Patrol torpedo boat PT-109
PT-109 was an 80-foot 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. Kennedy's actions in saving his surviving crew after PT-109 was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer earned him several commendations and made him a war hero. Back problems stemming from the incident required months of hospitalization at Chelsea Naval Hospital and plagued him the rest of his life. Kennedy's postwar campaigns for elected office referred often to his service on PT-109.
For the 1963 film, see PT 109 (film). For the 2015 book by William Doyle, see PT 109: An American Epic of War, Survival, and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy.Search for the remains of PT-109[edit]
The wreckage of PT-109 was located in May 2002, at a depth of 1,200 feet (370 m), when a National Geographic Society expedition headed by Robert Ballard found a torpedo tube from wreckage matching the description and location of Kennedy's vessel.[75] The boat was identified by Dale Ridder, a weapons and explosives expert on the U.S. Marine Forensics Panel.[75]
The stern section was not found, but a search using remote vehicles found the forward section, which had drifted south of the collision site. Much of the half-buried wreckage and grave site was left undisturbed in accordance with Navy policy. Max Kennedy, JFK's nephew, who joined Ballard on the expedition, presented a bust of JFK to the islanders who had found Kennedy and his crew.[76]
National Geographic produced a TV special titled The Search for Kennedy's PT 109. A DVD and book were also released.
Legacy[edit]
PT-109 and American-Japanese relations[edit]
Nine years after the sinking of PT-109, U.S. Representative John Kennedy, engaged in a race for the Senate, instructed his staff to locate Kohei Hanami, Commander of the Amagiri, the Japanese destroyer that had run down the 109. When they found Captain Hanami, Kennedy wrote him a heartfelt letter on 15 September 1952, with wishes of good fortune for him and for long-term peace between Japan and the United States. The two became friends, and Hanami subsequently went into politics in 1954, being elected as councilman of Shiokawa, and later as mayor in 1962. Hanami hoped to meet Kennedy on his next visit to Japan, and though the meeting never took place, the United States and Japan remained close allies. Years later, Caroline Kennedy accepted the post of Ambassador to Japan, holding the office from November 2013 to 18 January 2017, extending the positive relationship with Japan her father had begun after the war.[77]
While Kennedy was running for president in 1960 he met with Fujio Onozeki, a Japanese naval officer who was aboard the Amagiri when it hit PT-109, who gave him a card signed by other officers from the Amagiri.[78]
PT-109 in popular culture[edit]
President Kennedy presented PT-109 tie clasps to key supporters in his 1960 campaign,[79] as well as to close friends and staff members. Replicas of the tie clasps are still sold to the public by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. An original flag from PT-109 is now kept in the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. The story of PT-109's sinking was featured in several books and a 1963 movie, PT 109, starring Cliff Robertson. Kennedy's father, Joe Kennedy Sr., had a role in the production, financing, casting, and writing.[80] As there were only a few 80-foot Elco PT-103-class hulls in existence by that time (none in operable condition or resembling their World War II appearance), United States Air Force crash rescue boats were modified to resemble PT-109 and other Elco PTs in the movie. Instead of the dark green paint used by PT boats in the Western Pacific theater during World War II, the film versions were painted the same gray color as contemporary U.S. naval vessels of the 1960s.
A song titled "PT-109" by Jimmy Dean reached No. 8 on the pop music, and No. 3 on the country music charts in 1962, making it one of Dean's most successful recordings.[81]
Eroni Kumana named his son "John F. Kennedy".[52] Plum Pudding Island was later renamed Kennedy Island. A controversy arose when the government sold the land to a private investor who charged admission to tourists.[81] PT-109 was also the subject of toy, plastic, and radio control model ships in the 1960s, familiar to boys who grew up as baby boomers. It was still a popular 1⁄72 scale Revell PT-109 (model) kit in the 21st century. Hasbro also released a PT-109 edition John F. Kennedy G.I. Joe action figure, dressed in Navy khakis with a miniature version of the famous coconut shell.
Two episodes of the World War II–themed television series McHale's Navy, which began airing during the Kennedy presidency, mention the PT-109 and its unnamed captain from Massachusetts (whose speech and accent Ensign Parker imitate in one episode). In one episode, the boat's captain is the ultimate choice to be the face of a congresswoman's bond selling tour, and in the other, Captain Binghamton lists the PT-109's captain as someone who has recently been promoted and of whom he is envious.
A video game marketing itself as a torpedo boat simulation was released by Spectrum Holobyte in 1987 with the title PT-109.