I met a man in Tulsa who was a Captain in the same squadron as Kennedy. He said Kennedy was well liked but getting rammed was the worst thing that could happen to a PT boat. They were the fastest thing on the sea.
I think Kennedy did act heroically after the boat was rammed but he probably should have been at least court marshalled for that.
It’s hard to imagine how it even happened.
Either they were not standing watch very good or they were dead in the water and the destroyer rammed them intentionally.
But, if they were DIW, ramming would not be necessary. A single shell from a five-incher would blow a PT boat to hell and gone.
“I think Kennedy did act heroically after the boat was rammed but he probably should have been at least court marshalled for that.”
Actually, non other than Douglas McArthur wanted to court marshall Kennedy for disobeying orders and leaving the engine in his PT boat running while waiting for the Jap boats. (He was talked out of the court marshall for political reasons.) With the noise of the motor and the moonless night, Kennedy didn’t see or hear the destroyer approaching until it was too late.
Good summary, and I expect the Kennedy political pull, in combination with the former, prevented the latter.
Had he not been a Kennedy, he would have been Court Marshalled. Hell, his little brother got away with murder.