Jack Kennedy - War Hero?
Jack Kennedy is generally viewed as a war hero for his actions as commander of PT-109 in the Solomon Islands. Indeed, he was awarded the purple heart and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for acts of heroism following the loss of PT-109. However, his detractors at the time, and later on as he tried to use his war record to counter charges that he was too young and too weak to stand up to the cold-war Soviets during a run for the US presidency, charge that his loss of PT-109 was nothing short of criminal negligence.
Lt. Kennedy took command of PT-109 on April 24, 1943. Although he was new and untested, the boat and several members of her crew had seen combat in the waters near Guadalcanal and other parts of the Solomon Islands. PT boats operated in divisions of up to four boats, often lying in wait for Japanese supply convoys known as the Tokyo Express. These convoys, made up of troop and supply ships guarded by destroyers and sometimes aircraft, needed to pass through the narrow straits between the reefs and islands of the archipelago. The maneuverability and small size of the PT boats let them effectively harass the Japanese shipping with torpedoes.
Details of the combat
On the night of August 1, 1943, PT-109 with Lt. Kennedy at the helm took part in an operation in the Iron Bottom Sound, so named because of the volume of shipping that was sunk there. The boat was in one of four PT-boat divisions that were ordered to intercept the so-called Tokyo Express which was expected to pass through the area. Each PT boat division included a boat that was equipped with radar, which the Imperial Navy didn't aquire until the following year. In fact, at one point PT-109 was equipped with an unauthorized radar set, although it was probably not working that night and one of the other boats was using its rader. After picking up shipping on radar, one division would set off to attack while the others would race off to various locations where they would 'lay up' in wait for the passing convoy.
That night, a Japanese convoy comprised of five destroyers was passing through the area as it returned from a supply mission. The division of which Lt. Kennedy was a part detected the convoy, which it misidentified as landing craft, and set off to ambush it. Two boats attacked while Lt. Kennedy and another craft raced to 'lay up' in front of the convoy. After the convoy was alerted to the presence of the attackers by a misfired torpedo, they brought all their considerable firepower to bear on the PT boats, which fled unscathed. Lt. Kennedy's and two other boats, still believing that they had encountered landing craft, decided that the sheer volume of fire meant that artillery from a shore battery had spotted them, and they fled from the scene. After requesting additional orders from base, three PT boats led by Lt. Kennedy who knew how to reach the destination, went to another location to lay up in wait for the convoy.
When they reached the designated area they patrolled at low speed. It's probable that the radar-equipped boat was the one that was no longer part of the group. Lt. Kennedy, using only one of his boat's three engines, was in the lead running the boat at an idle. This tactic may have been designed to minimize the boat's wake which could be visible from the air even on the darkest nights, due to phosphorescent plankton in the water which glow when disturbed.
The other two boats in the group caught sight of a Japanese Fubuki-class destroyer approximately 700 yards from PT-109 and bearing down on it at a high rate of speed. It sliced clean through Lt. Kennedy's boat, splitting it almost in half lengthwise and killing two crewmen instantly while dumping others into the sea, which was spotted with burning fuel. Just before the ramming, one boat attempted to fire its torpedos at the destroyer, but they wouldn't fire. It gave chase after the ramming and fired its other two torpedos, but was forced to flee after the destroyer turned towards it and lit it up with a spotlight then bracketed it with its guns. After being detected, the second boat fled, zigzagging and laying a smoke-screen until it encountered another Japanese destroyer. It was able to hit the destroyer with a torpedo, but returned to base since it had no more torpedos and the destroyers were alerted to its presence. A third boat caught sight of this destroyer, which was limping home at 5 knots, but missed with two torpedos.
Before the ramming, the night appeared calm on board the PT-109. Then, 200-300 yards off the starboard bow, the bow lookout spotted a dark shape. He alerted Lt. Kennedy, and they initially mistook the shape for another PT boat. It may have been difficult for the crew to correctly identify a blacked-out Japanese destroyer bearing down on them head-on in the dark, especially when they were expecting to encounter slower landing craft, which would have taken longer to arrive at the ambush point. Some say that the crew's, and ultimately Jack Kennedy's negligence were to blame for the catastrophy. In less than ten seconds it closed the distance and sliced them apart. Lt. Kennedy tried to maneuver his boat, but the single engine turning at slow speed wasn't up to the task. PT-109 became the only PT boat ever rammed by an enemy ship.
