PT Boats in the Pacific Documentary

if you lived before our time who would you be what if you could choose from a thousand yesterdays when the past was today and the moon took your breath away who would you be I will do Oh living every generation before us remembering generations to come the History Channel where the past comes alive on the morning of August 22nd 1943 eight US Navy motor torpedo boats from squadrons five and six left their base a trend OVA in the Pacific Solomon Islands [Music] these PT boats were mounting a daring daylight raid on enemy barges largest that were attempting to run supplies to Japanese forces on new Georgia attacks like these were among the most dangerous operations for the Pacific Raiders the barges sailed close to the shore and were protected by coastal guns they were also armored and armed with guns that match the firepower of the PT boats but in the course of two days the PT boats destroyed five enemy barges and shot up shore installations [Music] this raid was one of hundreds conducted by US Navy PT boats in the Pacific they supported a two-year island-hopping campaign from Guadalcanal to the Philippines the PT vote supported u.s. Marine and army operations by conducting day and night raids on enemy shore installations they also played a crucial part in starving Japanese Garrison's of their supplies yet it was not until the eve of world war two that the US Navy began to recognize the potential of these fast patrol boats these high-speed Raiders originated in 1866 with the first self-propelled torpedo used to attack warships ten years later the British Royal Navy introduced its first torpedo boat hms lightning carrying a single torpedo it was designed to strike a target and quickly withdraw to ward off this new threat the capital ships of the great navies were fitted with close range guns and anti-torpedo nets and a new naval vessel the torpedo boat destroyer later abbreviated to destroyer was deployed to protect battle fleets from these speedy little boats [Music] the US Navy's first torpedo boat Stiletto was developed as a private venture but taken over by the Navy in 1887 it had a single torpedo tube fitted in its bow but experiments were also conducted with a side firing tube the first Navy built torpedo boat was the Cushing commissioned in 1890 it had three torpedo tubes and two small deck guns it's coal burning steam propulsion could do 23 knots making it the u.s. fleet's fastest ship because of their shallow draft torpedo boats were only effective in coastal waters and narrow seas however since America was surrounded by vast oceans the US Navy decided it had little need for torpedo boats and concentrated instead on building a deepwater fleet but other navies continued to develop them the British Navy operated motor torpedo boats in the North Sea and the English Channel throughout World War one in 1918 several was sent to the Baltic to land agents against the Bolshevik forces in Russia at a Soviet Cruiser was sunk during the raid on crunch dot the Royal Navy remained convinced it needed these small fast attack boats and continue to develop new types [Music] so did the Italian Navy [Music] On June 10 1918 Italy sank the austro-hungarian battleship szent istván in one of the most significant small boat triumphs of World War one [Music] it was a spectacular demonstration of the potential of these tiny boats [Music] in the 1930s Japan's aggression toward Manchuria and then China began to threaten the u.s. controlled Philippine Islands finally the US Navy began to reconsider fast attack boats an urgent study of various foreign designs was conducted and a competition was held in 1938 to select prototypes PT 1 with the stern launching torpedo tube was one entry but it was already obsolete before its completion Elco The Electric Boat company of Chicago bought the manufacturing rights to a 70-foot model from British designers Scott Payne the classic PT boat was born in December 1939 three months after the outbreak of war in Europe Elko was given a contract for 24 boats two years after Elko secured that order the Japanese attacked the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor it would be the PT boats first test in combat [Music] twelve new PT boats were based in Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941 when Japan attacked and brought America into World War two [Music] none of the boats of squadron 2 were harmed and they quickly entered the fray their Gunners shot down at least two Japanese planes during the battle the PT boats also rescued crews from disabled battleships and ferried the wounded to hospitals the attack on Pearl Harbor began Japan's massive assault on the British in Malaya and New Guinea the Dutch in the East Indies and us and Filipino forces in the Philippines the Japanese Imperial Navy spearheaded this ocean blitzkrieg and the Allies were unable to halt their advance the Japanese were masters of naval air power and allied ships were under constant threat of attack [Music] the first Japanese landings on the Philippine Islands began on December 10th just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor one of the few US naval units