Victura by James W. Graham Pdf

To truly understand the dynamics and magic of the Kennedy family, one must understand their passion for sailing and the sea. Many families sail together, but the Kennedys' relationship with Victura, the 25-foot sloop purchased in 1932, stands apart. Throughout their brief lives, Joe Jr., Jack, and Bobby spent many hours racing Victura. Lack of effort in a race by one of his sons could infuriate Joseph P. Kennedy, and Joe Jr. and Jack ranked among the best collegiate sailors in New England. Likewise, Eunice emerged as a gifted sailor and fierce competitor, the equal of any of her brothers. The Kennedys believed that Jack's experience sailing Victura helped him survive the sinking of his PT boat during World War II. In the 1950s, glossy Life magazine photos of Jack and Jackie on Victura's bow helped define the winning Kennedy brand. Jack doodled sketches of Victura during Oval Office meetings, and it's probable that his love of seafaring played a role in his 1961 decision to put a man on the moon, an enterprise he referred to as "spacefaring." Ted loved Victura as much as any of his siblings did and, with his own children and the children of his lost brothers as crew, he sailed into his old age: past the shoals of an ebbing career, and into his eventual role as the "Lion of the Senate." In Victura, James W. Graham charts the progress of America's signature twentieth-century family dynasty in a narrative both stunningly original and deeply gripping. This true tale of one small sailboat is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the great story of the Kennedys.

Author : David M. Levy,Gerald A. Meehl
Publisher : AuthorHouse
Page : 138 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Torpedo-boats
ISBN : 9781438900186

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Fast Boats and Fast Times by David M. Levy,Gerald A. Meehl Pdf

In the gruesome battle for Guadalcanal, David Levy was skipper of PT 59, one of several Patrol/Torpedo boats that were among the first U.S. Navy vessels to engage Japanese warships at the beginning of World War II. Dave's wartime experiences in the South Pacific marked one of the most transformative periods in his life. In the Navy he quickly learned to assume a "deal-maker" persona that helped him get along with fellow PT boat skippers, many of whom, like future president John F. Kennedy, came from privileged East Coast families. He got to be known in the Navy by the nickname "Hogan," famous as "the guy to go to," who could get things done, organize parties well-stocked with liquor and women, obtain supplies when none seemed available, and, in those early, desperate days of the battle for Guadalcanal, also perform in the top ranks of competent PT boat skippers. The PT boats were small, maneuverable, and fast, and they were given the seemingly impossible mission of regularly engaging and sinking the much larger and more numerous destroyers, cruisers, and battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Dave's PT 59 was in the thick of all the action. These brave PT boat skippers, many of whom were graduates of Ivy League colleges or the U.S. Naval Academy, were a hard-partying group, and their "fast times" during World War II epitomized the intensity with which life was lived by those who, like Dave, were fully engaged in the deadly struggles of the Pacific War. Dave's wartime experiences shaped the rest of his life, a long journey that has included a successful law career, annual ski trips to his vacation home in Aspen since the early 1950s, and fishing all over the world.

Author : Bureau Of Ships
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 50 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2010-04
Category : Transportation
ISBN : 1935700170

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Know Your PT Boat by Bureau Of Ships Pdf

The exploits of the U.S. Navy's 'Patrol Torpedo' or PT Boat crews became famous during WWII. Known by the Japanese as "devil boats," the little PTs landed big blows on the enemy, sinking numerous ships and supply barges. They also laid mines, carried out intelligence operations, and performed search and rescue operations among other tasks. While the most famous boat of the war was PT-109, commanded by future President John F. Kennedy, PT-73 also gained fame as the star of the TV show McHale's Navy starring Ernest Borgnine. Originally created in 1945 by the Bureau of Ships, "Know Your PT Boat" was intended to educate the crews of motor torpedo boats about all aspects of PT operation and maintenance in the field. Filled with advice drawn from the battle-tested crews of the "mosquito fleet," and featuring hilarious (and sometimes impolite) cartoon illustrations, it's sometimes hard to believe this booklet was an official U.S. Navy publication. This softcover reprint features the original book in its entirety.

