Sunken boat might be JFK's PT-109

National Geographic says too soon to say for sure

Kennedy was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy when his PT-109 was hit by a Japanese destroyer in August 1943.

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (CNN) -- A radio report said the wreckage of the patrol boat commanded by John F. Kennedy during World War II has been found off the Solomon Islands, but the National Geographic Society said it is too soon to say the wreckage is that of the famous craft.

The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp. said Robert Ballard, leader of the team looking for PT-109, told the radio network that the wreckage was found last week.

But National Geographic, in a statement released Wednesday, quotes Ballard as saying: "While promising, the expedition findings are inconclusive at this time. We will review the results with naval experts over the next several weeks."

Ballard and his team have located several famous sunken ships, including, in 1985, the luxury liner Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage from Britain to the United States.

Kennedy was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy serving in the Pacific when his PT-109 was sliced in two by a Japanese destroyer while on night patrol. PT stood for patrol and torpedo.

Elected 35th president in 1960, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. He would have turned 85 years old Wednesday.

National Geographic said the expedition to the Solomon Islands to search for the remains of PT -09 has concluded. Ballard is making his way home and the results will be made public when the analysis is complete.

EXTRA INFORMATION John F. Kennedy's World War II naval career  (Naval Historical Center)

"It was pretty clear where it should have been, and it was one of the times where it seems that what they found was about where they first started looking," said Mary-Louise O'Callaghan of The Australian newspaper who is following the story in the Solomon Islands.

"And now it's just a question of returning the film [of the wreckage] to the States for further analysis by naval experts, who should be able to confirm that it is indeed PT-109."

Ballard has also mapped wrecks of other boats sunk during the battle for Guadalcanal in the Solomons.

"Dr. Ballard's whole philosophy is that these wrecks shouldn't be disturbed," O'Callaghan told CNN.

According to Solomon Islands Broadcasting, Ballard's team is not releasing details of the discovery because of contractual obligations regarding film, book and magazine rights. A National Geographic documentary is to be released later this year.

When the PT-109 sank, two members of the crew were killed. Kennedy and 10 other survivors swam 15 hours to reach an island.

Kennedy pulled an injured crew mate to safety by swimming with a strap from the man's life jacket in his teeth. He and his men later swam to another island, where Kennedy carved a message into a coconut and gave it to an islander to bring to rescuers.