available in the area was PT boat squadron 3 it had six boats based at the kavita Naval Yard near Manila under the command of Lieutenant John Bulkley these were the first u.s. naval vessels to see action in the Pacific [Music] japanese air attacks soon destroyed much of his squadrons support facilities spare parts and fuel and one of his boats mowgli was forced to withdraw his five remaining boats to a cove on the Bataan Peninsula in the meantime us and Filipino forces could not stop the Japanese advance by January 2nd 1942 they had entered Manila General MacArthur Allied commander in the Philippines withdrew to the Bataan Peninsula [Music] undeterred squadron three mounted a series of raids on Japanese transports and naval units one spectacular operation took place January 18th 1942 lieutenant Bulkeley in PT boat 34 entered subic bay shortly after midnight a planned rendezvous failed and both Lee continued alone he entered bonaga Bay and fired two torpedoes one struck a 5000 ton merchant ship soon US troops under tan and MacArthur's headquarters on the neighboring island of Corregidor were under Japanese attack on March 10th vocally took his four remaining votes to Corregidor years later he recalled what happened on the night of 11th March 1942 these generals are all sold by MacArthur they didn't know what he wanted or what was going to happen I think Arthur came down and my boat was alongside on a North dock and they all asked me what was up well I told him I didn't know I knew what was up General MacArthur's leaving that night at 8 o'clock and he went and shook hands to all his generals and he also selected the ones he's going to take with him and they all went on board 241 both mr. MacArthur the AMA the nurse and the young boy went on board Bible eight o'clock that night is when we left as a dark night was overcast by clouds ideal and there's a slight rain coming in which is rather unusual their bright dismal night but an excellent time of night of operation for PT boats motor torpedo boats there you had low visibility we could not be seen easily from Corregidor locally took MacArthur and his party took a guy in on Mindanao from there MacArthur was flown to Australia to begin planning the Allied counter-offensive in the southwest Pacific which he would lead during the mission to evacuate McArthur PT 32 was abandoned but the squadron's three remaining boats continue to fight for another month the surviving crews including Bulkeley were then evacuated to Australia the exploits of squadron 3 impressed McCarthy in appreciation he ensured that Lieutenant John Bulkley returned home a hero he was awarded both a Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross when President Franklin Roosevelt personally decorated the Gannet naval officer Bulkley passed along a specific request from MacArthur that PT boats fall under a separate branch of the u.s. Navy and that a force of 200 be made available for the southwest Pacific Theater within eight months [Music] McArthur's request was not filled that quickly but the US Navy did begin to build a PT boat fleet to standard designs were selected an 80-foot er from Elko and a 78 footer from Higgins industries meanwhile inspired by John Buckley's exploits in the Philippines many young Americans volunteered for PT boat service among them was a future President of the United States John F Kennedy a training center was set up at Melville Rhode Island just north of Newport Bulkeley now promoted to lieutenant commander gave the carefully selected trainees the benefit of his combat experience you'll need a branch of which you'll be able to come to close grips with the enemy and when it closed grips to deliver a blow with one of the most powerful craft this war they developed next voyage the motor torpedo boat the PT after their initial training two months plus an additional month for officers and certain enlisted specialists crews were sent on shakedown cruises for all crews these were usually conducted in Florida those crews assigned two squadrons destined for the Pacific then often underwent more training at the turbo go base on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal the shakedown training was essential in molding each crew and squadron into an efficient fighting unit particularly at iboga the many small islands provided an excellent preparation for close inshore fighting at first the plan was for every crew member to become an expert in every aspect of Manning a PT boat but the Navy soon realized that this was less effective than if crewmen specialized in weapons communications or engineering [Music] support base staff were also trained to do repairs in the field often hundreds of miles from proper facilities as for the PT boats themselves the Elco and Higgins standard designs were similar except for a slight difference in length they usually carried for 21 or 22 point 5-inch torpedo tubes the stern pair could be replaced with 12 depth charges the earliest boats carried two pair of 50 caliber machine guns but this was inadequate a 20 millimeter cannon was added later in the war an additional 37 point 5 or 40 millimeter cannon was added a typical PT boat had