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American Morning

Finding PT-109

Aired November 22, 2002 - 08:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Thirty-nine years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, but this morning, there are also memories of when he was a young Naval lieutenant during World War II. On a moonless night on August 19th, a Japanese destroyer sliced through Kennedy's patrol boat. Two crew members were killed. The other 11, including Kennedy, swam for their lives. The wreckage of PT-109 seemed lost forever, until a group led by Robert Ballard mapped out a plan to find it. The search is recounted in the December issue of the "National Geographic" magazine. It was also the topic of a documentary in a new book called "Collision with History: The Search for John F. Kennedy's PT-109," and its author, "National Geographic's" explorer in residence -- I love that title; we fantasize about doing that someday. Bob Ballard joins me now.
Welcome back.

ROBERT BALLARD, "THE SEARCH FOR KENNEDY'S PT-109": Good morning, Paula. How are you?

ZAHN: I'm fine, thanks.

Before we show your extraordinary pictures, set up for us the importance of this PT-109 episode in John F. Kennedy's life.

BALLARD: There is a turning point in his life. He was a young man, almost a boy playing with fast boats, and then all of a sudden, he was thrust into war. He was ran over by a Japanese destroyer, two of his men died, and all of a sudden, he found himself behind enemy lines with 10 other sailers and two badly injured, and he had to fight for his life to save his men, and to go back to the very spot to meet the natives that rescued them, they're still alive and to have them take you to where he met them and give you a coconut from the tree that he sent his message from. It was really quite moving. I lived on Cape Cod for 33 years next to the Kennedy compound, and I know the Kennedy family. We joked about it over the years as I found other ships, but I finally got a chance to do it, and it was really a great adventure.

ZAHN: I want to come back to the story how the Kennedys were involved in this process, but first of all, let's retrace some steps about how you actually found the boat.

BALLARD: We had to go back to the straits (ph), which is really, Paula, in the middle of absolute nowhere. This was a remote island called Gezo (ph) in Columbangara (ph). We went out, and you can see us out there and the weather was beautiful.

ZAHN: Beautiful area.

BALLARD: We were protected by the surrounding reefs and corals. We had wonderful technology from our Institute for Exploration at Mystic Aquarium, and we used that technology, high-definition images. Also a search sonar, and we were able to pick up targets down 1,300 feet in the strong, bottom currents of Blacket (ph) Strait, sent it down, and sure enough, we came in there and there was PT-109 sticking out the side of a sand dune.

ZAHN: What kind of condition was it in when you found it?

BALLARD: Most of it was buried, which means it was in good condition. What we are looking at there is a torpedo launcher. Imagine a big sand dune, and sticking out of the side of the sand dune was a torpedo launcher with the torpedo deck fittings, and our sonar could actually see inside the sand and see the larger part of the boat. We could inside the sand and see the larger part of the boat.

ZAHN: You didn't bring it up, did you?

BALLARD: No, the Kennedy family, as well as the Navy, asked us to leave it untouched, because it still has two people inside.

ZAHN: Nothing was moved? Just took the pictures.

BALLARD: Absolutely.

We did he grab ahold of the deck fittings to make sure it was still attached to the deck. But, well, you will see in the snow Sunday night. I have a great show on it, coming up on Sunday night.

ZAHN: Do you wish the decision could have been different?

BALLARD: Well, yes, I would have loved to have seen more of the boat, but it's sort of poetic that it's buried.

ZAHN: Now, you told us the great story how the Kennedy family was involved in this process, and you have pictures of one of JFK's nephews, right, befriending the very islanders that helped save JFK's life?

BALLARD: See, what had happened was when Kennedy was elected president, he invited them to come to his inauguration. And when they went to the airport, the government officials said you don't know English, we are going to go, and they never got to be reunited with the president. When we took Max Kennedy, the son of Robert, back with us, and we walked out and there was one of the scouts and here is the scene. It's quite moving.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much. I'm sorry?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Wow. Do you have any idea? I couldn't make that out what he said.

BALLARD: No. He wanted to say that it was so nice to finally see him, because the Kennedy family and his family, in fact, this son next to him name is John F. Kennedy.

ZAHN: Really?

BALLARD: Oh, I was there, and I cried, and I'm crying now. It was a very moving program, and something to watch.

ZAHN: What exactly did the islanders do to help save his life?

BALLARD: Well, they found him. They were behind enemy lines.

ZAHN: And what did they do?

BALLARD: They hid him. They were starving to death. They were without water. They fed them and gave them water. But more importantly, they took the coconut with the message on it. It said Commander, Nawrul (ph) Island, native knows posits (ph), can pilot, 11 still alive,. bring small boat -- Kennedy. And they handed him the coconut, and I took it back to the Rendover (ph), because they had given him up for a loss. They'd already had a memorial service. They thought they were dead. They weren't even looking for them anymore. And so had it not been for that native and his cohort, they might not never have had President Kennedy.

ZAHN: You have a lot of choices to catch this story, either in its next month's "National Geographic," and the book Ballard just finished off "PT-109" and in the National Geographic documentary.

BALLARD: Sunday night at 8:00 on MSNBC.

ZAHN: You had to say it. You did it. You had to say. That hurts. That hurts after a very long week. Can I be you for the day? You have the world's best job.

BALLARD: Go with us on the Black Sea expedition.

ZAHN: I volunteer; I don't know they'll give me the time off, but thanks for the invite anyway.

