John D. Bulkeley and the PT Boats of the Philippines
In this episode of Beyond the Call, we follow Vice Admiral John D. Bulkeley from his beginnings as a New Jersey farm boy to his command of fragile wooden PT boats in the desperate defense of the Philippines. As the Asiatic Fleet is shattered and the enemy closes in on Bataan and Corregidor, Bulkeley’s tiny squadron becomes the last offensive surface force the U.S. Navy can throw at Japanese convoys and landings—running night attacks, supply runs, and the high-risk mission to evacuate General Douglas MacArthur through enemy-held waters. We then trace Bulkeley’s war into the cold darkness of the English Channel and his postwar career shaping the Navy’s standards for combat-ready ships, all under the hard lesson captured in the line, “You engage, you fight, you win.” It is the story of how courage, ingenuity, and a handful of plywood boats could change the course of a campaign and set a standard that outlived the war.
