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Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three

 
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Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three was a United States Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
 squadron based at Cavite
Cavite

Cavite is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila....
, Philippines
Philippines

The 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-Lieutenant
Lieutenant

Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service, emergency medical services or police commissioned officer military rank.Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organisations with a codified command structure....
 John D. Bulkeley
John D. Bulkeley

Vice 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....
 and made up of six motor torpedo boats
PT boat

PT 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 34
PT 34

Motor Torpedo Boat PT-34 was a commissioned on 12 July 1941.The commander of PT-34 was Ltjg. Robert Kelly , the executive officer of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, based in the Philippines from late 1941 through April 1942....
, PT 35, and PT 41
PT 41

Motor Torpedo Boat PT-41 was a PT-20 Class Patrol torpedo boat, built at Electric Launch Company and Ship commissioning on 23 July, 1941....
, with PT 41 as the squadron flagship
Flagship

A 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 most well known....
.

After the outbreak of hostilities
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 between the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and Japan
Japan

Japan is 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 Peninsula
Bataan

Bataan is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines occupying the whole of Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines....
, where it helped in the defence of Bataan and Corregidor
Corregidor

Corregidor 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 Philippines
Battle of the Philippines (1941-42)

The Battle of the Philippines was the invasion of the Philippines by Japan in 1941?42 and the defense of the islands by Filipino people and United States forces....
.






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Mtbs3
Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three was a United States Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
 squadron based at Cavite
Cavite

Cavite is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila....
, Philippines
Philippines

The 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-Lieutenant
Lieutenant

Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service, emergency medical services or police commissioned officer military rank.Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organisations with a codified command structure....
 John D. Bulkeley
John D. Bulkeley

Vice 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....
 and made up of six motor torpedo boats
PT boat

PT 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 34
PT 34

Motor Torpedo Boat PT-34 was a commissioned on 12 July 1941.The commander of PT-34 was Ltjg. Robert Kelly , the executive officer of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, based in the Philippines from late 1941 through April 1942....
, PT 35, and PT 41
PT 41

Motor Torpedo Boat PT-41 was a PT-20 Class Patrol torpedo boat, built at Electric Launch Company and Ship commissioning on 23 July, 1941....
, with PT 41 as the squadron flagship
Flagship

A 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 most well known....
.

After the outbreak of hostilities
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 between the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and Japan
Japan

Japan is 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 Peninsula
Bataan

Bataan is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines occupying the whole of Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines....
, where it helped in the defence of Bataan and Corregidor
Corregidor

Corregidor 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 Philippines
Battle of the Philippines (1941-42)

The Battle of the Philippines was the invasion of the Philippines by Japan in 1941?42 and the defense of the islands by Filipino people 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 MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Order of the Bath was an United States General officer, United Nations general and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army....
 and several high-ranking officers from Corregidor to Mindanao
Mindanao

Mindanao 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 Star
Silver Star

The Silver Star is the third highest Awards and decorations of the United States military that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces....
. 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 Japanese
Imperial Japanese Navy

The origins of the Imperial Japanese Navy trace back to early interactions with nations on the Asia, beginning in the early history of Japan#Feudal Japan and reaching a peak of activity during the 16th and 17th centuries at a time of cultural diffusion with European power during the Age of Discovery....
 cruiser
Cruiser

A 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 Lanao
Lake Lanao

Lake Lanao or Ranawis a large lake in the Philippines, located in Lanao del Sur Philippine province in the country's southern island of Mindanao....
. 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 Expendable
They Were Expendable

They Were Expendable is a war film released in 1945 in film. The movie was directed by John Ford and starred Robert Montgomery , John Wayne, and Donna Reed....
. Bulkeley won the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest Awards and decorations of the United States military awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action...
, the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)

The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest Awards and decorations of the United States military 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....
, the Philippine Distinguished Conduct Star
Distinguished Conduct Star

This is awarded by the Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines 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 LT(JG) E. G. DeLong. Grounded and scuttled at Subic Bay
    Subic Bay

    Subic Bay is a Headlands and bays forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay....
    , Luzon
    Luzon

    Luzon 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 LT(JG) V. E. Schumacher. Destroyed by USS Permit (SS-178)
    USS Permit (SS-178)

    USS Permit , a United States Porpoise class submarine-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the pompano....
     to prevent capture at Tagauayan Island, Visayas
    Visayas

    Visayas is one of the three island groups in the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea....
     Region, 13 March 1942.
  • PT 33: commanded by LT(JG) H. J. Brantingham. Grounded and scuttled at Subic Bay, 15 December 1941.
  • PT 34
    PT 34

    Motor Torpedo Boat PT-34 was a commissioned on 12 July 1941.The commander of PT-34 was Ltjg. Robert 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
    Ensign

    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 Ensign , a rank of junior officer once responsible for bearing the ensign of his unit....
     A. B. Akers. Burned to prevent capture at Cebu
    Cebu Island

    Cebu is an island of the Philippines. It is the main island of Cebu Province in Visayas.It lies to the east of Negros; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol Island....
    , Visayas Region, 12 April 1942.
  • PT 41
    PT 41

    Motor Torpedo Boat PT-41 was a PT-20 Class Patrol torpedo boat, built at Electric Launch Company and Ship commissioning on 23 July, 1941....
    : commanded by LT J. D. Bulkeley. Squadron flagship. Burned to prevent capture near Lake Lanao, Mindanao, 15 April 1942.