[M1903A1]

Per his book, he was on one of the destroyers accompanying the Amagiri, and witnessed PT-109 motoring right into the Amagiri’s path. He also wrote his memoirs in the late 1950s, before Kennedy was a major figure, so he had no axe to grind about the incident.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

He is apparently alone in claiming that PT-109 was moving. It was, by all accounts a moonless night. When you are in a moving ship it is difficult to judge the course or speed of another ship, only its course or speed relative to your own.

I would be surprised if he saw a PT boat that he did not warn the other destroyer. Ramming a PT boat could result in an explosion of its ordnance. In the event the destroyers screw was damaged.

Anyway, the accusation against Kennedy is usually that he was idling and allowed himself to be run over. Depending on the terrain features of the local islands, one ship can have a distinct advantage in detecting another, if one is hidden in the background of the islands and the other is silhouetted against the Milky Way, for instance.

The commander of the other destroyer may have had a better view of the collision than either of the participants.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

He is apparently alone in claiming that PT-109 was moving. It was, by all accounts a moonless night. When you are in a moving ship it is difficult to judge the course or speed of another ship, only its course or speed relative to your own.

I would be surprised if he saw a PT boat that he did not warn the other destroyer. Ramming a PT boat could result in an explosion of its ordnance. In the event the destroyers screw was damaged.

Anyway, the accusation against Kennedy is usually that he was idling and allowed himself to be run over. Depending on the terrain features of the local islands, one ship can have a distinct advantage in detecting another, if one is hidden in the background of the islands and the other is silhouetted against the Milky Way, for instance.

The commander of the other destroyer may have had a better view of the collision than either of the participants.