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Dick Keresey
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Pt 105 Hardcover – January 1, 1996

by Dick Keresey (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 206 ratings
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Admittedly small and vulnerable, the PT boats were, nevertheless, fast - the fastest craft on the water during World War II - and Dick Keresey's account of these tough little fighters throws new light on their unique contributions to the war effort.
As captain of PT 105, Keresey was in the same battle as John F. Kennedy when Kennedy's PT 109 was rammed and sunk. The famous incident, Keresey says, has often been described inaccurately, with the PT boat depicted as unreliable and ineffective. This book helps set the record straight by presenting an authentic picture of PT boats in the Pacific. Shot at more than twenty times, the author not only served as a PT officer in the Guadalcanal, New Georgia, and Bougainville campaigns and the Choiseul Island raid, but developed and taught torpedo boat tactics after his combat service.
Keresey's experiences are still fresh in his memory, and he offers an action-filled account of life on a PT boat: evading deadly night bombers, rescuing coastwatchers and downed airmen, setting down Marine scouts behind Japanese lines, and engaging in vicious gun battles with Japanese barges and small freighters - all the while contending with heat, disease, and loneliness. Keresey recalls two occasions when Kennedy rescued him, and he describes PT 105's controversial rescue of Japanese sailors and his own poignant reunion with one of those sailors fifty years later.
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Previous page
  1. Part of series
    Bluejacket Books
  2. Print length
    211 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Naval Inst Pr
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 1996
  6. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1557504601
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1557504609
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Naval Inst Pr; First Edition (January 1, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 211 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1557504601
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1557504609
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 206 ratings

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Dick Keresey

Dick Keresey

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
206 global ratings
Small but deadly
5 Stars
Small but deadly
Extremely realistic account of a PT squadron in the south Pacific in WWII. Dick Keresey tells what it was really like, the commanderie, the action, the stupidity of some missions, and yes, what happened to Kennedy and the 109. These guys were the tip of the spear in the effort to shut down Japanese resupply and reinforcement during the Guadalcanal and the overall Solomon Islands campaign and while their efforts are often overshadowed by the Marines dug into those islands they nevertheless made a significant contribution to the war effort. Go behind the scenes at a PT base and ride along in nighttime combat missions. Highly recommended!
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Top reviews from the United States

Bomb Man58
5.0 out of 5 stars Great PT Boat Book!
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2015
Verified Purchase
Author Dick Keresey has written a first-class account of his experiences as a PT boat skipper in WW2; he covers his time from his induction into the US Navy until his eventual posting back home and discharge from the service, where he picked up the threads of his pre-war life and got on with it.

This book covers one man's experiences from being in school and the graduating on to the point of getting ready to start a career, when his plans were blinded by a left field intrusion of the greatest world conflict in modern history. I was drawn to his early experiences and 'stumbling' from trying to learn trigonometry and astro-navigation to trying to bring a 50 ton PT boat in and out of a dock...his first attempt rearranged all the paint work and wood craftsmanship of the boat builders...

Progressing from the 'early days' of learning about PT boats he was then thrust into the war in the Pacific where he not only had to contend with developing his skills in boatmanship, but added the demands of leadership of the boat's crew and survival in a real live shooting war at a very fast pace. PT boat crews were always at the forefront of the action and had little time to get to learn the intricacies of the 'neighbourhood' they were operating in before they were moved up to another place with fresh dangers and challenges.

By the time of his transfer back the the 'States', Dick had done it all, from attacking enemy barges, to rescuing downed airmen to joining a major assault and being responsible for identifying the location of the next set of forward bases for a PT boat squadron and working with the Coast Watchers his last operation was collecting seventy Japanese from out of the water after their ship had been torpedoed. Along the way he was part of the same unit future US president John F. Kennedy was part of and was on the same mission where Kennedy had his boat cut in two on a night operation.

I enjoyed this book immensely as it is rich in experiences and illustrates how people rapidly adapt to challenges and dangerous situations in a highly mobile and often changing environment. Often these operations were conducted at night and were at a time when such equipment as Radar were very much an unknown and radios were a still to be improved device.

