| In a heavily retouched view, Lieutenant Junior Grade John F. Kennedy and his crew are photographed forward of the bridge. The twin .50 caliber Browning machine guns, 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun, and 21-inch Mark 8 torpedo tubes. The Mark 8, a World War I design, had problems with depth settings and its contact exploder frequently shattered instead of triggering the explosive. Also, the grease packed in the tube would burn when the torpedo left the tube, causing a bright orange flash that would reveal the boats position at night. The PT Boats were often countered by “Rufe“ A6M2-N Zero-Sen floatplanes at night, day raids, and larger naval surface combatants, but were effective against light coastal shipping in the Solomons. The crew on the last voyage of August 1-2, 1943, not all of whom are in the photo, included Lieutenant Junior Grade John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Boston, Massachusetts, commanding officer; Ensign Leonard J. Thom, Sandusky, Ohio, Executive Officer; Ensign George H. R. “Barney“ Ross, Highland Park, Illinois, 37mm Gun Captain; Seaman Second class Raymond Albert, Akron, Ohio; Gunner‘s MateThird class Charles A. “Bucky“ Harris, Watertown, Massachusetts; Motor Machinist‘s Mate Second class William Johnston, Dorchester, Massachusetts; Torpedoman‘s Mate Second class Andrew Jackson Kirksey, Reynolds, Georgia (Killed in Action); Radioman Second class John E. Maguire, Dobbs Ferry, New York; Motor Machinist‘s Mate Second class Harold William Marney, Springfield, Massachusetts (Killed in Action); QuartermasterThird class Edman Edgar Mauer, St. Louis, Missouri; Motor Machinist‘s Mate First class Patrick H. “Pappy“ McMahon, Wyanet, Illinois (Severely Wounded in Action); Torpedoman‘s Mate Second class Ray L. Starkey, Garden Grove, California; and Motor Machinist‘s Mate First class Gerard E. Zinser, Belleville, Illinois. The photo has most of the forward gear removed from the photo. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1109.jpg |
| Image Size | 161.14 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 700 x 466 |
| Photographer | Unknown |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | July 01, 1942 |
| Location | PT-109 |
| City | Rendova |
| State or Province | New Georgia |
| Country | Solomons |
| Archive | John F. Kennedy Museum |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2007, ©2024 MFA Productions LLC Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database