a maximum speed of 41 knots and a range of more than a thousand nautical miles on one engine at 11 knots [Music] the mark 8 torpedoes which most boats carried had a range of 6,000 yards and a speed of 33 and a half knots with a 600-pound warhead both the Elco and higgins designs were powered by three packard gas engines [Music] these engines and the fuel tanks took up the stern of the boat true living quarters were forward of the engine and fuel space the maximum number of crew members on a PT boat was three officers and 14 men their living space was surprisingly spacious these small but powerful boats would be unleashed by the US Navy in the Pacific War they would play a vital role in taking back many of the islands seized by the Japanese [Music] the naval battles at Coral Sea and Midway in May in June 1942 finally brought the Japanese advance in the Pacific to a halt [Music] the Allies began planning their counter-offensive [Music] it would involve a series of island-hopping campaigns from these campaigns the Navy Marines and army would develop expertise in the techniques of amphibious warfare [Music] PT boats were crucial to these operations they could maneuver in confined waters and threaten larger craft this made them ideal for supporting landings patrolling encountering Japanese attacks the Allies began the task of breaking the Japanese Empire in the Solomons these two chains of islands were divided by a channel nicknamed the slot in July 1942 barely a month after the victory at Midway US reconnaissance aircraft spotted the Japanese building an airfield on Guadalcanal one of the southernmost islands of the Solomons [Music] if the Japanese completed this airfield their bombers would threaten vital supply lines between the west coast of the United States and Australia where MacArthur was assembling his forces for a major strike [Music] the US High Command had decided that Guadalcanal had to be occupied and the airfield neutralized the US Marines first division had three weeks to prepare for the operation in the words of the marine commander training for the amphibious landings would take place on the job on August 7th they invaded Waddell Canal within 24 hours they had captured the still incomplete airfield it was renamed Henderson field for a Marine Corps pilot killed at Midway but on the night of August 8th a Japanese Cruiser force retaliated it sank for Allied cruisers and forced marine support ships to withdraw the first Marine Division had no more reinforcements the men could only dig in and wait for the inevitable Japanese counter-attack the waters around Guadalcanal were now completely dominated by Japan's Navy the Japanese could now reinforce their troops on the island and drive the Marines back into the sea the Marines struggled desperately to complete Henderson field so support aircraft could fly in [Music] the airfield was finally ready on August 20th the first American support planes touchdown [Music] the next day the Japanese began to attack Henderson field [Music] the Marines successfully fought them off but a desperate struggle for control of the island had begun it would last for almost six months [Music] two days after the first Japanese attack on the airfield US carrier planes stopped a Japanese attempt to reinforce Waddell canal and sank one of their carriers the realization that the Americans could dominate the skies around Waddell canal by day forced the Japanese Navy to operate by night [Music] at bombarded Henderson field and ran reinforcements and supplies down the slot under cover of darkness those nightly Express runs became known as the Tokyo Express in September 1942 the first PT boats of a reformed squadron three was sent to help US naval forces and the confined waters of the Solomons Lieutenant Commander Alan Montgomery who had been in charge of the Panama training squadron led the force the first four PT boats reached the island of Tuilagi north of Guadalcanal on October 12th they prepared for action against the Tokyo Express Montgomerys boats set out toward the sound of gunfire as Japanese cruisers and destroyers were closing in on the Marines on Guadalcanal the PT crews sighted the enemy and moved in to attack [Music] Montgomery in PT boat 60 fired two torpedoes and enemy warships the crews reported two explosions [Music] other Japanese destroyers were met with a hail of us gunfire [Music] during the action PT 60 ran aground but was later refloated the Japanese admitted to losing a cruiser but claimed to have sunk 14 PT boats [Music] during the next few months PT boats mounted constant patrols they often forced Japanese cruisers and destroyers to pull back before they could unload reinforcements and supplies on February 9th 1943 the Japanese finally evacuated their surviving troops from Guadalcanal the US forces secured the island the Allies now targeted the island of new Georgia preparations for the attack were made over the next four months the Navy sent more PT boats which now made up four squadrons the greatest threat was from Japanese air attack their worst loss was the PT boat support vessel Niagara on May 23rd viagra was caught in the open seas by bombers and sunk