Kennedy was out fik'n around on PT109. Wasn't paying attention.
"but Kennedy’s
PT-109 and the last boat, with Lieutenant John Lowrey at the helm, somehow got left behind." (uh huh
)
If it was anyone else; he would of been court martialed.
He ran into the destroyer (or failed to get out of the way) and 'some' powers at be made it seem like Kennedy was a hero, trying to attack a destroyer all by himself.
Pff, next you tell me Kerry was a war hero.
Just like his whole life, orders and rules are for thee, not for me.
On May 30, Cluster took PT-109 with him when he was ordered to move two squadrons 80 miles north to the central Solomons. Here Kennedy made a reckless gaffe. After patrols, he liked to race back to base to snare the first spot in line for refueling. He would approach the dock at top speed, reversing his engines only at the last minute. Machinist’s Mate Patrick “Pop” McMahon warned that the boat’s war-weary engines might conk out, but Kennedy paid no heed. One night, the engines finally did fail, and the 109 smashed into the dock like a missile. Some commanders might have court-martialed Kennedy on the spot. But Cluster laughed it off, particularly when his friend earned the nickname “Crash” Kennedy.
The following link tells some of the story, not the full real story that a few in the Navy were privy to.
edit -
many believe, that even with 1 engine working, a PT boat would of been able to get out of the way of a destroyer. Some speculate that sleeping and drinking were involved.