Download The Sinking of PT-109: The History of the Controversial Incident That Made John F. Kennedy a War Hero AudioBook Free
"There's nothing in the booklet in regards to a situation such as this. A whole lot of you have people, and some of you have children. What do you want to do? I have nil to lose." (John F. Kennedy after the collision with a Japanese destroyer) On the night time of August 1, 1943, and in the first morning hours of the next day, one of America's many patrol torpedo watercraft in the Pacific, PT-109, with her team of 12 men, was doing its regular role in the Pacific Islands: a night patrol of the Blackett Strait searching for enemy convoys transporting many Japanese troops to Southern Guadalcanal and other proper locations. However, upon this dark, moonless night, PT-109, using its motors idling to avoid creating wake, was severed in two by a collision with a Japanese destroyer, the Amagiri. With only secs to reply after sighting the destroyer, the team was struggling to get the boat out of the Japanese destroyer's avenue, and it's really unclear if the Japanese destroyer even knew the other boat was there. As the destroyer suffered little damage, two team members on PT-109 were instantly killed, and the other 10 who at first survived would need to struggle for their lives. In lots of ways what happened following collision is appreciated better than the real sinking, in part because the survivors' story was so harrowing, and their survival was proclaimed by their own bravery. Though the role and efficiency of PT watercraft continues to be a subject of question, 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 a lot of John F. Kennedy's life, the PT-109 incident is controversial.
