Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three

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Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three was a U.S. Navy squadron based at Cavite, Philippines, in late 1941. It was commanded by then-Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley and made up of six motor torpedo boats: PT 31, PT 32, PT 33, PT 34, PT 35, and PT 41, with PT 41 as the squadron flagship.

After the outbreak of hostilities between the United States and Japan on December 8, 1941, the squadron moved from Cavite to Sisiman Cove on the Bataan Peninsula, where it helped in the defence of Bataan and Corregidor during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. PT 31 and PT 33 were sunk during the battle.

On March 11, 1942, the remaining boats of the squadron transported General Douglas MacArthur and several high-ranking officers from Corregidor to Mindanao, an act which earned every member of the squadron the Silver Star. PT 32 was abandoned during this mission, reducing the squadron to three boats: PT 41, PT 34, and PT 35.

These three boats were based at Mindanao until mid-April 1942, where two of them (PT 41 and PT 34) attacked the Japanese cruiser Kuma, scoring at least one hit. This was to be the squadron's last action: PT 34 was destroyed by Japanese aircraft, PT 35 had to be scuttled to avoid capture, and PT 41 was commandeered by the U.S. Army to defend Lake Lanao. She was eventually scuttled as well.

Bulkeley and three other officers were later flown to safety on MacArthur's orders, with a fifth officer joining them shortly after. These five officers were all that remained of this squadron as a result.

MTBS 3's exploits were immortalized in the book and film They Were Expendable. Bulkeley won the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Philippine Distinguished Conduct Star, and the Silver Star during his command of the squadron, making him one of the most decorated U.S. naval officers of World War II.

[edit] List of assigned boats

• PT 31: commanded by LT(JG) E. G. DeLong. Grounded and scuttled at Subic Bay, Luzon, 20 January 1942.
• PT 32: commanded by LT(JG) V. E. Schumacher. Destroyed to prevent capture at Tagauayan Island, Visayas Region, 13 March 1942.
• PT 33: commanded by LT(JG) H. J. Brantingham. Grounded and scuttled at Subic Bay, 15 December 1941.
• PT 34: commanded by LT R. B. Kelley. Destroyed by air attack at Kawit Island, Mindanao, 9 April 1942.
• PT 35: commanded by ENS A. B. Akers. Burned to prevent capture at Cebu, Visayas Region, 12 April 1942.
• PT 41: commanded by LT J. D. Bulkeley. Squadron flagship. Burned to prevent capture near Lake Lanao, Mindanao, 15 April 1942.