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PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II
Crest Book with a photo section in center & photos on back cover.
August 2, 1943, in Blackett Straight in Solomon Islands, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri rammed and sank an Americam PT boat leaving the crew for dead and the sea in flames. The skipper who was from Boston was LT. John Fitzgerald Kennedy and ten other men. This true story tells how they survived the next 36 hours.
August 2, 1943, in Blackett Straight in Solomon Islands, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri rammed and sank an Americam PT boat leaving the crew for dead and the sea in flames. The skipper who was from Boston was LT. John Fitzgerald Kennedy and ten other men. This true story tells how they survived the next 36 hours.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
18 people are currently reading
419 people want to read
About the author
Robert John Donovan
23 books4 followersRobert John Donovan was a Washington correspondent, author and presidential historian. Donovan attended Lafayette High School in Buffalo, New York, where he was Captain of the Hocke Herald Tribune after the war and served as a foreign correspondent and Washington Bureau Chief. During the latter period he was President of the White House Correspondents' Association. From the Tribune, he moved to the Los Angeles Times as Washington Bureau Chief and for a short time as Associate Editor in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
January 13, 2024
There is an interesting story here, but I’m not sure it needed a book like this to tell it. If Kennedy were not the protagonist of this moderately interesting sequence of events, I doubt they would have written a book about it at all. I also can’t shake the feeling that this book is a propaganda piece. There isn’t the coherent characterisation of quality journalism. This is the story of a hero - Kennedy - and his subordinates, who mostly seem to just admire him. What were his weaknesses? What let him down? I don’t know. He is only strengths.
Kennedy encountered some really difficult conditions in the Second World War, but the South Pacific theatre was difficult in general. It was hot and humid, and logistics were not easy. This is a story from roughly the same time that saw Australian soldiers fighting along the Kokoda track, and the great air battles between the USA and Japan over Midway Atoll. There are many more stories, more exciting and more heroic than Kennedy’s. I guess those people didn’t go on to become presidents though, and I suppose if they did, they’d have more books written about them too.
Kennedy encountered some really difficult conditions in the Second World War, but the South Pacific theatre was difficult in general. It was hot and humid, and logistics were not easy. This is a story from roughly the same time that saw Australian soldiers fighting along the Kokoda track, and the great air battles between the USA and Japan over Midway Atoll. There are many more stories, more exciting and more heroic than Kennedy’s. I guess those people didn’t go on to become presidents though, and I suppose if they did, they’d have more books written about them too.
July 22, 2025
Presidents used to get stranded at sea while fighting battleships to earn our respect. Now they make indefensibly awful reality TV.
Cool read.
Cool read.
April 30, 2016
First published in 1961, this 40th Anniversary edition comes with a Foreword by Daniel Schorr, a Preface from author Robert J Donovan and Afterword on PT boat history by Duane Hove.
I picked this up in a book auction held at a seminar of Dealey Plaza U.K. My knowledge of Kennedy's WWII exploits come from dim memories of the PT109 film that I was taken to see at the cinema too many years ago.....I must have been around ten years old.
I can't agree with Ted Kennedy's quote, "To me, it has always been one of the great war stories of all time." He would have said that wouldn't he. I must say that this book was very well researched by Bob Donovan. Once read, it is easy to refute the criticism that Jack Kennedy was negligent in allowing his boat to be rammed by a Japanese destroyer. Both vessels were without radar in a pitch dark night and Donovan's interviews with the crew members of both sides confirm the haphazard nature of the incident. What is not in dispute are the heroic actions undertaken by the skipper to save and bring rescue to his crew.
The same heroic traits he displayed in 1962 when he saved you and me from nuclear conflagration.
I picked this up in a book auction held at a seminar of Dealey Plaza U.K. My knowledge of Kennedy's WWII exploits come from dim memories of the PT109 film that I was taken to see at the cinema too many years ago.....I must have been around ten years old.
I can't agree with Ted Kennedy's quote, "To me, it has always been one of the great war stories of all time." He would have said that wouldn't he. I must say that this book was very well researched by Bob Donovan. Once read, it is easy to refute the criticism that Jack Kennedy was negligent in allowing his boat to be rammed by a Japanese destroyer. Both vessels were without radar in a pitch dark night and Donovan's interviews with the crew members of both sides confirm the haphazard nature of the incident. What is not in dispute are the heroic actions undertaken by the skipper to save and bring rescue to his crew.
