Prohibition rather than war prompted the invention of PT boats, which were
originally used by rum-runners because the little boats could out-speed the
Coast Guard cutters of the day. Their inventor submitted their design to the
Navy during World War II and they were introduced as Patrol Torpedo boats,
although their size and annoyance to the enemy caused them to be dubbed
"mosquito" boats as well. John F. Kennedy's PT-109 was cut in half by a Japanese
destroyer in the Pacific, and Kennedy heroically saved several of his crew
members.