Affiliate Success
US Navy Acknowledges The Wreck Of JFKs PT-109 At Last
By Lyn Thomas
Dec 3, 2008 - 7:32:23 PM

In May 2002, Robert Ballard led a National Geographic expedition which discovered the remains of John F Kennedy's PT-109, sunk in 360 meters of water in the South Pacific. Finally after six years, the US Navy experts have recently declared the wreck is the remnant of the boat skippered by JFK.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbour, in 1941, American troops were shipped to various tropical islands in the South Pacific. In Vanuatu 100,000 American troops were housed on the tropical island of Santo, while 25,000 more were based on Efate. The main objective of the Americans was to halt the Japanese advance across the chain of South Pacific islands.

Almost 60 years ago a Japanese destroyer, appeared out of the darkness in the early hours of the morning. It drove over the top of a PT-109, skippered by 26 year old John F Kennedy, ambassador's son, millionaire heir and soon to be president of the United States. The destroyer sliced through the PT-109, instantly killing two members of the crew and leaving the rest clutching onto the still-floating bow section.

Knowing that rescue was not likely to happen, Kennedy encouraged his members to make the several-hour swim to a nearby deserted island. In spite of suffering a back injury, Kennedy assisted one of his crew by holding onto the sailor's vest with his teeth.

Starvation, exhaustion and thirst plagued the sailors, before they were finally rescued by local Solomon Islanders in dugout canoes. The islanders had been able to move around in the daytime, unnoticed by the Japanese. They passed onto a coastguard a coconut they had found with a rescue message carved on it by Kennedy.

Six days after their boat was destroyed, Kennedy and his remaining crew were hauled aboard a sister PI-109. The coconut, which had been the instrument that saved the men's lives, was proudly displayed on the Oval desk at the White House, throughout Kennedy's presidency. It was a reminder to everyone, that in life there are Blue Moon Opportunities, if you have the courage to act on them. Opportunities that completely change lives.