The same heroic traits he displayed in 1962 when he saved you and me from nuclear conflagration.
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January 23, 2023A really amazing story told lively and concisely.
September 17, 2025
Didn’t need to be written. Die hard Kennedy fan, sure. Is there better books? Probably. Did I learn something? Ya. Would I recommend? Only if you want a quick read after a slog of a book. Lot of filler unfortunately, especially after SPOILERS, he gets saved.
August 11, 2010
This book was one of many which came out just before and during the Kennedy presidency. I'm pretty sure I read it after the election along with his Profiles in Courage, The Making of the President 1960 and a general biography probably written for the campaign the author of which escapes me right now. I also, naturally, listened to the comedic record, The First Family, and watched Jackie's show about the history of the White House on televison. Heck, I even watched the thing about Robert Frost there. Indeed, I was probably more involved in covering the major mass media during his administration than at any time since. I was a naive, true believer.
This book, detailing Kennedy's service at a patrol boat skipper, simply confirmed my belief that he was a great man. The story of their sinking and rescue was exciting at the time.
This book, detailing Kennedy's service at a patrol boat skipper, simply confirmed my belief that he was a great man. The story of their sinking and rescue was exciting at the time.
July 12, 2015
This book has been in my public library for fifty years. Check it out next time you hear some clod denigrating the courage or moral strength of John F. Kennedy.
August 30, 2024
I have heard about this book all my life, but just read it for the first time. I grew up watching Mc Hale’s Navy on tv, but to be a PT member was all work and no play, especially in Guadalcanal.
It was interesting to read the story in fairly real time, as it happened in the 1940’s and the book was written (and corroborated by Kennedy and many of his men) in 1961.
Without being gory or full of swearing, the book was a very real and inspirational account of what war in the islands was like, preparations, problems, and real heroes.
I really could not believe what some of these guys had to go through, and the heroics they performed in this theater of war. It was very careful to mention their thoughts, fears, anxieties about dying, concerns for family and others. This particular aspect made it a very human story. Also, the photos are great, and a number of Japanese officers were also included in this story, as well as the natives of the area who helped rescue the crew.
I learned about a very important fellow, a member of His Majesty’s Coastwatcher’s service, who was instrumental in saving the lives of the stranded men of PT 109.
If you like real life stories of war, you will enjoy this.
It was interesting to read the story in fairly real time, as it happened in the 1940’s and the book was written (and corroborated by Kennedy and many of his men) in 1961.
Without being gory or full of swearing, the book was a very real and inspirational account of what war in the islands was like, preparations, problems, and real heroes.
I really could not believe what some of these guys had to go through, and the heroics they performed in this theater of war. It was very careful to mention their thoughts, fears, anxieties about dying, concerns for family and others. This particular aspect made it a very human story. Also, the photos are great, and a number of Japanese officers were also included in this story, as well as the natives of the area who helped rescue the crew.
I learned about a very important fellow, a member of His Majesty’s Coastwatcher’s service, who was instrumental in saving the lives of the stranded men of PT 109.
If you like real life stories of war, you will enjoy this.
December 21, 2020
This older book was written well with insight from the locals long after they realized the impact of who they rescued. I didn't realize the experience President Kennedy had in the military and it was interesting to read of his leadership experience prior to him getting into politics.
April 26, 2024
A very good read if you're interested in learning about President Kennedy's time serving on PT boats during WWII. I never knew he continued to serve after PT 109 sank, so it was fascinating to learn about his time on PT 59 as well. War is hell, and it doesn't sound real reading about what Kennedy and his men went through, and managed to survive. It sounds like the stuff of superheroes, but it's all inspiringly - and heartbreakingly - true.
