Kennedy, John F. PT-109 Memorabilia
F2. Maritime Culture, Heritage, Archaeology, Art and MuseumsDefinition
Maritime relics of the Pacific war.
PT-109 was a US Navy Patrol Torpedo boat commanded by Lieutenant John F. Kennedy when the Japanese destroyer Amagiri rammed and sank it in the Solomon Islands on 2 August 1943. Kennedy led 10 survivors to safety, towing an injured crewman, and a message carved on a coconut husk reached Allied scouts; that coconut later sat on his desk in the Oval Office. Associated memorabilia, including the coconut paperweight and a scrimshaw display, is held by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.
Source: US Navy record; PT-109 sunk by the destroyer Amagiri, Solomon Islands, 2 August 1943.