Reference Entry
RESCUE OF PT-109 SURVIVORS
The night action around the Solomons a year later produced a very different kind of story when Patrol Torpedo boat PT-109, commanded by Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, was rammed and cut in two by a Japanese destroyer in the early hours of August 2nd, 1943. Kennedy and most of his crew survived the collision but found themselves in the water amid wreckage, miles from friendly lines.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Rescue of PT-109 survivors
The night action around the Solomons a year later produced a very different kind of story when Patrol Torpedo boat PT-109, commanded by Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, was rammed and cut in two by a Japanese destroyer in the early hours of August 2nd, 1943. Kennedy and most of his crew survived the collision but found themselves in the water amid wreckage, miles from friendly lines. Over several exhausting days, they swam to small islands, rationed what little food they had, and watched for any sign of rescue while Kennedy towed a badly burned crewman by a life jacket strap clenched in his teeth. With the help of local Solomon Islanders and a coastwatcher, Kennedy eventually sent a message carved into a coconut, and on August 8th a fellow patrol torpedo boat reached the survivors and brought them back. The episode became one of the war’s best-known small-unit survival tales, illustrating the hazards faced by small combat craft and the importance of local allies. It also later colored public perceptions of Kennedy’s personal courage when he entered national politics.
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