NAVY LOG : "PT 109"1957
NAVY LOG was a series that ran from 1955 to 1958. It was an anthology series based on real stories and exploits of the U.S. Navy during WW2, The Korean War and the then current, Cold War. The series ran for a total of 102 episodes. The series features plenty of just unclassified footage of various naval actions etc. The Navy was more than happy to help with tech and film footage.
This particular episode is the 6th of season 3.
The episode is about the sinking of the U.S. Navy's PT 109. This one details the action of the boat as well as the rescue of the crew after its sinking. PT 109 was famous because the ship was under the command of future US President John F. Kennedy.
August 2, 1943 The PT 109, based in Rendova in the Solomon Islands is out on night patrol with several other PT boats looking for Japanese ships. While the 109 is just idling on low power, a Japanese destroyer, the Amagiri comes out of the night and cuts the torpedo boat in half. The stern part sank but the bow section remained afloat. Two men were lost in the collision with the remaining men gathered on the bow.
The men decided to swim to a nearby island and wait for rescue. However, the other PT boats in the patrol had seen the collision and assumed the PT 109 was lost with all hands.
After a few days on treeless Plum Pudding Island, the crew swam to another island, Olasana, hoping to find coconuts and fresh water. Each night, Kennedy swims out into the sea hoping to spot and signal a PT boat on patrol. Kennedy did not know that the Navy had changed the patrol area.
After 5 days the crew are discovered by natives, and a message is sent to an Australian coast watcher. The message was carved into a coconut. Soon the info is forwarded to Rendova and a PT boat is sent to rescue the 11 survivors.
J.F.K. is played by John Baer with John Close, Don Blackman, David Frankham, Peter Miller and Patrick Waltz rounding out the cast. The events were again filmed for the big screen 1963 feature, PT 109 with Cliff Robertson as J.F.K.
In 2002 the National Geographic Society funded an expedition headed by Robert Ballard to search for PT 109. They found torpedoes and the remains of the bow section. Ballard was the man who found TITANIC, BISMARCK and the carrier YORKTON.
NAVY LOG was a series that ran from 1955 to 1958. It was an anthology series based on real stories and exploits of the U.S. Navy during WW2, The Korean War and the then current, Cold War. The series ran for a total of 102 episodes. The series features plenty of just unclassified footage of various naval actions etc. The Navy was more than happy to help with tech and film footage.
This particular episode is the 6th of season 3.
The episode is about the sinking of the U.S. Navy's PT 109. This one details the action of the boat as well as the rescue of the crew after its sinking. PT 109 was famous because the ship was under the command of future US President John F. Kennedy.
August 2, 1943 The PT 109, based in Rendova in the Solomon Islands is out on night patrol with several other PT boats looking for Japanese ships. While the 109 is just idling on low power, a Japanese destroyer, the Amagiri comes out of the night and cuts the torpedo boat in half. The stern part sank but the bow section remained afloat. Two men were lost in the collision with the remaining men gathered on the bow.
The men decided to swim to a nearby island and wait for rescue. However, the other PT boats in the patrol had seen the collision and assumed the PT 109 was lost with all hands.
After a few days on treeless Plum Pudding Island, the crew swam to another island, Olasana, hoping to find coconuts and fresh water. Each night, Kennedy swims out into the sea hoping to spot and signal a PT boat on patrol. Kennedy did not know that the Navy had changed the patrol area.
After 5 days the crew are discovered by natives, and a message is sent to an Australian coast watcher. The message was carved into a coconut. Soon the info is forwarded to Rendova and a PT boat is sent to rescue the 11 survivors.
J.F.K. is played by John Baer with John Close, Don Blackman, David Frankham, Peter Miller and Patrick Waltz rounding out the cast. The events were again filmed for the big screen 1963 feature, PT 109 with Cliff Robertson as J.F.K.
In 2002 the National Geographic Society funded an expedition headed by Robert Ballard to search for PT 109. They found torpedoes and the remains of the bow section. Ballard was the man who found TITANIC, BISMARCK and the carrier YORKTON.