PT 109: An American Epic of War, Survival, and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy

by William Doyle

Overview

New York Times bestselling author William Doyle’s PT 109 is the World War II story of shipwreck and survival that paved John F. Kennedy’s path to power.

In the early morning of August 2, 1943, during a nighttime skirmish amid the Solomon Islands, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri barreled through thick fog and struck the U.S. Navy’s motor torpedo boat PT 109, splitting the craft nearly in half and killing two American sailors instantly. The sea erupted in flames as the 109’s skipper, John F. Kennedy, and the ten surviving crewmen desperately clung to the sinking wreckage; 1,200 feet of ink-black, shark-infested water loomed beneath. Informed that all hands were lost, the American base attempted no rescue. What follows is one of the most remarkable tales of World War II, one whose astonishing afterlife would culminate two decades later in the White House.

Drawing on original interviews with the last living links to the events, previously untapped Japanese wartime archives, and a wealth of archival documents from the Kennedy Library, including a lost first-hand account by JFK himself, William Doyle has crafted a thrilling and definitive account of the sinking of PT 109 and its shipwrecked crew’s heroics. Equally fascinating is the story’s second act, in which Doyle explores how this extraordinary episode shaped Kennedy’s character and fate, proving instrumental to achieving his presidential ambitions.

Featuring castaways on a deserted island, a spy network of Solomon Island natives, an Australian coast watcher hidden on the side of a volcano, an S.O.S. note carved into a coconut, and a daring rescue attempt, PT 109 is an unforgettable American epic of war and destiny.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062346605
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/21/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	345
Sales rank:	263,855
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

William Doyle has written or cowritten seven books, including PT 109: An American Epic of War, Survival, and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy and American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms (with “American Sniper” Chris Kyle). He served as director of original programming for HBO and was coproducer of the PBS special Navy SEALs: Their Untold Story. He lives with his family in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

10/12/2015
Doyle (American Gun, with Chris Kyle) uses archival research and access to J.F.K.'s own unpublished account of the 1943 sinking of the naval vessel he commanded in the South Pacific to offer new details about the story that made Kennedy a wartime hero. The facts are dramatic. In the dark of night, a Japanese destroyer split the patrol torpedo boat in half. Of the 13 men aboard, two were killed and their bodies were never recovered. The survivors, led by the 25-year-old J.F.K., endured a harrowing week. Crewmember Patrick McMahon was badly burned, and Kennedy swam for four hours, dragging McMahon by his life jacket. The first island they reached was devoid of drinking water or food, and Kennedy swam out to a nearby passage to try to flag down a passing American boat. Eventually, with the aid of some Solomon Islanders, all 11 were rescued. While there are those who believe the disaster could have been averted in the first place, Kennedy's heroic efforts afterwards are not in dispute. Doyle, who admits to being a Kennedy partisan, nonetheless offers a balanced account, and explains how this incident paid a major role in propelling J.F.K. into the White House. Agent: Mel Berger, William Morris Endeavor. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Cinematic. ... Doyle expertly... brings this remarkable saga back to life.” — Christian Science Monitor

“A revealing and breathtaking account about what happened to John F. Kennedy’s Patrol Torpedo boat 109, and the famous war story’s engrossing aftermath.” — James Patterson

“William Doyle’s PT 109 is a masterfully written book on John F. Kennedy’s World War II service. Every page sparkles with keen insight and fresh research. Highly recommended!” — Douglas Brinkley, author of Cronkite

“I have to say, William Doyle’s PT 109 is the finest book I’ve ever read on the subject: the best written; the most well-researched and accurate. It covers every aspect and brings many new things to light. Doyle has done a wonderful job.” — William Liebenow, Lt. Commander, USNR (ret.), skipper of PT 157, John F. Kennedy's tentmate, battle colleague and boat commander of the mission that rescued Kennedy behind enemy lines in August 1943

“Impressive. ... [An] engrossing combination of adventure and analysis. ... Doyle’s work has all the makings of a definitive account — the last word on the story. And as such, it’s a tale few are likely to forget.” — USA Today

“A cinematic story of survival.” — Boston Globe

“This one is exceptional—an intimate, blow-by-blow account of the saga of PT 109 and its young skipper who was destined to later take the helm of the nation. A fascinating read.” — Dick Couch, author of When Honor Bound and Navy SEALs: Their Untold Story (with William Doyle)

“Fast-paced, gripping, and superbly researched, William Doyle’s PT 109 conveys the dramatic story of JFK’s wartime service and its surprising aftereffects with a refreshing, brisk authority. Doyle’s gift for details and vivid descriptions put the reader squarely in the middle of this epic tale.” — Dan Hampton (USAF, Ret.), New York Times bestselling author of The Hunter Killers

“Compelling. ... Explosive.” — Daily Mail (London)

“A gripping account of John F. Kennedy’s monumental test of leadership and survival during World War II, and how his actions set him on the path to political greatness.” — Library Journal

“[A] fast-paced narrative. … Dramatic and revealing.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A terrific history. ... William Doyle’s PT 109 infuses an iconic tale with new information and insights, and in the telling deepens our understanding of the young John F. Kennedy’s courageous ‘origin’ story.” — David Rensin, co-author with Louis Zamperini of the New York Times bestsellers Devil at My Heels and Don't Give Up, Don't Give In

“William Doyle’s PT 109 not only provides a highly accurate and researched account ... but it also brilliantly charts how those six days of survival, being alone, isolated and at times thought to be abandoned, transformed Kennedy’s very fiber—and his destiny.” — Bridgeman Carney, PT boat historian and author of First Up: Chronicles of the PT 157

“A gripping, well-told story of courage in the face of disaster.” — Booklist

“Powerful. ... Today’s candidates should read this account to learn from Kennedy’s leadership skills.” — American Thinker

From the Publisher

A cinematic story of survival.