August 8, 2021
Þokkaleg bók sem reyndar var skrifuð 1961 þegar JFK var orðinn forseti USA. Höfundur hefur væntanlega tekið mið af því þegar hann skrifaði bókina, líklega með JFK á öxlunum, og því kannski ekki mjög krítískur á atburðarásina eða frammistöðu reynslulausa yfirstéttarpiltsins Kennedys sem skipstjóra tundurskeytahraðbátsins PT-109 sumarið 1943. Það var slysalegt að láta japanskan tundurspilli sigla sig í kaf þó um niðdimma nótt væri og þannig tapa bæði skipi og missa tvo menn og aðra slasaða. Sumir segja að draga hefði átt JFK fyrir herrétt vegna þessa og refsa honum fyrir gáleysi en fjölskyldutengsl og ríkidæmi hefði forðað honum frá því. Aðrir benda á að JFK hafi með hetjulegri frammistöðu bjargað því sem bjargað varð og þeir sem á annað borð lifðu áreksturinn hafi komist af, ekki síst fyrir tilstilli skipstjórans. Að draga hann fyrir herrétt eftir þá frammistöðu hefði einfaldlega þýtt slæmt PR fyrir sjóherinn og því best að láta kyrrt liggja og gera frekar hetju úr stráknum. Hér skal ekki dæmt í þessu máli. Fín þýðing Hersteins Pálssonar bjargar þessari bók í íslensku útgáfunni og gerir hana vel læsilega svo langt sem hún nær. Þegar bókin kom út hér á landi í þýðingu Hersteins 1963 var JFK liðið lík og rétt orðinn kaldur í gröfinni eftir að hafa ekið aðeins of hægt um götur Dallas-borgar í Texas, USA. En það er önnur saga.
April 7, 2022
I was gifted this book as a kid but never read it until I was of retirement age. By now, the story of PT 109 and its skipper John F. Kennedy has fallen off the map of public consciousness, but in the early 1960s it was part of the Kennedy legend, so of course I had to read it, better late than never.
The first half is a bit of a slow slog recounting Kennedy’s training days and early deployment to the South Pacific. The story picks up considerably in the second half as Kennedy’s fateful PT 109 mission is described in stirring detail.
The final twenty pages or so describe other wartime PT boat missions involving Kennedy and his crew.
I gave it three stars for having the feel of a piece of campaign literature rather than a really tightly written account. Many of the anecdotes lack drama or are unnecessarily cloying or overly reverential toward the future president. It is as if Donovan felt the president looking over his shoulder as he wrote.
Still, I learned some things about the incident I didn’t know before and Kennedy is portrayed as warm, patient, decisive and at times heroic, all qualities he displayed to a worldwide audience later on. It is hard to miss the irony that Lt. Kennedy survived the dangers of the South Pacific during wartime but could not survive an automobile ride in his own country twenty years later.
The first half is a bit of a slow slog recounting Kennedy’s training days and early deployment to the South Pacific. The story picks up considerably in the second half as Kennedy’s fateful PT 109 mission is described in stirring detail.
The final twenty pages or so describe other wartime PT boat missions involving Kennedy and his crew.
I gave it three stars for having the feel of a piece of campaign literature rather than a really tightly written account. Many of the anecdotes lack drama or are unnecessarily cloying or overly reverential toward the future president. It is as if Donovan felt the president looking over his shoulder as he wrote.
Still, I learned some things about the incident I didn’t know before and Kennedy is portrayed as warm, patient, decisive and at times heroic, all qualities he displayed to a worldwide audience later on. It is hard to miss the irony that Lt. Kennedy survived the dangers of the South Pacific during wartime but could not survive an automobile ride in his own country twenty years later.
March 10, 2010
Many, many years ago on the evening I was born, John F. Kennedy was being rescued from a tiny South Pacific island. Twenty years later he is killed in Dallas and my world changed dramatically. The world was no longer innocent, nor was is worth as much.
This slim book was well worth re-reading after so many years.
This slim book was well worth re-reading after so many years.
December 25, 2022
Starting with George Washington, many of the U. S. Presidents risked their lives in fighting for their country. This book is a reasonably accurate historical account of the wartime actions of John F. Kennedy. Even though he had a back condition that could have kept him out of World War II, Kennedy pleaded with his father to find a doctor that would certify him fit for duty.
He eventually ended up as the skipper of PT 109, a fast boat that operated against the Japanese in the islands of the South Pacific around Guadalcanal. Like many members of the armed forces, much of their time was spent in routine tasks that bored them. Yet, one night the 109 was cut into pieces when it was rammed by a Japanese destroyer. This initiated a difficult fight for survival among the crew, it was here that John Kennedy proved his worth as a sailor.
Although he only commanded a small crew on a small boat, Kennedy’s actions were truly heroic and all the men that survived the collision were eventually rescued. It is a story of perseverance against long odds in the presence of the enemy. Worthy of the song and movie that were made about it. Given the small margin of victory over Richard Nixon in the 1960 Presidential election, the wartime action of John Kennedy likely provided the margin of victory.
