Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three
Encyclopedia
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
squadron based at Cavite
Cavite
Cavite 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...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, from September 1941 to mid-April 1942. It was commanded by then-Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
John D. Bulkeley
John D. Bulkeley
John Duncan Bulkeley was a Vice Admiral in United States Navy and was one of the most decorated naval officers. Bulkeley 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. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
: 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 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 41
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....
, the last as the squadron flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
. The other six boats of the squadron remained at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and were there when war broke out, eventually being shipped to the Solomons.
After the outbreak of hostilities
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, 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 7, 1941, the squadron moved from Cavite to Sisiman Cove on the Bataan Peninsula
Bataan
Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north...
, where it helped in the defence of Bataan and Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines
Battle of the Philippines (1941-42)
The Philippines Campaign or the 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 MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
and several high-ranking officers from Corregidor to Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, an act which earned every member of the squadron the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
. 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 Imperial Japanese Navy 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...
cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
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 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 scuttled as well, three days after transfer.
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. Three officers and fifteen enlisted men were killed in action or died as prisoners of war, seven evaded capture as guerrillas on Leyte, and 38 POWs were liberated after the war.
MTBS 3's exploits were immortalized in the book and film They Were Expendable
They Were Expendable
They Were Expendable is a 1945 American war film directed by John Ford and starring Robert Montgomery and John Wayne. The film is based on the book by William L. White, relating the story of the exploits of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, a PT boat unit defending the Philippines against Japanese...
. Bulkeley was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
, the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, 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 degree...
, the Philippine Distinguished Conduct Star
Distinguished Conduct Star
The Distinguished Conduct Star, is the second highest military award of the Philippines, preceded in precedence only by the Medal of Valor. The award was established in 1939, by President Manuel L. Quezon...
, 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 BaySubic BaySubic 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...
, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, 20 January 1942. - PT 32: commanded by LTJG V. E. Schumacher. Destroyed by USS Permit (SS-178)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, VisayasVisayasThe Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
Region, 13 March 1942. - PT 33: commanded by LTJG H. J. Brantingham. Grounded and scuttled at Subic Bay, 15 December 1941.
- PT 34PT 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....
: commanded by LT R. B. KelleyRobert Kelly (navy)Captain Robert Boling Kelly was the executive officer of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 in World War 2, immortalized in the movie They Were Expendable. Returned to the United States in May 1942. After three months in the hospital and a month at Melville he was ordered to commission Motor...
. Destroyed by air attack at Kawit Island, Mindanao, 9 April 1942. - PT 35: commanded by ENSEnsignAn ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
A. B. Akers. Burned to prevent capture at CebuCebu IslandCebu 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 Cebu Strait and Tañon Strait...
, Visayas Region, 12 April 1942. - PT 41PT 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....
: commanded by LT J. D. Bulkeley. Squadron flagship. Burned to prevent capture near Lake Lanao, Mindanao, 15 April 1942.