The Amagiri was a destroyer captained at the time by Lieutenant Commander Kohei Hanami - then 32 years of age and the youngest destroyer captain in the Imperial Navy. While he was steaming towards home after a skirmish with American PT boats, his lookouts noticed another PT boat nearly dead in the water, 3000 yards away. Commander Hanami turned his warship towards the PT boat and decided to close the distance, given the PT boats' reputation for being hard to hit with gunfire and the speed with which they could deploy their torpedos. With, presumably, the gunners' fingers on their triggers, the Amagiri rushed towards PT-109 at close to 40 knots, which didn't notice her until it was too late to get out of the way.
A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do
The events that took place over the next seven days are what earned Jack Kennedy his reputation for heroism. After his boat was split in twain, Lt. Kennedy ordered all hands off what was left of the deck, since it was on fire. Luckily, the destroyer's wake had dispersed most of the flaming fuel and the fire soon burned itself out. Lt. Kennedy and some of the crew returned to the wreck and they discovered that five crewmen were still in the water some ways from the wreck. Most were wearing flotation gear, but some were injured and burned. Lt. Kennedy swam towards a group of three, two of whom had been burned, while two other uninjured crewmen swam out to assist the other two who were overcome by smoke. Lt. Kennedy towed one burned man back to the wreck by holding a rope in his teeth as he swam. This arduous swim took more than an hour. He then swam back for the other two, one of whom was burned, and he and the uninjured man towed the burned man back to the wreck after Lt. Kennedy gave up his life-belt to the uninjured man. The other two men were also rescued successfully, and the entire crew, save the two who were killed in the ramming, survived.
The crew had flare guns, but didn't use them for fear of alerting any Japanese that might still be in the area. They floated on the wreckage until dawn with no sign of rescue, when it became apparent that despite the PT boat's watertight compartments, the wreckage was about to sink. Lt. Kennedy made the decision to abandon the wreckage and try to reach a small, uninhabited island that appeared to be about 4 miles away. Time was of the essence since the wreckage was drifting towards the island of Gizo (sometimes spelled Ghizo) which they knew to be occupied by the enemy. Two crewmembers could not swim, and one was badly burned and incapable of reaching the island. The non-swimmers floated on a long 2x8 while the remaining crewmembers pushed and towed them towards land. Lt. Kennedy took it upon himself to tow the badly burned man to land, the same one he had initially towed to the wreckage. They all arrived safe ashore with nothing more than the clothes on their backs (Lt. Kennedy wore only underwear), seven handguns, three knives, and a flashlight.
In the evening, over the span of two hours Lt. Kennedy alternately waded along reefs and swam until he reached a stretch of water known to be frequented by PT boats. There were none in the vicinity, and signs of fighting in the far distance indicated that they were elsewhere, too far to reach. During the return journey, he was caught in a powerful current and ended up far out of his way. He was not able to make it back to the others until dawn. He started to suffer the effects of malaria, and several days went by with no sign of rescue. Another crewmember, also an officer and the strongest swimmer besides Lt. Kennedy, duplicated Lt. Kennedy's attempt to attract the notice of a passing PT boat, but wasn't able to find anybody. Heeding Lt. Kennedy's warnings about the current, he was able to avoid being washed in the wrong direction and returned unharmed.
Food on the islet, which was nothing more than coconut meat and the occasional seabird, ran out and the group decided to swim to another island. Lt. Kennedy again towed the badly injured man, pressing ahead through a powerful current, and the entire crew reached their destination safely. A New Zealand warplane fired upon a nearby island, which indicated that it might be occupied by the enemy. Nevertheless, setting out in search of food, Lt. Kennedy and the other officer swam to that island and found a box containing some Japanese food rations including crackers and candy. They also discovered and commandeered a canoe belonging to some islanders. The next night, Lt. Kennedy used the canoe to search for American PT boats, with no success.
When he returned, he found the crew conversing with two islanders. The islanders were extremely helpful, and even showed them where another canoe was cached. They agreed to take a message written on a coconut-husk via canoe to the American coastwatcher sentries. While waiting for them to return, Lt. Kennedy and the other officer set out in the canoe in hopes of finding a PT boat. The canoe sunk and they were washed up on a reef, receiving minor injuries. Eventually, the natives returned with a message from the Americans detailing how to proceed with the rescue (which was dangerous in enemy waters). Seven days after PT-109 was rammed by an enemy destroyer and two of her crew were killed, the remaining crewmembers were rescued.
Ultimately - a hero
Jack Kennedy, son of a wealthy and controversial political appointee, was both lionized in the so-called elite New York press (mostly at the behest of his powerful father) and grumbled about (probably by those with political leanings different from the Kennedy family) in the officer's clubs in the South Pacific. It got to the point that even Douglas MacArthur (no shrinking violet, and about as far from Joe Kennedy politically as it's possible to get) called for his court martial. In any event, the Navy saw fit to put an end to speculation and award Lt. Kennedy a medal for heroism.