He eventually ended up as the skipper of PT 109, a fast boat that operated against the Japanese in the islands of the South Pacific around Guadalcanal. Like many members of the armed forces, much of their time was spent in routine tasks that bored them. Yet, one night the 109 was cut into pieces when it was rammed by a Japanese destroyer. This initiated a difficult fight for survival among the crew, it was here that John Kennedy proved his worth as a sailor.
Although he only commanded a small crew on a small boat, Kennedy’s actions were truly heroic and all the men that survived the collision were eventually rescued. It is a story of perseverance against long odds in the presence of the enemy. Worthy of the song and movie that were made about it. Given the small margin of victory over Richard Nixon in the 1960 Presidential election, the wartime action of John Kennedy likely provided the margin of victory.
April 15, 2024
I imagine that I read this long ago but I can't recall if it moved me the way it did this time. Truly, courage comes to the fore when it is needed and what the future President did to help save his men was courageous. Would you have swum out into those Southwestern Pacific waters alone? Surrounded by the enemy on almost all sides? With God knows what swimming in those seas? Green coconuts and just enough water you could lick off a green leaf after a tropical rain shower? Could you have towed a seriously wounded man through the water just clinging to him by the strap of his life jacket?
Courage that is typical of the "Greatest Generation."
The author spent much time in the Southwest Pacific researching this book. Interviewing the natives who rescued Kennedy and his men, visiting many of the locations (islands mentioned, 3000 miles of travel) and he even swam the route Kennedy and his men took from their wrecked PT to Plum Pudding Island! He interviewed surviving crew members and spoke with the officers & crew of the Japanese destroyer that rammed PT 109! Lastly, he had the President look over his work and read the manuscript. A tremendous effort to get the story right.
This is a first edition.
Courage that is typical of the "Greatest Generation."
The author spent much time in the Southwest Pacific researching this book. Interviewing the natives who rescued Kennedy and his men, visiting many of the locations (islands mentioned, 3000 miles of travel) and he even swam the route Kennedy and his men took from their wrecked PT to Plum Pudding Island! He interviewed surviving crew members and spoke with the officers & crew of the Japanese destroyer that rammed PT 109! Lastly, he had the President look over his work and read the manuscript. A tremendous effort to get the story right.
This is a first edition.
March 21, 2020
The more I learn about John F. Kennedy, the more I realize what a robust life he lived. It's easy to get lost in the veneer of rich boy turned president as seen on historical television clips, but he really was far more than that. To be sure, he had some advantages due to his prestigious father and the family money. But rather than rely on that to get him favors, he worked to become his own person in his own right.
In this biographical memoir by Donovan, we get a glimpse into the integrity of Kennedy's leadership during WWII. The incredible events he survived and his dogged determination to save his men netted him not only recognition but a back condition that bothered him for the rest of his life. Still, he pressed on with a fervor to serve his nation that few possess today.
In this biographical memoir by Donovan, we get a glimpse into the integrity of Kennedy's leadership during WWII. The incredible events he survived and his dogged determination to save his men netted him not only recognition but a back condition that bothered him for the rest of his life. Still, he pressed on with a fervor to serve his nation that few possess today.
October 19, 2021
Even after all he went through on PT 109 Lt. John F. Kennedy served on another PT boat 59 and went back to rescue some marines who were surrounded by Japanese soldiers . One was wounded but PT 59 carried him home. He had died on the boat. Kennedy served noblely and so did his men who admired him forever.
The soldier who died on 59 was Corporal Edward James Snell. There was two that died on 109 as well. All JFK never forgot. Author Robert Donovan says,"President Kennedy's experiences on that boat are the pain that resulted had made him a wiser,stronger and more confident man. It's even possible that he might never have reached the White House if it had not been for PT 109."
A wonderful book and JFK deserved his award.
The soldier who died on 59 was Corporal Edward James Snell. There was two that died on 109 as well. All JFK never forgot. Author Robert Donovan says,"President Kennedy's experiences on that boat are the pain that resulted had made him a wiser,stronger and more confident man. It's even possible that he might never have reached the White House if it had not been for PT 109."
A wonderful book and JFK deserved his award.
March 12, 2020
PT 109 by Robert John Donovan was published as John F. Kennedy was becoming president in early 1961. The author traveled to the South Pacific to the location where the ramming of Kennedy's PT boat (Patrol Torpedo) by a Japanese warship split his ship in two and started the whole ordeal of life and death for Lieutenant Kennedy and his crew. Donovan was able to interview the islanders and crew members still alive at the time of his research.
I have had decades to read this book or see the movie but never did until now. I knew President Kennedy had been a hero in the war, but I never knew before the lengths he went to to save the men who served under him. Highly recommended reading!