Boston Globe

William Doyle’s PT 109 is a masterfully written book on John F. Kennedy’s World War II service. Every page sparkles with keen insight and fresh research. Highly recommended!

Douglas Brinkley

This one is exceptional—an intimate, blow-by-blow account of the saga of PT 109 and its young skipper who was destined to later take the helm of the nation. A fascinating read.

Dick Couch

Fast-paced, gripping, and superbly researched, William Doyle’s PT 109 conveys the dramatic story of JFK’s wartime service and its surprising aftereffects with a refreshing, brisk authority. Doyle’s gift for details and vivid descriptions put the reader squarely in the middle of this epic tale.

Dan Hampton (USAF

Impressive. ... [An] engrossing combination of adventure and analysis. ... Doyle’s work has all the makings of a definitive account — the last word on the story. And as such, it’s a tale few are likely to forget.

USA Today

A revealing and breathtaking account about what happened to John F. Kennedy’s Patrol Torpedo boat 109, and the famous war story’s engrossing aftermath.

James Patterson

Cinematic. ... Doyle expertly... brings this remarkable saga back to life.

Christian Science Monitor

Compelling. ... Explosive.

Daily Mail (London)

I have to say, William Doyle’s PT 109 is the finest book I’ve ever read on the subject: the best written; the most well-researched and accurate. It covers every aspect and brings many new things to light. Doyle has done a wonderful job.

William Liebenow

Powerful. ... Today’s candidates should read this account to learn from Kennedy’s leadership skills.

American Thinker

A terrific history. ... William Doyle’s PT 109 infuses an iconic tale with new information and insights, and in the telling deepens our understanding of the young John F. Kennedy’s courageous ‘origin’ story.

David Rensin

A gripping, well-told story of courage in the face of disaster.

Booklist

William Doyle’s PT 109 not only provides a highly accurate and researched account ... but it also brilliantly charts how those six days of survival, being alone, isolated and at times thought to be abandoned, transformed Kennedy’s very fiber—and his destiny.

Bridgeman Carney

A gripping, well-told story of courage in the face of disaster.

Booklist

Impressive. ... [An] engrossing combination of adventure and analysis. ... Doyle’s work has all the makings of a definitive account — the last word on the story. And as such, it’s a tale few are likely to forget.

USA Today

10/15/2015
Doyle (coauthor, Navy SEALs) presents a gripping account of John F. Kennedy's monumental test of leadership and survival during World War II, and how his actions set him on the path to political greatness. During the summer of 1943, Kennedy commanded PT 109, a modest Navy torpedo warship. In the hostile waters off the Solomon Islands he skippered missions mainly aimed at sinking Japanese supply vessels. On August 2, virtually without warning, a Japanese destroyer struck and severely damaged PT 109—thus beginning an intense struggle by Kennedy and his crew for survival. The young officer guided his men as they swam through shark-infested seas to an uninhabited island. From the island, although plagued with severe back pain, Kennedy swam solo into enemy territory to signal for recovery. Numerous retellings of this wartime calamity have been generated including John Domagalski's Into the Dark Water, which focuses on the history of the vessel. VERDICT Using new material, such as firsthand interviews with surviving key players, Doyle traces Kennedy's bravery and recklessness, both of which ultimately resulted in his crew reaching safety. Military buffs and Kennedy followers will find the president's wartime heroics compelling. [See Prepub Alert, 11/17/14.]—Mary Jennings, Camano Island Lib., WA

Library Journal

2015-09-02
The making of war hero John F. Kennedy. On Aug. 2, 1943, during the fighting in the South Pacific, a Japanese destroyer rammed PT-109, splitting the radarless torpedo boat in half, killing two sailors, and leaving 11 survivors in a fiery inferno, including its young skipper, JFK. The ensuing seven-day survival ordeal "forever transformed" Kennedy and paved the way for his elections to Congress (1947) and the presidency (1961). In this fast-paced narrative, veteran nonfiction writer Doyle (co-author: Navy SEALs: Their Untold Story, 2014, etc.) tells the familiar story of the charismatic JFK's inspiring wartime leadership, offering no revelations but plenty of context. Just the year before, Joe Kennedy, master manipulator, patriarch of the superwealthy family, and former U.S. ambassador to England, had summoned an earlier PT boat hero, John Bulkeley, who had famously helped Gen. Douglas MacArthur escape from the Philippines, to a private meeting in Manhattan's Plaza hotel, where he prevailed upon Bulkeley to help get young JFK into the PT boat service—for the publicity and to get the veteran's vote after the war. As fate would have it, JFK's survival in the Solomon Islands "transfigured [him] almost overnight into a war hero." He then became a national "pop culture icon" when writer John Hersey's lengthy account of the episode appeared in the New Yorker and, in condensed form, in Reader's Digest—all with help from Joe Kennedy. The PT-109 story became a mainstay of JFK's political campaigns, during which he saluted the heroics of his surviving crew members. A PT-109 float carried his shipmates in his presidential inaugural parade. "Without PT 109," said a longtime aid, "there never would have been a President John F. Kennedy." Dramatic and revealing. Readers unfamiliar with the Joe Kennedy back story will be startled to learn of his puppet master-like role in orchestrating JFK's rise to the presidency.

Kirkus Reviews