Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three was a
United States NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
squadron based at
CaviteCavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
,
PhilippinesThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, from September 1941 to mid-April 1942. It was commanded by then-
LieutenantLieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service, emergency medical services or police officer rank....
John D. BulkeleyVice Admiral John Duncan Bulkeley was a United States Navy officer who received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He was also the PT boat skipper who evacuated General MacArthur from Corregidor in the Philippines...
and made up of six
motor torpedo boatsPT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships...
:
PT 31,
PT 32,
PT 33,
PT 34Motor Torpedo Boat PT-34 was a commissioned on 12 July 1941.The commander of PT-34 was Ltjg. Robert B. Kelly, the executive officer of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, based in the Philippines from late 1941 through April 1942....
,
PT 35, and
PT 41Motor Torpedo Boat PT-41 was a PT-20 Class Patrol torpedo boat, built at Elco and commissioned on 23 July, 1941.PT-41 served as the flagship of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, which was based in the Philippines from late 1941 to April 1942. The commander of PT-41 was Lieutenant John D....
, with PT 41 as the squadron
flagshipA flagship is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, a designation given on account of being either the largest, fastest, newest, most heavily armed or, for publicity purposes, the best known. In military terms, it is a ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships...
.
After the outbreak of
hostilitiesWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
between the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on December 8, 1941, the squadron moved from Cavite to Sisiman Cove on the
Bataan PeninsulaBataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north...
, where it helped in the defence of Bataan and
CorregidorCorregidor is an island in the entrance of the Philippines' Manila Bay. Due to its position in the bay, it has served as a focal point for the naval defenses of the capital city of Manila...
during the
Japanese invasion of the PhilippinesThe Battle of the Philippines was the invasion of the Philippines by Japan in 1941–1942 and the defense of the islands by Filipino and United States forces....
. PT 31 and PT 33 were sunk during the battle.
On March 11, 1942, the remaining boats of the squadron transported General
Douglas MacArthurGeneral of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general, United Nations general, and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and later played a prominent role in the Pacific theater of World War II...
and several high-ranking officers from Corregidor to
MindanaoMindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also one of the three island groups in the country, along with Luzon and Visayas...
, an act which earned every member of the squadron the
Silver StarThe Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is also the third highest award given for valor ....
. PT 32 was abandoned during this mission, reducing the squadron to three boats: PT 41, PT 34, and PT 35.
These three boats were based at Mindanao until mid-April 1942, where two of them (PT 41 and PT 34) attacked the
JapaneseThe Imperial Japanese Navy , literally Navy of the Empire of Greater Japan was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
cruiserA cruiser is a large type of warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. The first cruisers were intended for individual raiding and protection missions on the seas...
Kuma, scoring at least one hit. This was to be the squadron's last action: PT 34 was destroyed by Japanese aircraft, PT 35 had to be scuttled to avoid capture, and PT 41 was commandeered by the U.S. Army to defend
Lake LanaoLake Lanao or Ranaw is a large lake in the Philippines, located in Lanao del Sur province in the country's southern island of Mindanao. With a surface area of 340 km²...
. She was eventually scuttled as well.
Bulkeley and three other officers were later flown to safety on MacArthur's orders, with a fifth officer joining them shortly after. These five officers were all that remained of this squadron as a result.
MTBS 3's exploits were immortalized in the book and film
They Were ExpendableThey Were Expendable is a war film released in 1945. The movie was directed by John Ford.The film is based on the book by William L. White, relating the story of the exploits of John D. Bulkeley, a motor torpedo boat squadron commander and Medal of Honor recipient, and Robert Kelly, a skipper,...
. Bulkeley was awarded the
Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while...
, the
Distinguished Service CrossThe Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high...
, the Philippine
Distinguished Conduct StarThis is awarded by the Chief of Staff, AFP to military personnel of the AFP and friendly allied armed forces for conspicuous courage and gallantry in the face of an armed enemy...
, and the Silver Star during his command of the squadron, making him one of the most decorated U.S. naval officers of World War II.
List of assigned boats
- PT 31: commanded by LTJG E. G. DeLong. Grounded and scuttled at Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
, LuzonLuzon is the largest and most economically and politically important island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country, with Visayas and Mindanao being the other two...
, 20 January 1942.
- PT 32: commanded by LTJG V. E. Schumacher. Destroyed by USS Permit (SS-178)
USS Permit , a Porpoise-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the permit.Her keel was laid on 6 June 1935 by the Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut; launched on 5 October 1936 sponsored by Mrs. Harold G. Bowen, and commissioned on 17 March 1937,...
to prevent capture at Tagauayan Island, VisayasVisayas is one of the three island groups in the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea. Its population are referred to as the Visayans....
Region, 13 March 1942.
- PT 33: commanded by LTJG H. J. Brantingham. Grounded and scuttled at Subic Bay, 15 December 1941.
- PT 34
Motor Torpedo Boat PT-34 was a commissioned on 12 July 1941.The commander of PT-34 was Ltjg. Robert B. Kelly, the executive officer of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, based in the Philippines from late 1941 through April 1942....
: commanded by LT R. B. Kelley. Destroyed by air attack at Kawit Island, Mindanao, 9 April 1942.
- PT 35: commanded by ENS
An ensign is a distinguishing flag of a ship or a military unit; or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office. The word has also given rise to the military rank of "ensign", a rank of junior officer once responsible for bearing the ensign of his unit.The word is derived...
A. B. Akers. Burned to prevent capture at CebuCebu is an island of the Philippines. It is the main island of Cebu Province at the center of the Visayan Islands, south of Manila.It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol Island. It is flanked on both sides by the straits of Cebu and Tañon...
, Visayas Region, 12 April 1942.
- PT 41
Motor Torpedo Boat PT-41 was a PT-20 Class Patrol torpedo boat, built at Elco and commissioned on 23 July, 1941.PT-41 served as the flagship of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, which was based in the Philippines from late 1941 to April 1942. The commander of PT-41 was Lieutenant John D....
: commanded by LT J. D. Bulkeley. Squadron flagship. Burned to prevent capture near Lake Lanao, Mindanao, 15 April 1942.