The american Elco PT Boat was based on a british design. Powered by three petrol engines with a length of 80 feet these boats were capable of speeds around 40 knots. The armament was steadily increased during the war culminating in them being very heavily armed for there size. The most famous of these boats was pt109 which was commanded by to be president John F Kennedy. One night on patrol his boat while stopped was hit by a japanese destroyer and cut in half, he and his crew managed to get to an island and were later rescued. A film was made about this called PT109. The boats also featured in the film They Were Expendable starring John Wayne.
Below is a collection of research photos of Elco PT Boats which includes a picture of JFK on the bridge of pt109
