USS Lanikai (1914)
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''Lanikai'', was a wooden hulled
schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
-rigged diesel powered yacht in service with the United States Navy during both World War I and World War II, before being transferred to the Royal Australian Navy. The ship was built as MY ''Hermes'' by W. F. Stone of Oakland, California, in 1914, for the Williams-Diamond Company, agents for the trading company ''Jaluit-Gesellschaft'' of Hamburg, Germany.


Service history


World War I, 1917–1919

The German vessel was in port at Honolulu when the United States entered World War I in April 1917. Taken over by the Navy by Executive Order, she was commissioned at Honolulu as USS ''Hermes'' on 1 April 1918. Originally intended as a submarine patrol vessel, ''Hermes'' performed this duty out of Honolulu during the summer of 1918. On 31 August she sailed on a cruise among the islands northwest of Hawaii, including Laysan and
Wake Wake or The Wake may refer to: Culture *Wake (ceremony), a ritual which takes place during some funeral ceremonies *Wakes week, an English holiday tradition * Parish Wake, another name of the Welsh ', the fairs held on the local parish's patron s ...
, to search for survivors of shipwrecks, signs of enemy activity, and to conduct a survey on wildlife and particularly birds for the Biological Survey Commission, Washington. After returning to Pearl Harbor on 2 October, she continued as a patrol craft.


Inter-war activities, 1919–1941

''Hermes'' was ordered decommissioned on 16 January 1919 and placed at the disposal of the Hawaiian territorial government for use as a tender to
leper colonies A leper colony, also known by many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy. '' M. leprae'', the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is believed to have spread from East Af ...
. When the territorial government decided they could not afford her upkeep, ''Hermes'' was turned over to the Pacific Air Detachment, whom she served as a store ship and general auxiliary craft. ''Hermes'' was sold on 21 October 1926 to the Lanikai Fish Company and renamed ''Lanikai'', and sold again in 1929 to the Hawaiian Sea Products Company. Laid up in 1931, the yacht was sold in 1933 to Northrup Castle of Honolulu, and sold in 1936 to Harry W. Crosby of Seattle, Washington. In 1937 she was sold to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios for use in making the film '' The Hurricane'', starring Jon Hall and Dorothy Lamour. Following completion of the film she was used as the MGM yacht until sold on 6 April 1939 to E. M. Grimm of the Luzon Stevedoring Company of Manila, Philippines.


World War II


Operations in the Philippines, 1941–1942

''Lanikai'' was acquired by the United States Navy at Cavite Navy Yard, Philippine Islands, under charter from Luzon Stevedoring Co., on 5 December 1941, with Lieutenant (later
Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
) Kemp Tolley in command. She was never officially commissioned in the U.S. Navy thus the prefix "USS" should not be used in references to her. Late in November 1941 it became apparent to the American Government that Japanese forces were tactically deposed for major operations in Southeast Asia, but their precise target was unknown. A large convoy was steaming south from the
Formosa Straits The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. The Taiwan Strait is itself a s ...
, and it was hoped that learning the destination of these ships might reveal Japan's intentions. On 2 December, President Roosevelt ordered, through
Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...
, Admiral
Harold R. Stark Harold Rainsford Stark (November 12, 1880 – August 20, 1972) was an officer in the United States Navy during World War I and World War II, who served as the 8th Chief of Naval Operations from August 1, 1939 to March 26, 1942. Early life a ...
, that the Commander in Chief,
Asiatic Fleet The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...
, Admiral
Thomas C. Hart Thomas Charles Hart (June 12, 1877July 4, 1971) was an admiral in the United States Navy, whose service extended from the Spanish–American War through World War II. Following his retirement from the navy, he served briefly as a United States Se ...
"charter three small vessels to form a defensive information patrol... to observe and report by radio Japanese movements in the west China Sea and
Gulf of Siam The Gulf of Thailand, also known as the Gulf of Siam, is a shallow inlet in the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. It is around in le ...
." ''Lanikai'' was one of a few small ships (along with '' Fisheries II'' and ''Maryanne''), chartered to learn of Japan's intentions. Fitted out at Cavite, with the greatest dispatch, the schooner lay at the entrance of Manila Bay in the early hours of 8 December (7 December east of the
International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is an internationally accepted demarcation on the surface of Earth, running between the South and North Poles and serving as the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific O ...
) awaiting daylight to thread her way through the dangerous minefields which guarded the harbor. Tolley's orders read: "Patrol off the entrance of Cam Ranh Bay and report the direction taken by the Japanese Fleet when it emerges." However, at 0300 word of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor arrived with orders to return to Manila. In ensuing weeks, the schooner patrolled the approaches to Manila Bay and served as dispatch vessel within the harbor. On 10 December she survived the devastating Japanese air raid which destroyed Cavite Navy Yard. On Christmas Day, she assisted in the evacuation of Manila, carrying Army officers and equipment to
Corregidor Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...
.


