The motor torpedo boat (MTB), also called the patrol torpedo (PT) boat, has acquired its personal particular swashbuckling aura for the reason that American Civil Battle, when a Union boat armed with spar torpedoes sank the Accomplice ironclad Albemarle. Such exploits made for thrilling literary, movie and tv fodder, however the public picture of the PT boat dashing alongside, dodging enemy shellfire to sink an enemy warship a number of instances its dimension, was, in truth, the exception to the rule.
Extra usually, the boats lay in ambush in coastal waters, scouting enemy forces or engaged in rescue operations. Two U.S. Navy PT boat captains awarded the Medal of Honor in World Battle II had been each instances in level: Lt. Cmdr. John Bulkeley acquired his for evacuating Gen. Douglas MacArthur from the Philippines in March 1942, whereas Lt. Arthur Preston, spending three hours in Japanese-held waters off Halmahera, rescued a downed plane provider pilot on Sept. 16, 1944.
In distinction to these exploits, little is thought about Lt. Isadore Michael Kovar, save for a uncommon motion through which, just about by probability, he and his crew scored probably the most important hit by an American PT boat on a Japanese warship.
Kovar’s second got here on the night time of Oct. 24, 1944, when two separated Japanese battle teams had been making their approach towards the American beachhead on Leyte by way of the Surigao Strait. The U.S. seventh Fleet’s assist power was conscious of the oncoming enemy and assembled on the northern tip of the strait to have interaction them. Awaiting the Japanese first, nevertheless, had been 39 PTs beneath Cmdr. Selman Bowling, taking over stations in 13-boat sections alongside the strait. The PT boat crews welcomed the prospect of motion, however their major activity was to put low and report no matter they noticed coming. As night time fell, they, relatively than plane, served because the eyes of the seventh Fleet.
On Oct. 24, a PT part mendacity off Bohol Island acquired radar contact. As an alternative of instantly reporting their discovery, nevertheless, the PTs superior to assault. At three miles from their meant targets, they got here beneath gunfire from the destroyer Shigure. The Battle of Surigao Strait was on.
Because the PTs zigzagged towards the Japanese, Shigure’s searchlight fell on PT-152. Certainly one of its shells set the craft afire and killed a gunner. One other shell demolished PT-130′s radio, however it relayed its contact report back to PT-127, which radioed it to the PT-boat tender Wachapreague. The data reached Rear Adm. Jesse Oldendorf aboard the cruiser Louisville.
In the meantime, PT-151, PT-146 and PT-190 fought the Japanese with their cannons and torpedoes till pushed off. The commander of the lead Japanese battle fleet, Vice Adm. Shoji Nishimura, reported to the chief of the power developing behind him, Vice Adm. Kiyohide Shima, and to the commander of the lead battle fleet, Vice Adm. Takeo Kurita, that he anticipated to enter Leyte Gulf at about 01:30 within the morning.
“A number of torpedo boats sighted,” Nishimura famous, “however enemy scenario in any other case unknown.”
Shortly after 2 a.m., PT-134 tried to assault however was pushed off by gunfire whereas PT-490 tried to assault a destroyer however was hit. PT-493 ran onto the rocks off Panaon Island, the place its males had been rescued the following morning.
The final PT boat assault ended at 2:13 a.m. For the lack of three males useless and 20 wounded, the boats had scored no hits, however they completed their major mission — pinpointing and reporting the Japanese actions. Aided by that intelligence, Oldendorf made last deployments of his destroyers, cruisers and his battleships: Pennsylvania, California, Tennessee, Mississippi, Maryland and West Virginia.
Within the slaughter that adopted, Oldendorf’s ships sank the battleships Fuso and Yamashiro, together with destroyers Yamagumo, Michishio and Asagumo. The closely broken heavy cruiser Mogami and destroyer Shigure fled southward.
A torpedo miss turned lethal
As Shima’s power emerged from a rain squall, it was ambushed by PT-134, however the latter’s torpedoes missed. A couple of minutes later, Shima ordered a proper flip in order that certainly one of his destroyers might keep away from Panaon Island.
As he did so, nevertheless, the destroyer was noticed by Lt. Kovar and the crew of PT-137. The PT boat loosed a single torpedo, then took evasive motion beneath a barrage of star shell.
Kovar’s “fish” ran deep, touring proper beneath its meant goal however, as luck would have it, ran on, proper into the sunshine cruiser Abukuma as an alternative. Struck within the boiler room with 37 crewmen useless and its pace decreased to 10 knots, the sorely battered Abukuma needed to drop out of formation.
Shima was nonetheless continuing north together with his two heavy cruisers, Nachi and Ashigara, when the cruiser Mogami emerged from the fog. Nachi’s captain frantically ordered a change in course to 110 levels, however he had underestimated Mogami’s pace (he thought it was just about useless within the water) and the 2 cruisers collided.
Along with his flagship’s stern broken and his pace decreased to 18 knots, Shima ordered his column to retire. Whereas the PTs tried one other assault on the destroyer Shigure, they had been fought off, leaving PT-321 barely broken.
Nevertheless, because of the relentless PT assaults, Oldendorf’s ships had been capable of meet up with the slow-moving Mogami. Louisville, Portland and Denver instantly engaged it. A number of direct hits rekindled Mogami’s fires and Oldendorf moved on to hunt different prey.
Mogami’s pace was down to six knots, however it was not fairly completed, as PT-491 found when it got here beneath its fireplace. Two torpedoes from PT-491 missed the cruiser, whereas PT-137 was pushed off by its secondary weapons. Mogami was not solely nonetheless stuffed with combat, however had sped up, Kovar reported, to 12 or 14 knots.
The lack of extra Japanese ships — together with all 4 of Ozawa’s plane carriers off Cape Engaño — was simply the anticlimax to a battle already gained by the People. And worse was nonetheless to return.
On the morning of Oct. 25, whereas the Battle of Leyte Gulf was being determined off Samar, plane from Rear Adm. Thomas Sprague’s escort carriers had been trying to find Shima’s retiring power when 17 of his TBM-1 Avengers discovered it west of the Surigao Peninsula.
They attacked Mogami and left it useless within the water — for the final time. Destroyer Akebono evacuated the crew and despatched it to the underside with a torpedo.
However the People weren’t carried out meting out punishment.
The Abukuma, limping again to the Dapitan Harbor in Mindanao on Oct. 25, was attacked by B-24 Liberators of the thirteenth and fifth Air Forces the next morning. Giant fires started to swiftly unfold all through the ship earlier than in the end reaching the torpedo room and blowing a big gap within the mild cruiser, which sank, with 250 of its crew, southwest of Negros Island.
Abukuma was certainly one of 22 Japanese warships taking part within the provider assault on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. By the top of the battle, just one was nonetheless afloat: Ushio, the destroyer that, amongst different issues, had rescued 283 of Abukuma’s crew, together with its captain.
Abukuma was additionally the most important warship whose demise was credited primarily to a PT boat. For that unintentional kill, Lt. Kovar was awarded the Navy Cross.