Again. Congratulations, thanks for dropping by.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 22, 2002 - 08:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Thirty-nine years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, but this morning, there are also memories of when he was a young Naval lieutenant during World War II. On a moonless night on August 19th, a Japanese destroyer sliced through Kennedy's patrol boat. Two crew members were killed. The other 11, including Kennedy, swam for their lives. The wreckage of PT-109 seemed lost forever, until a group led by Robert Ballard mapped out a plan to find it. The search is recounted in the December issue of the "National Geographic" magazine. It was also the topic of a documentary in a new book called "Collision with History: The Search for John F. Kennedy's PT-109," and its author, "National Geographic's" explorer in residence -- I love that title; we fantasize about doing that someday. Bob Ballard joins me now.
Welcome back.

ROBERT BALLARD, "THE SEARCH FOR KENNEDY'S PT-109": Good morning, Paula. How are you?

ZAHN: I'm fine, thanks.

Before we show your extraordinary pictures, set up for us the importance of this PT-109 episode in John F. Kennedy's life.

BALLARD: There is a turning point in his life. He was a young man, almost a boy playing with fast boats, and then all of a sudden, he was thrust into war. He was ran over by a Japanese destroyer, two of his men died, and all of a sudden, he found himself behind enemy lines with 10 other sailers and two badly injured, and he had to fight for his life to save his men, and to go back to the very spot to meet the natives that rescued them, they're still alive and to have them take you to where he met them and give you a coconut from the tree that he sent his message from. It was really quite moving. I lived on Cape Cod for 33 years next to the Kennedy compound, and I know the Kennedy family. We joked about it over the years as I found other ships, but I finally got a chance to do it, and it was really a great adventure.

ZAHN: I want to come back to the story how the Kennedys were involved in this process, but first of all, let's retrace some steps about how you actually found the boat.

BALLARD: We had to go back to the straits (ph), which is really, Paula, in the middle of absolute nowhere. This was a remote island called Gezo (ph) in Columbangara (ph). We went out, and you can see us out there and the weather was beautiful.

ZAHN: Beautiful area.

BALLARD: We were protected by the surrounding reefs and corals. We had wonderful technology from our Institute for Exploration at Mystic Aquarium, and we used that technology, high-definition images. Also a search sonar, and we were able to pick up targets down 1,300 feet in the strong, bottom currents of Blacket (ph) Strait, sent it down, and sure enough, we came in there and there was PT-109 sticking out the side of a sand dune.

ZAHN: What kind of condition was it in when you found it?

BALLARD: Most of it was buried, which means it was in good condition. What we are looking at there is a torpedo launcher. Imagine a big sand dune, and sticking out of the side of the sand dune was a torpedo launcher with the torpedo deck fittings, and our sonar could actually see inside the sand and see the larger part of the boat. We could inside the sand and see the larger part of the boat.

ZAHN: You didn't bring it up, did you?

BALLARD: No, the Kennedy family, as well as the Navy, asked us to leave it untouched, because it still has two people inside.

ZAHN: Nothing was moved? Just took the pictures.

BALLARD: Absolutely.

We did he grab ahold of the deck fittings to make sure it was still attached to the deck. But, well, you will see in the snow Sunday night. I have a great show on it, coming up on Sunday night.

ZAHN: Do you wish the decision could have been different?

BALLARD: Well, yes, I would have loved to have seen more of the boat, but it's sort of poetic that it's buried.

ZAHN: Now, you told us the great story how the Kennedy family was involved in this process, and you have pictures of one of JFK's nephews, right, befriending the very islanders that helped save JFK's life?

BALLARD: See, what had happened was when Kennedy was elected president, he invited them to come to his inauguration. And when they went to the airport, the government officials said you don't know English, we are going to go, and they never got to be reunited with the president. When we took Max Kennedy, the son of Robert, back with us, and we walked out and there was one of the scouts and here is the scene. It's quite moving.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much. I'm sorry?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Wow. Do you have any idea? I couldn't make that out what he said.

BALLARD: No. He wanted to say that it was so nice to finally see him, because the Kennedy family and his family, in fact, this son next to him name is John F. Kennedy.

ZAHN: Really?

BALLARD: Oh, I was there, and I cried, and I'm crying now. It was a very moving program, and something to watch.

ZAHN: What exactly did the islanders do to help save his life?

BALLARD: Well, they found him. They were behind enemy lines.

ZAHN: And what did they do?

BALLARD: They hid him. They were starving to death. They were without water. They fed them and gave them water. But more importantly, they took the coconut with the message on it. It said Commander, Nawrul (ph) Island, native knows posits (ph), can pilot, 11 still alive,. bring small boat -- Kennedy. And they handed him the coconut, and I took it back to the Rendover (ph), because they had given him up for a loss. They'd already had a memorial service. They thought they were dead. They weren't even looking for them anymore. And so had it not been for that native and his cohort, they might not never have had President Kennedy.

ZAHN: You have a lot of choices to catch this story, either in its next month's "National Geographic," and the book Ballard just finished off "PT-109" and in the National Geographic documentary.

BALLARD: Sunday night at 8:00 on MSNBC.

ZAHN: You had to say it. You did it. You had to say. That hurts. That hurts after a very long week. Can I be you for the day? You have the world's best job.

BALLARD: Go with us on the Black Sea expedition.

ZAHN: I volunteer; I don't know they'll give me the time off, but thanks for the invite anyway.

Again. Congratulations, thanks for dropping by.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com