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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... soon as they jumped down to the ship and made a lightning assessment. One of them, atall, slim lieutenant inshorts, kneelength white hose, shortsleeved white shirt and crowned cap device, could have been British. His English was ...
... soon as they jumped down to the ship and made a lightning assessment. One of them, atall, slim lieutenant inshorts, kneelength white hose, shortsleeved white shirt and crowned cap device, could have been British. His English was ...
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... soon as possible. Any youngnaval officer findshis first command athrilling challenge. But theUSS Lanikai wasaship no one hadever heard of before. At FleetHeadquarters, where Imet Commander Harry B. Slocum, thefleet operations officer ...
... soon as possible. Any youngnaval officer findshis first command athrilling challenge. But theUSS Lanikai wasaship no one hadever heard of before. At FleetHeadquarters, where Imet Commander Harry B. Slocum, thefleet operations officer ...
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... soon be released to sea duty in order to qualify for selection to flag rank. Kirk took over from Captain Jules James, who as assistant director under Rear Admiral Walter Anderson, had “fleeted up” to acting director on Anderson's 24 ...
... soon be released to sea duty in order to qualify for selection to flag rank. Kirk took over from Captain Jules James, who as assistant director under Rear Admiral Walter Anderson, had “fleeted up” to acting director on Anderson's 24 ...
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... soon as the conflictbegan. An intercepted Tokyo message instructed their diplomats in London, Hongkong, Singapore,and Manila todestroy their code machines. TheJapanese envoys, in the dark over Tokyo's plans, made one more appeal to an ...
... soon as the conflictbegan. An intercepted Tokyo message instructed their diplomats in London, Hongkong, Singapore,and Manila todestroy their code machines. TheJapanese envoys, in the dark over Tokyo's plans, made one more appeal to an ...
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... soon to berelieved by Vice Admiral Tom Phillips under the new title, CinCBritish Naval Forces FarEast.If Layton had to go, thought Hart,thankGodit was Phillips whotook over! Perhaps MacArthurhad something inhis humiliating reference to ...
... soon to berelieved by Vice Admiral Tom Phillips under the new title, CinCBritish Naval Forces FarEast.If Layton had to go, thought Hart,thankGodit was Phillips whotook over! Perhaps MacArthurhad something inhis humiliating reference to ...
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