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John F. Kennedy was commander of PT-109. PT stands for "Patrol Torpedo". These were small wooden craft about eighty feet long, with a twelve man crew. They were very fast. Their main weapon was four torpedo tubes, which gave them the capability of sinking the largest enemy ships. Out on patrol one dark night in 1943 Kennedy's boat was idling and stationary, looking for enemy ships in the Solomon Islands, when it was run over and cut in two by a Japanese destroyer, which was running without lights and appeared suddenly. One of Kennedy's men was killed in the collision and another severely burned. Kennedy led his men in a swim to an uninhabited island and for several night afterward swam out into the ocean hoping to make contact with other patrol boats from his squadron. They were eventually rescued with help from Solomon Islanders and an Australian coast watcher.

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15y ago

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