I have had decades to read this book or see the movie but never did until now. I knew President Kennedy had been a hero in the war, but I never knew before the lengths he went to to save the men who served under him. Highly recommended reading!
January 4, 2022
On August 2, 1943, in the waters of Blackett Strait in the Solomon Islands, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri sliced an American PT boat in two, leaving its crew for dead in a flaming sea. The boat's skipper, a lieutenant named John Fitzgerald Kennedy, repeatedly risked his life in an effort to summon help until he finally secured his crew's rescue. Robert John Donovan was a Washington correspondent, author and presidential historian. During the latter period, he was President of the White House Correspondents' Association. Donavan does a good job recreating this famous crash that was so well known to JFK fans.
October 6, 2023
I first read this classic of PT boats fighting in the South Pacific when it was published in 1961. At that time, as a young boy, I was impressed with the daring-do of JFK and the tragedy he averted by never giving up. Perhaps he was influenced by Winston Churchill's maxim, "Never Give Up, Never Give Up, Never Give Up." JFK demonstrated his commitment to duty, honor and country. Shipwreck is an experience that shapes a man's character and hardens him to life's challenges. Now as a 30-year veteran of the US Army, I find that Donovan's book continues to be a story of great sacrifice and courage. This account has stood the test of time.
September 21, 2018
This is the story of John F. Kennedy in WWII. PT stands for patrol torpedo boat. There would be a second PT boat after the 109, but this is the one that is better known. In the 109, the crew faces disaster as they are struck and sunk by a Japanese destroyer. Remarkably, only two of the crew are killed in this accident. Next will come survival and rescue, avoiding capture by the Japanese. I read the 40th Anniversary edition, which contains new material at front and back. It is a very easy read. I also read the original edition years earlier.
March 19, 2025
JFK went on to do some extraordinary things post war, and because of the attention paid to him later in life a window into what it was like for a standard enlisted group in the Solomons was opened.
It’s an interesting story of a small group of which opens the imagination to thousands of similar untold experiences from all the other PT boats deployed to the Pacific.
An easy read, and a nice opportunity to travel back in time for a bit. Significantly more interesting than many other McGraw Hill publications we all became so familiar with in the Public Education System.
It’s an interesting story of a small group of which opens the imagination to thousands of similar untold experiences from all the other PT boats deployed to the Pacific.
An easy read, and a nice opportunity to travel back in time for a bit. Significantly more interesting than many other McGraw Hill publications we all became so familiar with in the Public Education System.
August 11, 2017
In the darkness of August 2, 1943, in the waters of Blackett Strait in the Solomon Islands, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri sliced an American PT boat in two, leaving its crew for dead in the sea. Over the next three days, the boat's skipper, a lieutenant from Boston named John Fitzgerald Kennedy, risked his life in an effort to summon help until he finally secured his crew's rescue. A heroic tale that is compelling in how it will later effect history
November 13, 2021
A very fascinating tale of Kennedy (and his crew) during WWII, and how his boat was wrecked by a Japanese ship and him and his crew were stranded for a week. The book seemed to be objective, and gave the reader an accessible rundown of life for the men during this time. This book did not make me want to join the Navy nor did it make me want to go to the Solomon Islands without a suit wrapping me in AC.
January 25, 2018
I have vivid memories of that November day in 1963 when a classmate burst into the high school library to announce that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. Since then, I have read numerous accounts of both the Kennedy presidency and assassination; but WHY did I wait over 50 years to read this? (I have no logical explanation.)
September 30, 2025
A detailed account of John F. Kennedy's service as captain of a PT Boat in the Pacific. The book was engaging and well-written. I enjoyed the honest account of what service on a PT boat was truly like, and I admired the fortitude Kennedy had in trying to arrange rescue for his crew despite his own injuries.
December 29, 2025
A good retelling of the PT 109 incident, would have liked more from the point of view of the sailors not named Kennedy, and maybe a more thorough telling of his time in WW2 before becoming the skipper of PT 109.
March 14, 2017
Story of John F. Kennedy's experiences on PT boats in the navy during World War II. Includes the sinking of PT 109 by a Japanese destroyer and Kennedy's subsequent rescue of his crew.
February 9, 2018
Hard to imagine what Kennedy and his fellow soldiers went through during WWII. A different time.
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August 1, 2024Date read very very very approximate - sometime ~1965 to ~1970.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews