PT boats loom large in the popular imagination of World War II. In March 1942, a PT boat evacuated Gen. Douglas MacArthur, his family, and top staff from the Philippines, which inspired the war movie They Were Expendable, directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. John F. Kennedy became a war hero while commanding PT-109, which collided with a Japanese destroyer and was sunk in August 1943. But the story of PT boats has never been told in the depth and detail that their exemplary service deserves. Naval historian C. J. Skamarakas uses one Pacific PT boat squadron to tell the story of PT boats in action in World War II. Eighty feet long, PT boats were designed to launch torpedoes against enemy ships five and ten times their own size. But defects in the torpedoes and the boats’ speed and maneuverability ultimately shifted the boats’ mission to patrolling and breaking up Japanese shipping and reinforcements. In the waters of the Southwest Pacific as part of MacArthur’s offensives in New Guinea and the Philippines, Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 25 completed these missions and also executed other operations for which they weren’t specifically trained, including inserting commandos behind enemy lines, air-sea rescue, raids on enemy positions, reconnaissance of potential sites for amphibious landings, coordination of air strikes in support of ground forces, meetings with guerrilla leaders, recovery of prisoners of war, diversionary activities, and psychological operations. Today we would call many of their missions “special ops.” The Japanese called PT boats “mosquitoes” and “devil boats.” The Devil Boats recounts the unique contributions of one motor torpedo boat squadron and through it tells the story of PT boats in the Pacific War. With drama and excitement, as well as careful attention to detail, the book fills a void in the history of the U.S. Navy in World War II.

The PT boat was a class of motor torpedo boats used by the United States during the Second World War. Armed with a 40mm antiaircraft gun, two 20mm antiaircraft guns and four torpedo tubes, their agility and speed consistently bested even the most outlandish expectations. Against Japan, they figure prominently in some of the best-known feats of heroism of the entire war. In Devil Boats, the reader is right on board, buffeted by the spray of the crashing Pacific minutes after the Pearl Harbor disaster as a PT boat brings down the first enemy plane. And there again as PT boats, their engines muffled, steal along on an unforgiving ocean to sink a warship, blow up a supply barge, carry a sabotage team past enemy lines, or effect another extraordinary rescue of a downed Allied pilot. In instance upon instance, the PT boats and their crews performed deeds demanding incredible courage and skill, pitting their plywood craft against the force of the angry sea, or the might of ships hundreds of times their own size. Among their legendary exploits - General MacArthur being spirited off besieged Corregidor; Philippine president Quezon's "kidnapping" to Australia; and the unforgettable heroism of a wounded John F. Kennedy and his fearless PT-109.

As a child, John Brooks loved to build models and sail with his grandfather. When most teenagers were at the prom, John was changing jibs in the Indian Ocean, halfway through a 35,000-mile, two-year cruise. He began building boats in commercial yards at 19, while studying boat design and building his own boats. John worked for many years honing his craftsmanship on fine yachts, small boats, custom furniture, and a harpsichord. He has been a instructor at the WoodenBoat School in Maine since the mid-1990s, teaching glued-lapstrake boatbuilding, fine interior joinery, and carving. Ruth Ann Hill grew up on the coast of Maine. A writer, boatbuilding assistant, naturalist, and graphic artist, Ruth is the author of Discovering Old Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park: An Unconventional Guide and a contributing editor for Maine Boats & Harbors magazine. John and Ruth started their business, Brooks Boats, in 1991. They design and build glued-lapstrake boats in West Brooklin, Maine-and get out to enjoy their handiwork in its proper element whenever they can.

The exploits of the U.S. Navy's 'Patrol Torpedo' or PT Boat crews became famous during WWII. Known by the Japanese as "devil boats," the little PTs landed big blows on the enemy, sinking numerous ships and supply barges. They also laid mines, carried out intelligence operations, and performed search and rescue operations among other tasks. While the most famous boat of the war was PT-109, commanded by future President John F. Kennedy, PT-73 also gained fame as the star of the TV show McHale's Navy starring Ernest Borgnine. Originally created in 1945 by the Bureau of Ships, "Know Your PT Boat" was intended to educate the crews of motor torpedo boats about all aspects of PT operation and maintenance in the field. Filled with advice drawn from the battle-tested crews of the "mosquito fleet," and featuring hilarious (and sometimes impolite) cartoon illustrations, it's sometimes hard to believe this booklet was an official U.S. Navy publication. This softcover reprint features the original book in its entirety.

From the day that they buy their own boat, a coral diver and his son sense it is cursed by the devil.

Starting as an ensign assigned to an Atlantic-based destroyer, author Edgar Hoagland participated in Operation Torch, the 1942 invasion of North Africa. Thirsting for greater adventure than he found in the blue water navy, Hoagland volunteered for PT boat duty. Following training and familiarization he and his crew were off to the Pacific. Not unexpectedly, here he found more than enough adventure. Following a short stint as the group's engineering officer (duty he detested), our intrepid sailor was given command of a PT boat squadron and went back to sea. He received a Silver Star for his role destroying a Japanese PT boat base and a Bronze Star for leading amphibious landings in Japanese-occupied territory. Book jacket.