In summary a very well written and enthralling account of PT boats and their operations as well as the human endeavour in a wartime setting. Well worth the read and very rich in detail and narrative. Well done, Dick Keresey!
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S. Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding! A well written & enjoyable account of life & action on PT boats during WWII.
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
Wish I’d written a review as soon as I’d finished the book (but due to a disability I’m not always able to spend time sitting at a computer whenever I want to). Because I’ve listened to 3 books since, I cannot give specifics, but I enjoyed this audio book so much I did a Very Rare thing, I Bought a Hard Copy for my WWII Library!
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tom
4.0 out of 5 stars A well written window into the hazardous life of the P boat and her captain and crew!
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is a well written story of the life of a captain of a PT boat in World War 2 in the Pacific! These boats did everything from patrolling and sinking merchant ships, barges, and submarines, to pilot and sunken ship crew rescues, recon, spying, and whatever else helped the war effort. Imagine being a recent college graduate who had never left probably his home state being shipped off to the Solomon Islands in an 80 foot racing boat that could run in excess of 55 mph and being handed charts that have whole island groups with their offshore waters marked unknown or charted 80 years before. Then you're asked to take the boat out on patrol at night when the enemy aircraft won't be a danger to your ship. You get to go "explore" these unknown waters at high speed knowing that there are artillery pieces on the shores pointing out to blow up your wooden boat, the coral could come up in one of these unmarked areas and tear the bottom out of your boat, or a Japanese destroyer could see you and blow you out of the water. This is a good read with a lot of good personal story lines, and I would recommend it to all with an interest in WWII.
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BWMSF
5.0 out of 5 stars The opposite of McHale's Navy--the real story, humor to death to success and all emotions in between.
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2013
Verified Purchase
Gives you a chance to become part of the crew of PT 105, in the early ear years when the USN was not the super power and we did not have the technology, tactics, supplies, troops to overpower Japan in the Pacific. Incredible well written book on this time period and chapter of USN history with a good dose of honesty, comedy, and every emotion you can muster in war. I learned more about this difficult period in military history than in many of the formal history books. This is not a propaganda novel written to inspire everyone to fight harder but an honest look at one PT boat, one skipper, a couple years of adventure. When I finished the novel I hoped to find the author still alive and wanted to reach out to him in professional admiration but sadly that generation and it appears allthe major PT Boat skippers are not gone. Their part of history now lives in a few novels like this one and what family and friends can pass down. Having served 32 years in US Army Special Forces, I can honestly say the author's service and all those who served, bring me to a sense of thank you to that incredible generation. My military generation had everything, they did not and still persevered. Incredible novel--will be re read over the years. Colonel MJK, US Army
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2015
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I'd like to say that this is a remarkable book by an amazing man, but this book deserves far better than such a routine compliment. I bought this book on a whim and enjoyed it immensely. A first hand account of life in action on a PT boat in the Pacific written by a man of intelligence, humility and wry wit.
I recommend this book unreservedly and look forward to the author's next work. Many, many thanks to you sir!
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A. K.
5.0 out of 5 stars Very candid, interesting, and entertaining...
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2006
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Although the author is my grandfather, i can honestly say that this book would still have been my favorite personal WWII account even had i never known the man. But since i do know him, i can say that he writes just like he tells stories -- candid, un-embellished, interesting, and highly entertaining. I highly recommend the book and my only complaint is probably the only complaint you'll have if you read it -- that it's over too quickly.
7 people found this helpful
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Rob
3.0 out of 5 stars Heroes In Plywood Boats
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2015
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OK read. It gives one a better understanding of what it was like to serve in the PT boat. Tough and very dangerous duty. They and their crews were truly seen as expendable. Also now understand why JFK was running on one engine when his boat was cut in half by the Japanese destroyer. I had not realised that the PT's wakes made them such targets for enemy aircraft. Kersey is among the fortunate men who survived to write about his service.
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars great story
Reviewed in Canada on March 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
felt like i was there in time
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pat
5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 5, 2019
Verified Purchase
This is one of the funniest, honest and brutal war memoirs i've read. The author saw a lot of combat during his relentless 18 months of combat. How he held his nerve for so long with so many heavy casualties in his squadron is impossible to comprehend in today's "on demand" society. Its an amazing book.
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Hal Waito
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on May 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
Perfect
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stevesview
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and incredibly informative account. I thought I ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
Well written and incredibly informative account. I thought I knew a lot about this subject until I read this. Seems rather expensive in both book and kindle format. I bought an inexpensive used book for a fiver and it was worth every penny.... and more.
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