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In order, a Naval Institute Press book, The Cruise of the Lanikai, scheduled for publication in September, will be followed closely by an independent article which will appear in the American Heritage in October and which will offer an exceptional insight into the behind-the-scenes details of the USS Lanikai’r reason for existence. And, also in October, another article about the exploits of the ship and her crew will appear in Shipmate.
Accordingly, in awareness of the exceptional interest of the subject, and to invite our readers’ attention to the special variety of the material shortly to become available, herewith offered on the following pages are still other glimpses of the origins of the doughty Lanikai as she sailed the seas of World War II to earn a small place in history.
Launched at Oakland in July 1914 for the German South Sea Island trade, the 61-ton, two-masted auxiliary schooner Hermes narrowly missed Japanese destruction off Honolulu soon thereafter. Taken from internment in 1917 for a Navy Q-ship, she became the fledgling Pacific Air Detachment’s postwar afloat base. In 1926, renamed Lanikai, she commenced a commercial fishing career, followed by a 1937 turn as chief prop in MG M’s spectacular "Hurricane,” starring Dorothy Lamour. The Lanikai sailed to Manila in 1939, and was available to Admiral T. C.
Hart, Commander in Chief Asiatic Fleet when he received a top priority, highest classification message: "THE PRESIDENT DIRECTS THE FOLLOWING BE DONE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE . . . CHARTER THREE SMALL VESSELS . . . MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS . . . COMMAND BY NAVAL OFFICER . . . MOUNT A SMALL GUN AND ONE MACHINE GUN . . . FILIPINO CREWS MAY BE EMPLOYED. . . .”
The "small gun” was a Spanish-American War 3-pounder, the "one officer” Lieutenant Kemp Tolley, the crew seven Naty petty officers and ten Filipinos. Pearl Harbor had solved the President’s agonizing dilemma and thus aborted the Lanikai’s original mission. Now, with the Philippines crumbling, it was sauve qui peut.
From a Coca-Cola box crow’s nest in the fore shrouds (left)' the Lanikai was conned into coral-studded island coves ft>r daylight concealment (above). Using an atlas, the only "chart’' available, the coming night's run would be worked out by the skipper (top), in desperately serious conference passengers Lieutenant Commander Harry Keith, Lieutend*' Commander Charles Adair, Radio Electrician Charles Walruff, and Dutch Naiy Lieutenant Paul Nygh.
Drydocked at Surabaya (top, right) the Lanikai was dayt< sometimes only hours, ahead of the rapidly advancing Jdp11' nese as she crawled southward to safety. The Lanikai’* gfd* camouflage blended into Javanese coves, where Dutch coh>rl protected her from home guardsmen, to whom all other fl*o were suspect.
Later, lack of charts and local knowledge momentarily "careened” her in Northwest Australia's 40-foot tides. Tbf unpredictable hand of fate, a little luck and a little skill " brought her 4,000 perilous miles in three months, white 1,1,1 ships and men bad died all around her.