num_pages: 368
description: A thrilling moment-by-moment account of one of the most famous events of World War IIthe sinking of PT-109 and John F. Kennedys heroic actions that saved his crewand a fascinating examination of how that extraordinary episode shaped the future presidents life.At 2:00 a.m. on the moonless night of August 2 1943 U.S. Patrol Torpedo boat PT-109 captained by Lieutenant John F. Kennedy was struck by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri near the Solomon Islands. The American ship was cleaved in two and rocked by an explosion; two crew members died instantly; the remaining eleven survivors clung to the sinking wreckage adrift in enemy waters. Despite injuring his back Lt. Kennedytowing a severely burned sailor by the strap of a life jacketled his battered and exhausted men on a harrowing three-and-a-half mile swim to a tiny uninhabited island. Desperate for food and water Kennedy set off on a solo reconnaissance mission scouting two larger islands two-and-a-half miles away. Discovering water and coconuts he returned for his men. For six days they lived off coconuts and kept out of sight of passing Japanese patrols until they were rescued.Drawing on new information from the American rescuers and recently released archives in both Japan and the U.S. PT-109 recounts this event in breathtaking detail and explores the incidents remarkable aftermath on JFKs life and legend. William Doyle reveals that while the incident transformed JFK into a war hero and helped propel him to the U.S. Senate and the White House the wounds he suffered during that harrowing week continued to haunt him physically and psychologically.
language: None
title: PT 109: JFK's Night of Destiny
publisher: William Morrow