PT-34

PT-34 was a PT-20 class motor torpedo boat of the United States Navy that served during the early months of World War II in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Commissioned in 1941 and built by the Elco Naval Division, it was part of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three and operated from bases in the Philippines. The vessel is primarily remembered for its actions during the Philippines campaign (1941–1942) and its subsequent loss in a Japanese air attack.

Design and construction

PT-34 was an Elco 80-foot PT boat, a design that became one of the most recognizable American torpedo boat types of the war. Constructed at the Elco Naval Division facilities in Bayonne, New Jersey, it was part of a contract that supplied numerous boats to the United States Navy following the outbreak of World War II. The design featured a hard chine hull made of double-planked mahogany, powered by three Packard marine engines driving three shafts, which gave it a high top speed crucial for torpedo attacks and evasive maneuvers. Its armament typically included four torpedo tubes, depth charges, and an array of machine guns, though this was often modified in the field. The boat's construction emphasized speed and agility over armor, relying on its wooden hull and shallow draft to operate in coastal waters and evade larger enemy warships like those of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Operational history

Upon commissioning, PT-34 was assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three under the command of John D. Bulkeley, a unit that would gain fame for its daring operations. The boat was shipped to the Philippines and was based at Cavite Navy Yard before the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Following the Japanese invasion, PT-34 was actively engaged in the defense of the Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor, conducting patrols, torpedo attacks, and evacuation missions in the waters of Manila Bay and the surrounding South China Sea. It participated in several actions against Japanese surface forces, including engagements during the Battle of Bataan. The boat also played a role in the evacuation of key personnel, most notably in the mission that extracted General Douglas MacArthur from Corregidor to Mindanao in March 1942, though PT-34 itself was not one of the four boats on that final leg. Its operations were characterized by the constant threat from Japanese aircraft and naval units, operating from increasingly makeshift bases as Allied forces retreated.

Fate and legacy

PT-34 met its end on 9 April 1942, the same day the Battle of Bataan ended with the American surrender. While anchored at Cebu, the boat was attacked and sunk by Japanese aircraft, likely Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers from a carrier-based squadron. The attack resulted in casualties among the crew, though some survivors, including its commanding officer, Robert B. Kelly, were rescued. The loss of PT-34 was part of the wider destruction of American naval forces in the Philippines during the early 1942 campaign. While not as individually famous as other boats in its squadron, such as PT-41, its service exemplifies the desperate and valiant efforts of Motor Torpedo Boat crews during the opening defeats of the Pacific War. The story of Squadron Three's operations, including those of PT-34, contributed to the early war lore of the PT boat service and was later recounted in histories of the Philippines campaign and in the memoirs of officers like John D. Bulkeley. Category:PT boats of the United States Navy Category:World War II patrol vessels of the United States Category:Ships sunk by aircraft Category:1941 ships