PT Boat Tactics During WWII | American Veterans Center

Japanese Were Terrified Of America’s PT Boats That Struck At Night Discover the untold story of America's daring PT boat crews who terrorized Japanese naval forces in the Pacific during World War II. This gripping historical documentary reveals how small 77-foot wooden torpedo boats, crewed by young volunteers averaging just 22 years old, challenged the Imperial Japanese Navy's dominance of nighttime waters around Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands. Learn how these "mosquito boats" used speed,

PT boats constituted a unique class of fighting ship. They were intended to intercept ships of larger classes through firepower and speed. To do this, they were armed with torpedoes, rockets, mortars, and machine guns. Their shallow drafts gave them a distinct advantage over vessels with deep drafts. It enabled them to penetrate minefields and harbor defenses. What is more, they were hard to see on the horizon against the ocean. 🚤 Shortly after the United States entered World War II as many as