Comments by "" (@BobSmith-dk8nw) on "US PT Boats of WW2 - Guide 369" video.

Yes. That is the 59 boat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_torpedo_boat_PT-59 In the movie PT 109 the incident where JFK participates in rescuing a Marine Diversionary Force - that had done it's job well and drawn Japanese Forces to attack it - was actually done with the 59 Boat. It's just that the name of the movie was PT-109 - so ... they simplified things - and had this mission happen before the 109 was sunk. Considering all the things Hollywood has done - this is far from the worst. Yes - the Navy had a policy of granting Survivors Leave for 30 days - to anyone who had been on a ship that was sunk. Kennedy - took a pass on this leave - and was given the 59 boat. His back was part of the reason he was sent home but the primary reason was all the tropical diseases he had. He'd lost 20 lbs and only weighted 145 lbs which isn't much for someone 6 ft. tall. They sent him to a local medical unit and from there they determined to just send him home. This was common place in that theater. In his book "Touched With Fire", Eric Bergerud mentioned that if you put a unit into the Jungle - the Jungle would start to kill it. Whether or not the unit saw any combat - in 90 days - it was used up and had be withdrawn to be reconstituted. After Kennedy got back home - he spent some time in a Hospital Recovering. When he was healthy enough to be released from the Hospital - the Navy determined that he was NOT healthy enough to resume duties in the Navy - and he was given an Honorable Discharge. This was not uncommonly done with casualties who - while no longer needing to be in a Hospital - were not ever going to be fully recovered - and were not people the Navy wanted to send into a Combat Zone - where they might just have to end up being sent back. Military Service is hard - and they wanted people sent out to at least be fully healthy at the start of their deployment. A modern example of Military Policy towards individuals health - is Joe Biden. When his deferments ran out - he was drafted. When he reported in for his medical exam - they determined he had Asthma - and they sent him home. .
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Jack Kennedy's PT-109 was sunk during the 2nd Battle of Blackett Strait https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_torpedo_boat_PT-109#Battle_of_Blackett_Strait This Battle pitted 15 American PT Boats against 4 Japanese Destroyers and some Float Planes. Japanese Float Planes could - as mentioned - see the luminous marine life churned up by the PT Boats Wakes - which pointed right at them. These Float Planes were a real danger to the PT Boats and some of them were lost to them - though apparently not in this battle. Now - the thing here is that Destroyers were originally called Torpedo Boat Destroyers so the Americans were engaging a ship type that had been originally designed to sink the types of craft they were using. The night was pitch black and only some of the PT Boats had radar. The PT Boats - did not do well. Their torpedoes were horrible - as most American Early War Torpedoes were and despite having 60 Torpedoes - the got no hits on any of the Japanese ships with the 24 they fired. The speed and maneuverability of the PT Boats (I believe) kept all of them but one from being lost. That one boat - was the 109. The leader of the Division the 109 was in - had radar the 109 lacked - and had seen targets on it which it attacked - but Kennedy, not receiving orders to leave his station didn't and was then alone. The American Tactical Control of their Boats wasn't the greatest in this battle. One reason for that - was that battles like this were exceedingly rare. This was the largest fight they were in during the Solomon's Campaign. The name of the PT boats stood for Patrol - Torpedo - and they did a LOT more patrolling than they did Torpedoing. One of the Japanese Destroyers - after completing it's mission - was returning - when (Japanese Night Vision being excellent) they spotted the 109 and intentionally rammed it. The Crew of the 109 had about 10 seconds after they spotted the Destroyer before it ran them down. Because of Henderson Field Aircraft - the Japanese couldn't get their Cargo Ships - to Guadalcanal. They tried. They tried hard as the Japanese on Guadalcanal had come to call it "Starvation Island" but - they couldn't do it - and most of the Transports that tried - were sunk. So - what the Japanese Army had decided to do - was use barges. Small boats - the barges could sail at night - and hide during the day - camouflaged next to small islands. Aircraft from Henderson looked for these barges during the day. The PT Boats - would go looking for them - by day and night. Kennedy's Second Command - the 59 Boat - had all it's torpedoes and depth charges taken off - and was seriously up gunned to operate against barges - with it would seem - some success. .
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