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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... bombers that swooped low over the Marsman Building. It trembled and swayed from the effects of a straddle. Glass splattered the offices. Admiral Hart, tinhatat a jaunty angle, had abandonedhistraditional high necked, stiffstarched white ...
... bombers that swooped low over the Marsman Building. It trembled and swayed from the effects of a straddle. Glass splattered the offices. Admiral Hart, tinhatat a jaunty angle, had abandonedhistraditional high necked, stiffstarched white ...
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... bombers who left nothing to repair.For Admiral Hart, the only way out now was the submarine Shark. On the twentyfifth, Hart turned overto Admiral Rockwell all Navy forces remaining within the Philippine coastal frontier—the submarines ...
... bombers who left nothing to repair.For Admiral Hart, the only way out now was the submarine Shark. On the twentyfifth, Hart turned overto Admiral Rockwell all Navy forces remaining within the Philippine coastal frontier—the submarines ...
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... bombers damaged the Yangtze River gunboat USS Tutuila $27,045.78 worth.Admiral Shimada, CinCof Japan's China Seas Fleet,said, “Very sorry!” Admiral Hartwas so incensed hewrote Stark hehad almostsenthim a plain language message ...
... bombers damaged the Yangtze River gunboat USS Tutuila $27,045.78 worth.Admiral Shimada, CinCof Japan's China Seas Fleet,said, “Very sorry!” Admiral Hartwas so incensed hewrote Stark hehad almostsenthim a plain language message ...
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... bombers and86 light bombers, with pursuit in proportion. It would be manifestlyillogical toassign for control or tactical command such a powerful Army air striking force to an element of such combat inferiority as your command. . .
... bombers and86 light bombers, with pursuit in proportion. It would be manifestlyillogical toassign for control or tactical command such a powerful Army air striking force to an element of such combat inferiority as your command. . .
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... bombing operations should be undertaken by the Army against objectives situated oversea, you would of course be informed and consulted if available, but if you intend to convey the thought that such a mission could not be undertaken ...
... bombing operations should be undertaken by the Army against objectives situated oversea, you would of course be informed and consulted if available, but if you intend to convey the thought that such a mission could not be undertaken ...
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