Solving the Mystery of What Became of J.F.K.'s Other Patrol Boat
A boat believed to be the PT-59, a Navy vessel Kennedy commanded after the PT-109 was sunk, has been mired in the muck off Manhattan for decades.
Redmond Burke was the last owner of a boat that he believes was captained by John F. Kennedy and is now being excavated in Manhattans Inwood neighborhood.Credit...Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
By Corey Kilgannon
June 9, 2020
For decades, countless motorists and boaters have passed North Cove, a small recess along the Manhattan side of the Harlem River, unaware that a piece of presidential history may well have been embedded in the muddy bottom.
That historical remnant may have finally come to light. Late last month, watched by a group of onlookers who were among the few to know of the boats presence, a crane began pulling up pieces of what is believed to be the PT-59, a Navy vessel commanded by John F. Kennedy in his mid-20s during World War II.
This is history, said one of the spectators, Bob Walters, 73, who spent much of his childhood on the river.
The PT-59 was part of a naval record that helped propel Kennedy toward the White House.
The PT-59 in the Solomon Islands during World War II.Credit...Photoquest, via Getty Images
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