3.8 by 4.5 inches
pt boat Ron 41 saved Mc Arthur of the Philippine
PT boats were organized into 43
squadrons, called "Rons"
consisting of a
dozen boats each, and they operated in all
three theaters of war.
Squadrons had
uniquely designed emblems (many pro-
vided gratis by the Disney Studios) that
were proudly painted on the boats'
super.
structure. Most Rons had these insignia
made into decals as well as embroidered
patches (Figure 4), the latter to be worn
informally on light-weight jackets. Within
a given squadron, individual boats bore
numbers (glance at Figures 12 & 14), that
were often consecutive.
The heroics of individual PT boats
have been celebrated in numerous books
and memoirs, but two particularly stand
out: PT-41, which extricated Gen. Douglas
MacArthur from Corregidor ("The Rock")
in March 1942 prior to the surrender of the
Philippines; and PT-109
John F.
Kennedy's boat that was rammed and sunk