but the PT boats it was supporting managed to rescue all its crewmen then on June 30th the US mission to recapture New Georgia began with landings on three nearby islands the largest island was rend ova [Music] the troops of the Army's 43rd Infantry Division met little opposition on Ren dov'è and quickly secured the island the task force which took brand OVA included 12 PT boats from squadron 9 which had instructions to set up a forward base the squadron was led by Lieutenant Commander Robert Kelly who had commanded one of bulkeley's original boats in the Philippines [Music] squadron 9 set up its base on the north side of Rennes Dover Harbour it was soon joined by squadrons five and ten [Music] the main landings on new Georgia took place at the beginning of July 1943 the troops faced much stiffer resistance the island was not cleared of Japanese until late August during this period PT boats maintained patrols to protect allied supply vessels and harass enemy attempts to send reinforcements the Japanese were no longer so eager to risk cruisers and destroyers to keep their forces supplied they now adopted new tactics increasingly they turned to barges which could get close to island coasts under the cover of shore-based artillery but the US Navy had an answer to this new tactic with their shallow drafts the PT boats were ideal for attacking the barges they would set off from rend OVA and idle quietly off japanese-held areas during the night hoping to spot barges creeping along the shoreline trying to deliver reinforcements or supplies the PT boats would then fire on the barges these raids were extremely hazardous especially during daylight but the PT boats had the unique combination of small-sized shallow-draft and firepower to get the job done the campaign against the Japanese barges was one of their most dangerous tasks of the Pacific campaign [Music] for us PT boat Raiders in the Solomon Islands Japanese supply barges were tough opponents they were difficult to spot against the shoreline well armored and carried guns similar to the heaviest armament equipping a PT boat [Music] five PT boats were lost after Shore batteries fired on them 18 had to be abandoned and destroyed after they ran aground in shallow and treacherous waters [Music] Japanese airplanes were also a major threat [Music] seven PT boats were sunk and air attacks but others were luckier on November 5th 1943 PT boat 167 commanded by Henson Theodor Berlin was attacked by Japanese torpedo bombers the boat appeared unscathed but a torpedo had passed through its bow without exploding another hazard was from friendly aircraft who often assumed that any vessel off the coast of japanese-held islands was hostile 5 PT boats were lost this way crewmen on other boats were killed or wounded when they were accidentally strafed [Music] despite these dangers PT boats continue to patrol the narrow seas of the Solomons [Music] they protected convoys and put reconnaissance and raiding parties for sure [Music] boat crews also frequently came to the rescue of pilots who had been shot down PT boat commanders were a determined breed John F Kennedy then a 24-year old lieutenant in command of pt-109 was no exception on the night of August 1st 1943 he and his crew participated in the last action against destroyers of the Tokyo Express these destroyers were trying to run supplies to an island north of New Georgia Kennedy's boat and two others were ordered to pick at the black and straight on the west side of the island at 2:30 a.m. the boats were idling in the straight Kennedy was at the wheel with five other members of the crew on watch or Manning the guns [Music] they spotted a dark shape about 200 yards away and identified it as another PT boat but they soon realized it was a Japanese destroyer of the fubuki class traveling at about 40 knots within ten seconds it struck pt-109 and cut it in half without slowing down or firing the two halves of the boat remained afloat for several hours before the remains of the boat sank Kennedy managed to get his surviving 11 men to an island they were marooned there for several days until local natives spotted them and took a message from Kennedy to an allied agent secretly based on a nearby island [Music] a native canoe brought supplies to the survivors then took Kennedy to meet the agent radio contact was made with Ren dov'è and pts were sent out the survivors of pt-109 will return to their base seven days after their boat was rammed [Music] throughout 1943 in a parallel campaign to that in the Solomons General MacArthur's forces work their way along the northern coast of New Guinea in a series of small well-planned amphibious operations they drove the Japanese back [Music] throughout MacArthur's campaign his troops were supported by US Navy PT boat squadrons as he had requested operating from a series of forward bases three squadrons were deployed one was commanded by John Buckley who had returned to combat duty [Music] they mounted reconnaissance missions and patrols to support Allied landings the Japanese fought back Tunisia Slee their aircraft dogged Allied shipping and supply bases but the Japanese could not stop the Allies steady