John F. Kennedy and PT-109 Crew by: Selena Aizpuro & Brittany Lam
John F. Kennedy and the PT-109 Crew came in contact with Tokyo Express. Thirty torpedoes were fired without damaging any of the Japanese ships. Tokyo Express sank John F. Kennedy's boat. The length of the castaway was seven days from August 1, 1943 to August 8. There were thirteen people on the boat but only eleven survived.
John F. Kennedy and eleven members of the PT-109 crew swam 3.5 miles to the tiny deserted Plum Pudding Island. It is a small rock island in the South Atlantic. Plum Pudding Island was renamed Kennedy Island after Kennedy and the PT-109 crew were found.
After swimming 3.5 miles, PT-109 survivors reached Plum Pudding Island. They placed their lantern and non-swimmers on one of the timbers used as a gun mount and began kicking together to propel it. They reached their destination in five hours. After staying on the island for two days without food or water, Kennedy and the crew realized they needed to swim to a larger island, Olasana, if they wanted to survive. Kennedy was determined to find a source of fresh water, he went to Naru Island which was the next island over. Kennedy found a box with Japanese candy, a tin of water, and a one man canoe that he took back to Olasana. Kennedy and his crew were injured and trying to swim to the deserted island despite their injuries. The following days, they tried several fearless attempts to be rescued. The men were with starvation and thirst. Two islanders helped deliver to a coast watcher a coconut Kennedy famously carved with a rescue message. After receiving messages from the 109 crew, the coast watcher radioed the PT base to arrange a rescue. Kennedy and crew were safe aboard a sister ship, PT-157. They survived six days on coconuts.