''The Search for Kennedy's PT 109'' is a National Geographic television special and video on DVD, directed by Peter Getzels. It documents the true story of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

's ''PT-109'' from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and the successful search for the ship by Dr.

Robert Ballard Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is an American retired Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology: maritime archaeology and archaeology o ...

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The wreckage of ''PT-109'' was located in May 2002, when a

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, an ...

expedition, headed by Ballard, found a torpedo tube amongst wreckage that matched the description, and location, of Kennedy's vessel in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

."JFK's PT-109 Found, U.S. Navy Confirms"
The boat was identified by Dale Ridder, a weapons and explosives expert on the U.S. Marine Forensics Panel. The forward section was later found using remote-viewing equipment, however, the stern was never discovered. Much of the half-buried wreckage and grave site was left undisturbed in accordance with Navy policy. During the expedition, they meet and interview Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana, the original two natives who were dispatched by coastwatcher

Reg Evans Reginald Evans (27 March 1928 – 7 February 2009) was a British-born actor active in Australian radio, theatre, television and cinema from the 1960s, after having started his career in his native England. Biography Evans started drama while ...

to find Kennedy's shipwrecked crew after the Navy had given them up for dead.

Max Kennedy Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy (born January 11, 1965), better known as Max Kennedy, is an American lawyer and author. He is the ninth child of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. Early life Max Kennedy was born in New York City's Ro ...

, Kennedy's nephew, who joined Ballard on the expedition, presented a bust of Kennedy to the two men.

Media

A DVD of the National Geographic television special and book of the expedition were later released.

References

* 2002 television films 2002 films Seafaring films based on actual events Films about the United States Navy in World War II Documentary films about John F. Kennedy Documentary films about United States history National Geographic Society films Documentary films about World War II 2000s American films {{WWII-documentary-film-stub

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References