Author : John J. Domagalski
Publisher : Casemate
Page : 523 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2016-11-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781612004099

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Under a Blood Red Sun by John J. Domagalski Pdf

The author of Into the Dark Water “balances scholarly research with accessible storytelling” to tell the heroic WWII account of Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 (Midwest Book Review). During the opening days of World War II in the Pacific, a small group of American sailors in the Philippines were propelled into the forefront of the fighting against the navy and air power of Imperial Japan. They were manned with six small, wooden PT-boats and led by a courageous, larger-than-life character in Lt. John D. Bulkeley. As America’s defense of the Philippines crumbled under the weight of a massive Japanese assault, the courageous activities of Bulkeley’s Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 made headlines across the United States—often as the only good news coming from the bleak Pacific front. The unit achieved everlasting fame by evacuating Gen. Douglas MacArthur from the front. Then, the squadron continued to fight on until all six of its torpedo boats were lost under fire. The fate of the doomed American defenders was sealed when the Japanese won the battle for the islands in the spring of 1942. The exploits of the unit were immortalized in the blockbuster 1945 movie They Were Expendable, starring John Wayne and Robert Montgomery, but since then, the saga of Bulkeley and his men has slipped into history. Under a Blood Red Sun revives the story of the Philippine PT-boats through the intertwined accounts of Bulkeley and his subordinate officers and men. It is a story of the courage and sacrifice of men thousands of miles from their homeland, representing American gallantry and fighting prowess, giving the Japanese a taste of what was to come their way.

Author : Chris Matthews
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 496 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781451635096

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Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews Pdf

Based on interviews with some of his closest associates, a portrait of the thirty-fifth president discusses his privileged childhood, military service, struggles with a life-threatening disease, and career in politics.

Author : Robert P. Gelzheiser
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2019-09-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9781476662640

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PT Boat Odyssey by Robert P. Gelzheiser Pdf

“Nicely illustrated with black-and-white historical photos…extraordinary…impressively informative…. Expertly organized and presented…recommended”—Midwest Book Review During the Pacific War between the United States and Imperial Japanese navies, the author's father, Francis Gelzheiser, deployed with Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 16A, from New Orleans to Panama to Seattle and to Attu Island in the Aleutians. After their return voyage, the PT boats journeyed to New Guinea, then battled Japanese kamikazes for the Philippine Island of Mindoro. Like many World War II veterans, Gelzheiser only shared his recollections of combat later in life. The author chronicles his father's experience, details the roles PT boats played in the war and examines why, despite America's overwhelming wartime manufacturing capacity, the Japanese believed they could still win the war.

Author : James W. Douglass
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 562 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2010-10-19
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781439193884

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JFK and the Unspeakable by James W. Douglass Pdf

THE ACCLAIMED BOOK, NOW IN PAPERBACK, with a reading group guide and a new afterword by the author. At the height of the Cold War, JFK risked committing the greatest crime in human history: starting a nuclear war. Horrified by the specter of nuclear annihilation, Kennedy gradually turned away from his long-held Cold Warrior beliefs and toward a policy of lasting peace. But to the military and intelligence agencies in the United States, who were committed to winning the Cold War at any cost, Kennedy’s change of heart was a direct threat to their power and influence. Once these dark "Unspeakable" forces recognized that Kennedy’s interests were in direct opposition to their own, they tagged him as a dangerous traitor, plotted his assassination, and orchestrated the subsequent cover-up. Douglass takes readers into the Oval Office during the tense days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, along on the strange journey of Lee Harvey Oswald and his shadowy handlers, and to the winding road in Dallas where an ambush awaited the President’s motorcade. As Douglass convincingly documents, at every step along the way these forces of the Unspeakable were present, moving people like pawns on a chessboard to promote a dangerous and deadly agenda.

Author : Walter Lord
Publisher : Open Road Media
Page : 428 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2012-03-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9781453238493

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Lonely Vigil by Walter Lord Pdf

From the bestselling author of Day of Infamy: In the bloodiest island combat of WWII, one group of men kept watch from behind Japanese lines. The Solomon Islands was where the Allied war machine finally broke the Japanese empire. As pilots, marines, and sailors fought for supremacy in Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and the Slot, a lonely group of radio operators occupied the Solomon Islands’ highest points. Sometimes encamped in comfort, sometimes exposed to the elements, these coastwatchers kept lookout for squadrons of Japanese bombers headed for Allied positions, holding their own positions even when enemy troops swarmed all around. They were Australian-born but Solomon-raised, and adept at survival in the unforgiving jungle environment. Through daring and insight, they stayed one step ahead of the Japanese, often sacrificing themselves to give advance warning of an attack. In Lonely Vigil, Walter Lord, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of A Night to Remember and The Miracle of Dunkirk, tells of the survivors of the campaign and what they risked to win the war in the Pacific.