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. |
From inside the book
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... the Japanese or aboutourown capabilities. What remained looked bleak and hopeless. The “open city” announcement suddenly implied that we were not stopping the enemy andcould not. Everyone had to reorient hispriorities. Back aboard ship ...
... the Japanese or aboutourown capabilities. What remained looked bleak and hopeless. The “open city” announcement suddenly implied that we were not stopping the enemy andcould not. Everyone had to reorient hispriorities. Back aboard ship ...
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... the Japanese. At the Marsman Building, “Champ” had found only Commander Dennison and the flag secretary, Lieutenant Commander A. S. McDill,taking care ofthe lastofthe filesandpreparing to smashtheradio equipment. If any oilwastobe ...
... the Japanese. At the Marsman Building, “Champ” had found only Commander Dennison and the flag secretary, Lieutenant Commander A. S. McDill,taking care ofthe lastofthe filesandpreparing to smashtheradio equipment. If any oilwastobe ...
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... Japanese warcraft with guns trained ominouslyin their direction. Japaneseplanes zoomed overhead at almost masthead levelwhen the weather allowed. From the Japanese flagship camea succession of international signals—peremptory demands ...
... Japanese warcraft with guns trained ominouslyin their direction. Japaneseplanes zoomed overhead at almost masthead levelwhen the weather allowed. From the Japanese flagship camea succession of international signals—peremptory demands ...
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... a Japanese manofwar, you are to explain you arelooking foradowned U.S. Navy patrol plane.” I had twomajor concerns: the inoperative transmitter and fresh water. Lanikai had been designed for a crew offouror five, whose tastes ranmore to ...
... a Japanese manofwar, you are to explain you arelooking foradowned U.S. Navy patrol plane.” I had twomajor concerns: the inoperative transmitter and fresh water. Lanikai had been designed for a crew offouror five, whose tastes ranmore to ...
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... the Japanese, incaseofa breakwith the United States, are planning to go allout in a surprise attackon PearlHarbor. Of courseI informed our government.” By probably somethingmore thancoincidence, Admiral Yamamoto,top Japanese sea ...
... the Japanese, incaseofa breakwith the United States, are planning to go allout in a surprise attackon PearlHarbor. Of courseI informed our government.” By probably somethingmore thancoincidence, Admiral Yamamoto,top Japanese sea ...
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