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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... capture, and probable death, all who sailed in her and to those stalwart crewmen, Filipino and American, whose determination, loyalty, and knowhow brought Lanikai through. You have caught Truth by the tail; don't let go!
... capture, and probable death, all who sailed in her and to those stalwart crewmen, Filipino and American, whose determination, loyalty, and knowhow brought Lanikai through. You have caught Truth by the tail; don't let go!
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... crewmen, possibly the only Yule military servicein that whole beleaguered area, with the distant rumble of bombs as orchestral accompaniment. Sittingon suitcases, munching sandwiches and awaiting a turn for a thick pottery coffee cup ...
... crewmen, possibly the only Yule military servicein that whole beleaguered area, with the distant rumble of bombs as orchestral accompaniment. Sittingon suitcases, munching sandwiches and awaiting a turn for a thick pottery coffee cup ...
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... astute choosing best done in daylight. The issue was settled by the 11:20 P.M. alarm that sent the ship scurrying out to an anchorage less attractive to night intruders. Filipino crewmen scrub down the decks on Lanikai. Behind the.
... astute choosing best done in daylight. The issue was settled by the 11:20 P.M. alarm that sent the ship scurrying out to an anchorage less attractive to night intruders. Filipino crewmen scrub down the decks on Lanikai. Behind the.
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Incitement to War Kemp Tolley. Filipino crewmen scrub down the decks on Lanikai. Behind the sailor (center) may be seen projecting vertically the “one machine gun” which President Roosevelt felt would add to Lanikai's legitimacy as a ...
Incitement to War Kemp Tolley. Filipino crewmen scrub down the decks on Lanikai. Behind the sailor (center) may be seen projecting vertically the “one machine gun” which President Roosevelt felt would add to Lanikai's legitimacy as a ...
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... crewmen momentarily unemployed scurried ashoreto take shelterinthe deep caves thathadbeen carved and blasted out of the adjacent cliff. If bombs came close, smudge potsaboard werelightedand theship's tanks trimmedtogive a heavy list ...
... crewmen momentarily unemployed scurried ashoreto take shelterinthe deep caves thathadbeen carved and blasted out of the adjacent cliff. If bombs came close, smudge potsaboard werelightedand theship's tanks trimmedtogive a heavy list ...
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Common terms and phrases
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