Dark Nights, Deadly Waters: American PT Boats at Guadalcanal

Patrol torpedo (PT) boats were small, inexpensive, agile craft intended to conduct hit-and-run attacks against enemy vessels. In this book, U.S. Navy veteran and firefighter Lloyd (Avenging Pearl Harbor: The Saga of America’s Battleships in the Pacific War) relates the story of PT boats during the Guadalcanal campaign in World War II’s Pacific Theater. The book begins with the development, procurement, and construction of the boats, as well as their organization into squadrons, then provides relevant background history to better relate the significance of PT boat operations. Of course, no book about this subject is complete without mention of then–U.S. Navy lieutenant John F. Kennedy’s PT-109, which was destroyed in a collision with a Japanese vessel in August 1943. Kennedy’s exploits in saving his men, and the resulting investigation, serve as a significant portion of the book’s epilogue. This volume’s maps and images, the latter of which are located in the center of the book, are clear and useful.