Escape to Australia, 1941–1942

As a result of plans and actions of Lt. Comdr. Charles Adair, flag lieutenant to Admiral Hart, approval was obtained for ''Lanikai'' to attempt to escape to the
Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
. On the evening of 26 December, carrying as passengers one Dutch and three American officers, ''Lanikai'', with her Filipino crew, got underway from Mariveles Bay, Luzon, "destination unknown". Heading generally south, hiding in friendly coves during daylight, and traveling principally at night, the schooner sailed from island to island as Japanese forces spread across the East Indies with explosive speed. Storms covered her as she crossed the three large stretches of open water which lay between Luzon and Australia, and offered no coves for daylight concealment. When, as happened all too often, enemy aircraft approached the lightly armed schooner, they were preoccupied for the most part, with bigger game; but, at
Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...
, Java, on 3 February 1942, three Japanese bombs straddled the schooner so close aboard that ''Lanikai'' crewmen put off in a skiff to pick up a large quantity of stunned fish. In late February, under full sail despite heavy seas, ''Lanikai'' headed due south from Tjilatjap, Java. This course was taken to avoid enemy forces which might be searching the direct route from Java to
Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin ( ; Larrakia: ) is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory. It is the smalle ...
. On 1 March, while about 200 miles east of Christmas Island, a large Japanese task force was sighted on the port bow. Evasive action by ''Lanikai'' was successful. On 18 March, 82 days after departing Mariveles, the schooner arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia.


Service in Australia, 1942–1945

After replenishment and repairs, she got underway, on 4 April, to cruise along the northwest Australian coast and search for possible Japanese coast watchers. Lt. Comdr. Adair relieved Lt Comdr. Tolley of command of the vessel on 27 April and continued the search into mid-May. ''Lanikai'' was decommissioned at Fremantle on 22 August 1942 and was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in which she served on harbor defense throughout the war.


Fate, 1945–1947

At the end of the war, ''Lanikai'' was sent back to the Philippines, and returned to her previous owner at Manila in 1946, but the owner refused to accept her in such poor condition. While undergoing repair at Subic Bay, the US naval base north of Manila, ''Lanikai'' sank during a typhoon in 1947. In 2003 the wreck of the vessel was found in Subic Bay just off Nabasan Wharf and artifacts later salvaged.


Awards

* World War I Victory Medal * American Defense Service Medal with "FLEET" clasp * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one battle star * World War II Victory Medal * Philippine Presidential Unit Citation * Philippine Defense Medal (Philippines) * 1939–45 Star (United Kingdom) *
Pacific Star The Pacific Star is a military campaign medal instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in the Pacific Campaign from 1941 to 1945, during the Second World War. One clasp, Burma, was ...
(United Kingdom) * War Medal 1939–1945 (United Kingdom)


See also

* Fisheries II *
Maryann (yacht) ''Maryann'', sometimes seen as ''Maryanne'' or ''Mary Anne'', was a yacht requisitioned and converted by the United States Navy during the defense of the Philippines in World War II and destroyed 5 May 1942 at Corregidor to prevent capture. The ya ...


References

* *


Further reading

*
''The Little Navy Ship That Sailed 3,000 Miles to Escape the Japanese''
by Stephen Harding, 04.16.16 12:01 AM ET


External links






American Heritage: "The Strange Mission of the ''Lanikai''" by Admiral Kemp Tolley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanikai (1914) Schooners of Australia Schooners of the United States Navy World War I patrol vessels of the United States World War II patrol vessels of the United States 1914 ships Military history of the Philippines during World War II