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Ballard joined
the Friends of Battleship Cove for hors d'oeuvres
during a Members' Reception at Battleship Cove's Newberry Hall, home of PT
Boats 617 and 796, before delivering an afternoon
presentation at Heritage State Park. Ballard's presentation, "Deep Sea Exploration,"
was free to the public and included a booksigning of this best-selling author's
new treatise, Collision with History: The Search for John F. Kennedy's PT 109
(Visit our gift shop to purchase a copy signed by
the author). Dr. Robert Ballard originally
met with Cove staff in February 2003 to study the only 80 foot Elco P.T. boat
on display in the world and to visit our National PT Boat Museum and archives.
The search for the 109 wreck was a confidential project and the staff at the Cove
was sworn to secrecy. Behind the scenes, the PT Museum worked with National Geographic
in preparation for the planned 109 documentary, supplying them with information
and access to PT veterans and consulting on historical accuracy. The Cove also
supplied National Geographic with props such as period uniforms, kapok life jackets,
battle lanterns, and radio equipment.
On May
4 the 109 story leaked out in a Connecticut paper and instantly made international
news. The National PT Boat Museum at Battleship Cove also made international news.
On May 29, the Solomon Islands press reported that the 109 boat was found, but
it was not until July 11 that National Geographic announced, "Experts from
the U.S. Navy recently confirmed the May 2002 find is most likely the World War
II patrol boat."
In light of the renewed interest in PT 109, the National
PT Boat Museum is developing a temporary interpretive photographic display along
with the 109 artifacts already on exhibit. Click
here
to visit the PT 109 exhibit at the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. Click
here to visit
the John F. Kennedy Library & Museum. Click here
to visit PT Boats, Inc. | 
