PT-59 was a 77 foot ELCO boat that had been modified into a
gunboat. By 1943, PT boats were increasingly being used to interdict
Japanese barge traffic among the islands of the Solomons. The
barges were heavily armored and the PTs developed progressively
heavier arms to sink them. In the Solomons, in 1943, three boats,
the 59, 60, and 61 were converted to gunships. The torpedo tubes
were removed and two 40mm guns mounted, fore and aft, and additional
50 cal. machine guns mounted along the sides.
Lt. John Kennedy, when he recovered from his injuries from
the sinking of the 109, was the first commander of the 59. After
about a month, however, he was ordered home on medical leave
due to persistent back problems.