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''PT-346'' was an 80 ft Electric Launch Company (Elco) Motor Torpedo (PT) Boat which suffered the worst PT-boat friendly fire casualties of World War II, with nine men killed and nine wounded. == The incident == The majority of all friendly fire PT boat casualties during World War II occurred in the Southwest Pacific in two separate incidents occurring over the span of one month- the first on 27 March 1944, and the second on 29 April 1944. ''PT-346'', skippered by Lieutenant James Burk, USNR, was the rescue vessel in March and the victim in April. PT boat Squadron 25 took the brunt of both incidents, which resulted in 22 men killed, including Burk, and 28 wounded. On March 27, 1944, ''PT-346'' and ''PT-354'' rescued the survivors of ''PT-353'' and ''PT 121'', which had been mistakenly destroyed during a mission off the coast of New Britain by five fighter planes under the command of the Royal Australian Air Force. Just over a month later, ''PT-346'' itself became the victim of friendly fire. The morning of April 29, 1944, ''PT-346'' was sent to the aid of ''PT-347'', commanded by Lieutenant Robert J. Williams, USNR, and ''PT-350'', skippered by Stanley L. Manning, USNR. ''PT-347'' had become stuck on a reef during a night patrol to intercept enemy barges and destroy shore installations off the coast of Rabaul in Lassul Bay, located off the northwest corner of New Britain Island in New Guinea. (The waters of the Pacific were not well charted and during World War II, more PT boats were lost to reefs than to enemy fire.) At 0700, ''PT-350'' was attempting to dislodge ''PT-347'' from the reef, when two American Marine Corsair planes mistook the PT boats for Japanese gunboats and attacked. Taking heavy fire from the planes, ''PT-350'' shot down one of the two attacking fighters, believing them to be A6M Zeros. With three dead and four wounded and serious mechanical problems, ''PT-350'' headed back to base. ''PT-347'' remained stuck on the reef. Lieutenant Burk headed out with his crew and the base commander of the 25th Squadron, Lieutenant James R. Thompson, USNR, and Chief Pharmacist First Class John Frkovich, USNR, to render medical aid. When ''PT-350'' could not be boarded because of extensive damage, ''PT-346'' headed out to ''PT-347'' to provide assistance. ''PT-346'' arrived at 1230, and at 1400 was still attempting to dislodge ''PT-347'' from the corral heads when planes appeared. The Corsair plane from the morning run brought back an entire squadron of 21 aircraft (four Corsairs, six TBF Avenger torpedo bombers, four F6F Hellcat fighters, and eight SBD Dauntless dive bombers). Recognizing the planes as American and thinking they were the air cover he had ordered, the squadron commander ordered the men to keep working; however, the planes attacked the two boats, still mistaking them for Japanese gunboats. ''PT-346'' did not respond defensively until it was too late, and took heavy casualties. The skipper of ''PT-347'', Lieutenant Williams, who had experienced the earlier attack, ordered his men into the water and to stay dispersed, but two men were killed and three wounded. ''PT-346'' and ''PT-347'' were completely destroyed by bombs, and the men were strafed in the water for approximately one hour, continuing to dive under the water to survive as the planes approached. Heroes of the day included Wilbur Larsen, USNR, motor machinist’s mate third class of ''PT-347'', who received the Navy Marine Corps medal for saving wounded non-swimmer Forrest May’s life, and Lieutenant James Burk, who received the Purple Heart. Mortally wounded, Burk ordered medic John Frkovich to take his life jacket so he could survive and treat the wounded. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Motor Torpedo Boat PT-346」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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