Cruise of the Lanikai: Incitement to WarIn early December 1941 in the Philippines, a young Navy ensign named Kemp Tolley was given his first ship command, an old 76-foot schooner that had once served as a movie prop in John Ford's "The Hurricane." Crewed mostly by Filipinos who did not speak English and armed with a cannon that had last seen service in the Spanish-American War, the Lanikai was under top-secret presidential orders to sail south into waters where the Japanese fleet was thought to be. Ostensibly the crew was to spy on Japanese naval movements, but to Tolley it was clear that their mission was to create an incident that would provoke war. Events overtook the plan, however, when Pearl Harbor was bombed before the Lanikaicould get underway. When Bataan and Corregidor fell, she was ordered to set sail for Australia and became one of the few U.S. naval vessels to escape the Philippines. In this book Tolley tells the saga of her great adventure during these grim, early days of the war and makes history come alive as he regales the reader with details of the operation and an explanation of President Roosevelt's order. Tolley's description of their escape in Japanese warship-infested waters ranks with the best of sea tales, and few will be able to forget the Lanikai's 4,000-mile, three-month odyssey. |
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... and the events leading upto Pearl Harbor, in which fields heis eminentlyat home. In onebrief period of Lanikai's life, “before Pearl Harbor,” she sailed inseas of glamour. Thatwas whenshe played anactive rolein themotion picture ...
... and the events leading upto Pearl Harbor, in which fields heis eminentlyat home. In onebrief period of Lanikai's life, “before Pearl Harbor,” she sailed inseas of glamour. Thatwas whenshe played anactive rolein themotion picture ...
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... andthe cool evening breeze. “Pleaseput up the top,”Ninasaid ina very smallvoice. “I really shouldn'tbe seen alone withyou in the car.”Shewasso ill at ease thatwe made the rideashort one. Nina lived in a large, oldfashioned Spanish ...
... andthe cool evening breeze. “Pleaseput up the top,”Ninasaid ina very smallvoice. “I really shouldn'tbe seen alone withyou in the car.”Shewasso ill at ease thatwe made the rideashort one. Nina lived in a large, oldfashioned Spanish ...
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... and the cabarets—huge Santa Ana, racy Paranaque, andall the others—were only a memory. There would be no more liberty houndsto roundup after ginebra,thecheap, local firewater, had got the best of them. A passenger priest held a ...
... and the cabarets—huge Santa Ana, racy Paranaque, andall the others—were only a memory. There would be no more liberty houndsto roundup after ginebra,thecheap, local firewater, had got the best of them. A passenger priest held a ...
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... and the flag secretary, Lieutenant Commander A. S. McDill,taking care ofthe lastofthe filesandpreparing to smashtheradio equipment. If any oilwastobe burned,he had todoit. At the University Club, he found Lucian L.Rock, Philippines ...
... and the flag secretary, Lieutenant Commander A. S. McDill,taking care ofthe lastofthe filesandpreparing to smashtheradio equipment. If any oilwastobe burned,he had todoit. At the University Club, he found Lucian L.Rock, Philippines ...
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... and the miscellaneous collection ofodds and ends of the Inshore Patrol. Hart included in his turnover letter to Rockwell the advice that hefeltthetime hadpassed forany remaining surface shipsto escape tothe south. The crack 4th Marine ...
... and the miscellaneous collection ofodds and ends of the Inshore Patrol. Hart included in his turnover letter to Rockwell the advice that hefeltthetime hadpassed forany remaining surface shipsto escape tothe south. The crack 4th Marine ...
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Common terms and phrases
aboard Adair Admiral Hart aircraft Allied alongside American anchor andthe Army arrived ashore Asiatic Fleet attack atthe Australia Bali Bandoeng boat bombers bombs British bythe Captain Cavite coast Corregidor crew crewmen cruisers December deck deckhouse defense destroyers Dutch East enemy engine Filipino fish forces Fremantle fromthe Geraldton Glassford gunboat guns hadbeen Hart’s headed heavy Helfrich Houston inthe Island itwas Japan Japanese Java Kimmel Lanikai later LCDR Lieutenant Commander Luzon MacArthur Manila Mariveles miles Naval Operations Navy’s night Oahu officer ofthe onthe Pacific patrol Pearl Harbor Pecos Philippines planes President President’s radio Rear Admiral Rockwell Roosevelt sail ship ship’s Singapore skipper soon Stark submarine Surabaya thatthe theJapanese Therewas Tjilatjap tobe Tolley torpedo tothe U.S. Naval U.S. Navy United USS Lanikai vessel Walruff warship wasa Washington wasnot witha withthe wouldbe wrote Yangtze Yangtze Patrol Yard