“I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy’.” Former President and PT Boat Commander John F. Kennedy
Once affectionately described as “barnacle-encrusted plywood motor boat hardly bigger than a stockbroker’s cabin cruiser,” mention of PT Boats usually triggers memories of former President John F. Kennedy’s PT 109 exploits, the 1945 John Wayne movie “They Were Expendable” and of course, the 1960’s television show McHale’s Navy.
Whatever vision they stir in us, PT Boats served an essential purpose during World War Two. Light weight, small and fast, they would go up against much larger and heavily armed vessels with their torpedoes.