progress [Music] [Applause] by the summer of 1944 MacArthur's parallel campaigns in New Guinea and the Solomons had driven the Japanese out the campaigns had tested and proven the power of the PT boats but soon they would face the greatest challenge of the war [Music] in the late summer of 1944 General MacArthur's advanced through the southwest Pacific was about to link up with an advance by Admiral Chester Nimitz across the Central Pacific [Music] MacArthur now had the Philippines in his sights after John Buckley and his PT boats helped for Carthoris Cape from the Philippines in March 1942 MacArthur had promised the Filipino people he would return to liberate their country on October 20 of 1944 General MacArthur fulfilled his promise [Music] troops of the US six army stormed the island of Leyte and established a beachhead [Music] accompanying the landings late were 45 PT boats from four squadrons which had made the 1200 mile journey from New Guinea under their own power they soon mounted patrols off the landing area the PT Cruz did not have to wait long within three days powerful Japanese naval squadrons converged on Leyte Gulf intent on destroying the u.s. Landing fleet one of the Japanese squadrons built around two battleships and three heavy cruisers planned to burst through the surrogate rates to the south of Leyte where PT boats were patrolling the PT boats rotated in groups of three to cover the entrance to the Straits their main purpose was to act as Scouts for the battleships and cruisers of the main US fleet attacks were to be their secondary mission [Music] as darkness fell low clouds and rain reduced visibility [Music] but at about midnight PT boat radar detected advancing enemy forces this was the main force of two Japanese battleships and a heavy cruiser [Music] before they could close to within torpedo range the PT boats came under enemy fire two boats were lost but they still harried the enemy with gunfire and torpedo attacks then six US battleship surprised the Japanese and wiped out all Japanese ships except one destroyer the PT boats pursued of the destroyer suddenly they came upon a Japanese follow-up force of too heavy and one light cruiser the PT boats opened fire in the ensuing action PT boat 403 [ __ ] the like Cruiser abukuma which later sank u.s. battleships then arrived and sank the two heavy cruisers the burning Hulk's and the surrogate raids were evidence of the catastrophic defeat of the Japanese Navy as dawn broke PT boats searched the area to rescue any Japanese sailors willing to be saved the Battle of Leyte Gulf broke the back of the Japanese Navy PT boats played a major role in the Allied victory General MacArthur was now able to secure lady and three months later on January 9 1945 his forces landed on the main island of Luzon MacArthur also mounted over 50 landings to flush out Japanese Garrison's on the surrounding islands over 20 PT boat squadrons were now deployed in the Philippines they cooperated with the Army in locating and harassing the enemy and putting units ashore on March 2nd a convoy of PT boats proudly took General MacArthur back to Corregidor the headquarters he had left three years before it was the climax of the war for the PT boat Raiders even so the boats continued operating in the Philippines until Japan surrendered in August 1945 more than 200 PT boats served in the Pacific during World War two [Music] 600 were sent to other theaters some were manned by British and Russian crews wherever they saw combat the PT boats proved their ability to master narrow seas after the formal Japanese surrender in September 1945 the US Navy decided that the wooden halls of PT boats had been too overworked to be kept in reserve many of those used in the Pacific were burned in a heroic funeral pyre on a beach in the Philippines four boats were given to the navy of the new republic of south korea these served in the Korean War patrolling and raiding the enemy as their predecessors had in World War two with only a few PT boats held in reserve their design became virtually extinct in the US Navy but the memories of their faithful service did not die during the inauguration parade of President John F Kennedy on January 20 of 1961 a replica of his PT boat 109 attracted attention and applause two years later the US Navy's PT boat service was reborn the first of 26 patrol boats armed with 20 and 40 millimeter guns were deployed in Vietnam once again their crews patrolled narrow waters especially South Vietnam's rivers they also supported US Navy Special Forces the patrol boats played only a small role in the Vietnam War but their crews lived up to the motto of John Paul Jones one of the fathers of the US Navy who said give me a fast ship for I intend to go in harm's way this spirit had inspired the PT rated crews throughout the Pacific War they steered their small fast ships into harm's way and succeeded in harassing and destroying the enemy [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Raywollesen Fortes

Views: 359,130

Keywords: War, World War II, Navy, US, US Navy

Id: DULq0UPRIxY

Length: 45min 27sec (2727 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 15 2017