PT 34
Encyclopedia
Motor Torpedo Boat PT-34 was a commissioned on 12 July 1941.
The commander of PT-34 was Ltjg. Robert B. Kelly
, the executive officer
of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three
, based in the Philippines
from late 1941 through April 1942.
On 17 December, a passenger ship loaded with 1,200 passengers struck a mine off Corregidor
and sank with a large loss of life. PT-34, along with squadron mates PT-32 and PT-35 rescued some 280 survivors, who were distributed between Corregidor and French
SS Si-Kiang.
On January 22, 1942 PT 34 sank 2 enemy barges
This PT boat evacuated Admiral Francis W. Rockwell
, General Richard Marshall (Deputy Chief of Staff), Col. Charles P. Stivers (G-1), Capt. Joseph McMicking (Philippine Army, Asst. G-2) from Corregidor
to Mindanao
on 12 March 1942 as part of the operation to evacuate General Douglas MacArthur
to Australia
.
On the night of April 8, 1942, off Cebu
, the Imperial Japanese cruiser Kuma
and the torpedo boat Kiji were attacked by PT-34 in concert with PT-41. Both PT boats reported seeing multiple torpedo hits on the Kuma from their attack, but according to Japanese Navy records examined after the war, the Kuma was hit in the bow by one of the torpedoes fired by PT-34, but it failed to detonate.
PT-34 was sunk near Kauit Island by four Japanese F1M Pete floatplanes
from the Sanuki Maru on April 9, 1942, in the aftermath of the Kuma attack. Lt. Kelly survived the sinking, and was later transported out of the Philippines along with three other officers of the squadron. The crew suffered one KIA
, one DOW and three WIA
of 6 man crew. The executive officer Iliff David Richardson
remained in the Philippines with the guerrilla forces with his account of his experiences turned into the book and film American Guerrilla in the Philippines
.
The commander of PT-34 was Ltjg. Robert B. Kelly
Robert Kelly (navy)
Captain Robert Boling Kelly was the executive officer of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 in World War 2, immortalized in the movie They Were Expendable. Returned to the United States in May 1942. After three months in the hospital and a month at Melville he was ordered to commission Motor...
, the executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three
Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three
Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three was a United States Navy squadron based at Cavite, Philippines, from September 1941 to mid-April 1942. It was commanded by then-Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley and made up of six motor torpedo boats: PT 31, PT 32, PT 33, PT 34, PT 35, and PT 41, the last as the...
, based in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
from late 1941 through April 1942.
On 17 December, a passenger ship loaded with 1,200 passengers struck a mine off Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
and sank with a large loss of life. PT-34, along with squadron mates PT-32 and PT-35 rescued some 280 survivors, who were distributed between Corregidor and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
SS Si-Kiang.
On January 22, 1942 PT 34 sank 2 enemy barges
This PT boat evacuated Admiral Francis W. Rockwell
Francis W. Rockwell (admiral)
Francis Warren Rockwell was a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy who served from 1908 to 1948.-Early life and career:...
, General Richard Marshall (Deputy Chief of Staff), Col. Charles P. Stivers (G-1), Capt. Joseph McMicking (Philippine Army, Asst. G-2) from Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
to Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
on 12 March 1942 as part of the operation to evacuate General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
On the night of April 8, 1942, off Cebu
Cebu Island
Cebu is an island of the Philippines. It is the main island of Cebu Province at the center of the Visayan Islands, south of Manila.It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol Island. It is flanked on both sides by the Cebu Strait and Tañon Strait...
, the Imperial Japanese cruiser Kuma
Japanese cruiser Kuma
was a Kuma-class light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy, named after the Kuma River in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan.-Background:Kuma was the lead ship of the five vessels in the Kuma-class of light cruisers and was intended for use both as a long-range, high speed scout ship, and also as a...
and the torpedo boat Kiji were attacked by PT-34 in concert with PT-41. Both PT boats reported seeing multiple torpedo hits on the Kuma from their attack, but according to Japanese Navy records examined after the war, the Kuma was hit in the bow by one of the torpedoes fired by PT-34, but it failed to detonate.
PT-34 was sunk near Kauit Island by four Japanese F1M Pete floatplanes
Mitsubishi F1M
-See also:-Bibliography:* Francillon, R.J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London:Putnam, 1970. ISBN 370 00033 1.* Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Six: Floatplanes. London: Macdonald & Co., Ltd., 1962....
from the Sanuki Maru on April 9, 1942, in the aftermath of the Kuma attack. Lt. Kelly survived the sinking, and was later transported out of the Philippines along with three other officers of the squadron. The crew suffered one KIA
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
, one DOW and three WIA
Wounded in action
Wounded in action describes soldiers who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during war time, but have not been killed. Typically it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing to fight....
of 6 man crew. The executive officer Iliff David Richardson
Iliff David Richardson
Iliff David "Rich" Richardson was simultaneously a US Navy Ensign and a US Army Major whilst fighting with the Philippine resistance during World War II. He recounted his exploits to author Ira Wolfert, who published them in the book American Guerrilla in the Philippines in 1945...
remained in the Philippines with the guerrilla forces with his account of his experiences turned into the book and film American Guerrilla in the Philippines
American Guerrilla in the Philippines
American Guerrilla in the Philippines is a 1950 war film starring Tyrone Power as a U.S. Navy ensign stranded by the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II...
.
External links
- Elco PT boat - Photos of an Elco PT boat at the Battleship Cove Naval Museum in Fall River, MA
- Battleship Cove Naval Museum Website - Home of two restored World War II PT Boats