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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... United States a heavy advantage inthe 1922 London Naval Conference, whereinthe Japanesewere accurately backed down to whatthe U.S. negotiators knew to be their maximum concession. This was the 5–5–3 ratio in capital ships, translated by ...
... United States a heavy advantage inthe 1922 London Naval Conference, whereinthe Japanesewere accurately backed down to whatthe U.S. negotiators knew to be their maximum concession. This was the 5–5–3 ratio in capital ships, translated by ...
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... United States.” There was nothingabout who,if anybody, wouldenlighten the CinC Pacific on what the Americans weredoing or planning. What Hartand Kimmelalso never were told was that as of threeweeks later, “Kirk” (Director ofONI)would be ...
... United States.” There was nothingabout who,if anybody, wouldenlighten the CinC Pacific on what the Americans weredoing or planning. What Hartand Kimmelalso never were told was that as of threeweeks later, “Kirk” (Director ofONI)would be ...
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... United States and wasreplaced byhardlining General Hideki Tojo. This markedthe end ofanyrealhope fordétente andset the stage for inevitable war. The shape of thatwar,as faras U.S. Far East forces were concerned, could have been plotted ...
... United States and wasreplaced byhardlining General Hideki Tojo. This markedthe end ofanyrealhope fordétente andset the stage for inevitable war. The shape of thatwar,as faras U.S. Far East forces were concerned, could have been plotted ...
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... United States, a British declaration would follow “within the hour.” 17November Ambassador Grew,in Tokyo, warned Washington “to guard against the probability ofJapanese exploitingevery possibletactical advantagesuchas surprise.” 18 ...
... United States, a British declaration would follow “within the hour.” 17November Ambassador Grew,in Tokyo, warned Washington “to guard against the probability ofJapanese exploitingevery possibletactical advantagesuchas surprise.” 18 ...
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... United States armed forces had left his senior naval subordinate. A very large Japanese expedition was spotted at sea belowTaiwan, moving south. 26 NovemberThis was the day of decision on bothsides of the Pacific. An intercept from ...
... United States armed forces had left his senior naval subordinate. A very large Japanese expedition was spotted at sea belowTaiwan, moving south. 26 NovemberThis was the day of decision on bothsides of the Pacific. An intercept from ...
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