Foreword vi

Introduction ix

Preface xiii

1. The Lineup 1

2. "They Look Like Japs" 2

3. Manila Bay 3

4. The Fleet Withdraws 6

5. SS Corregidor 7

6. "Motor Torpedo Boats Are Rapidly Deteriorating" 8

7. Visit to Binanga 9

8. End of the 31 11

9. Gunnery Actions 13

10. Return to Subic 14

11. The 32 in Action 14

12. Subic Again 15

13. The General Departs 16

14. The 32 19

15. President Quezon 19

16. Engagement Off Cebu 21

17. "We Could No Longer Fight" 24

18. And Then There Were None 25

19. End of the Squadron 26

20. "Two Hundred Boats If Possible" 27

1. What Is a PT? 29

2. Ancient History 38

3. World War I and After 40

4. Scott-Paine and Vosper 42

5. Renewed Interest 43

6. The Design Contest 44

7. PT 9 45

8. The Elco Contract 47

9. The Squadrons 48

10. The 77-Foot Boat 50

11. Southern Waters and Lend-Lease 51

12. PTC's 51

13. The Plywood Derbies 52

14. Standardization 56

15. Reshuffling the Squadrons 58

16. The Training Center 59

17. Taboga 64

18. Shakedown 66

19. Commissioning Details 67

20. Ferrying Command 68

21. Tenders 68

22. Bases 73

23. Hellcat and Elcoplane 76

1. Midway: Between Two Campaigns 79

2. To the South Pacific 82

3. The Struggle for Guadalcanal 84

4. Meeting the Tokyo Express 86

5. The Battle of Guadalcanal 91

6. After Tassafaronga 95

7. Evacuation 103

8. A Lull in Operations 105

9. Loss of the Niagara 109

10. The Stanvac Manila 112

11. The McCawley 114

12. Transition 116

13. First Action at Rendova 117

14. Costly Errors 119

15. They Didn't Pass the Word 120

16. The 109 124

17. Barge Hunting 128

18. Vella Lavella 134

19. Daylight Strikes 135

20. End of the New Georgia Campaign 137

21. Treasury and Bougainville 139

22. A Brush with Torpedo Bombers 141

23. Destroyers Again 143

24. Shore Batteries 145

25. To Green Island 146

26. Collision 148

27. Action in Empress Augusta Bay 149

28. Rabaul 151

29. March and April 1944 152

30. The Rugged Life 154

31. Task Group 30.3 157

32. A Trap 159

33. Task Group 70.8 161

1. To the Buna Campaign 167

2. The Cruise of the Hilo 168

3. Tufi 172

4. Task Group 70.1 175

5. Battle of the Bismarck Sea 180

6. Some Barges and a Fire 182

7. Douglas Harbor and Morobe 183

8. Thursday Island 185

9. Kiriwina, Woodlark, and Nassau Bay 188

10. Actions in Huon Gulf 191

11. Lae, Salamaua, and Finschafen 196

12. Morobe: October and November 198

13. A Letter From General Berryman 205

14. Tenders, Staff, and Logistics 206

15. Kiriwina 212

16. Dreger Harbor 213

17. Action on a Reef 215

18. A Submersible 216

19. Planes at Arawe 217

20. Actions Along the New Guinea Coast 219

21. Expansion 222

22. Destruction in Hansa Bay 224

23. The Admiralties 227

24. Rein Bay and Talasea 231

25. New Britain: South Coast 234

26. Saidor 236

27. Aitape 239

28. Mios Woendi 240

29. Operations in Geelvink Bay 248

30. Amsterdam Island 254

31. End of the New Guinea Campaign 257

1. A Race for Islands 261

2. MTB Division 1 262

3. Squadron 13 265

1. Squadron 15 277

2. North Africa 278

3. Bizerte 282

4. Sicilian Invasion 285

5. Palermo 287

6. Invasion of Italy 292

7. Maddalena and Bastia 295

8. Winter Operations 299

9. Collision With a Minesweeper 301

10. Anzio 302

11. TB Destroyers 303

12. Fun With Rockets 305

13. Operation Gun 307

14. Expansion 311

15. Corvettes and Destroyers 312

16. Elba 315

17. Capture of an MAS 320

18. The Thunderbolt 321

19. Southern France 322

20. The Advance Landings 323

21. Diversionary Operations 324

22. Mines 327

23. Porquerolles 329

24. The Gulf of Fos 329

25. Explosive Boats and Human Torpedoes 334

26. Last Days at Bastia 337

27. Leghorn 339

28. Torpedoing the Harbors 345

29. The Last Patrols 346

1. D-Day and the Mason Line 349

2. The Channel Islands 359

3. The Eastern Flank 362

4. End of the Campaign 364

1. Morotai 367

2. Rescue in Wasile Bay 368

3. Losses 371

4. Containing and Harassing 373

5. Battle of Surigao Strait 376

6. Air Attacks 390

7. Leyte and Cebu 395

8. First Days at Mindoro 402

9. A Japanese Task Force 406

10. Mindoro Convoy 408

11. Task Group 77.11 411

12. Mindoro Patrols 412

13. Bases and Logistics 415

14. Lingayen Gulf 420

15. Return to Manila Bay 422

16. Palawan 425

17. Zamboanga 426

18. Panay 427

19. East to Davao 428

20. Tarakan 432

21. Tawi Tawi 434

22. Brunei Bay 436

23. Balikpapan 437

24. MTBRonsPac 438

25. Surrender 441

26. The End and the Beginning 445

Postscript 448

Appendix A -- Composition of the Squadrons 449

Appendix B -- PT Losses 486

Appendix C -- Awards and Citations 489

Appendix D -- Casualties 510

A Note on Sources 520