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

William Doyle

oct 2015 · HarperCollins

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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.

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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.