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The Lonely Ships: The Life and Death of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet
On December 8, 1941, Asia's reign of peace collapsed. The Philippines were in a state of siege by the Japanese. And the U.S. Asiatic Fleet, without a single battleship, attempted a gallant but powerless defense of the Dutch East Indies.
It was a grueling battle. With only one superannuated aircraft carrier, the USS Langley, the fleet was unprepared for the unrelenting barrage of Japanese fire. One by one, the ships fell in battle -- until only a handful of submarines moved on to Darwin and Perth (Australia) to become the nucleus of a reinvigorated U.S. Asiatic Fleet.
Here is the explosive true story of the lonely ships of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet, the men who defended its honor, and their valiant effort to stem the tide of Japanese conquest in the Second World War. A rousing tale of courage, heroism, and defeat...
It was a grueling battle. With only one superannuated aircraft carrier, the USS Langley, the fleet was unprepared for the unrelenting barrage of Japanese fire. One by one, the ships fell in battle -- until only a handful of submarines moved on to Darwin and Perth (Australia) to become the nucleus of a reinvigorated U.S. Asiatic Fleet.
Here is the explosive true story of the lonely ships of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet, the men who defended its honor, and their valiant effort to stem the tide of Japanese conquest in the Second World War. A rousing tale of courage, heroism, and defeat...
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
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56 people want to read
About the author
Edwin P. Hoyt
237 books29 followersEdwin P. Hoyt was a prolific American writer who specialized in military history. He was born in Portland, Oregon to the publisher Edwin Palmer Hoyt (1897–1979) and his wife, the former Cecile DeVore (1901–1970). A younger brother, Charles Richard, was born in 1928. Hoyt attended the University of Oregon from 1940 to 1943.
In 1943, Hoyt's father, then the editor and publisher of The Oregonian, was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as the director of the Domestic Branch, Office of War Information. The younger Hoyt served with the Office of War Information during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. In 1945 and 1946, he served as a foreign correspondent for The Denver Post (of which his father became editor and publisher in 1946) and the United Press, reporting from locations in China, Thailand, Burma, India, the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and Korea.
Edwin Hoyt subsequently worked as an ABC broadcaster, covering the 1948 revolution in Czechoslovakia and the Arab-Israeli conflict. From 1949 to 1951, he was the editor of the editorial page at The Denver Post. He was the editor and publisher of the Colorado Springs Free Press from 1951 to 1955, and an associate editor of Collier's Weekly in New York from 1955 to 1956. In 1957 he was a television producer and writer-director at CBS, and in 1958 he was an assistant publisher of American Heritage magazine in New York.
Starting in 1958, Hoyt became a writer full-time, and for a few years (1976 to 1980) served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Hawaii. In the 40 years since his first publication in 1960, he produced nearly 200 published works.
While Hoyt wrote about 20 novels (many published under pseudonyms Christopher Martin and Cabot L. Forbes) the vast majority of his works are biographies and other forms of non-fiction, with a heavy emphasis on World War II military history.
Hoyt died in Tokyo, Japan on July 29, 2005, after a prolonged illness. He was survived by his wife Hiroko, of Tokyo, and three children, Diana, Helga, and Christopher, all residing in the U.S.
In 1943, Hoyt's father, then the editor and publisher of The Oregonian, was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as the director of the Domestic Branch, Office of War Information. The younger Hoyt served with the Office of War Information during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. In 1945 and 1946, he served as a foreign correspondent for The Denver Post (of which his father became editor and publisher in 1946) and the United Press, reporting from locations in China, Thailand, Burma, India, the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and Korea.
Edwin Hoyt subsequently worked as an ABC broadcaster, covering the 1948 revolution in Czechoslovakia and the Arab-Israeli conflict. From 1949 to 1951, he was the editor of the editorial page at The Denver Post. He was the editor and publisher of the Colorado Springs Free Press from 1951 to 1955, and an associate editor of Collier's Weekly in New York from 1955 to 1956. In 1957 he was a television producer and writer-director at CBS, and in 1958 he was an assistant publisher of American Heritage magazine in New York.
Starting in 1958, Hoyt became a writer full-time, and for a few years (1976 to 1980) served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Hawaii. In the 40 years since his first publication in 1960, he produced nearly 200 published works.
While Hoyt wrote about 20 novels (many published under pseudonyms Christopher Martin and Cabot L. Forbes) the vast majority of his works are biographies and other forms of non-fiction, with a heavy emphasis on World War II military history.
Hoyt died in Tokyo, Japan on July 29, 2005, after a prolonged illness. He was survived by his wife Hiroko, of Tokyo, and three children, Diana, Helga, and Christopher, all residing in the U.S.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 17, 2016
Edwin P. Hoyt has done a masterful job of conveying to the reader, inasmuch as possible, the full story of the early days of the Pacific War (December 1941-May 1942) in which the Imperial Japanese military (ground, air, and naval units) was able to sweep aside long established Western ascendancy in the Far East and Pacific. For a Mass Market paperback book packed with so much detail and replete with lots of stirring, heartbreaking, and inspiring eyewitness accounts of sacrifice, defeat, and small victories, it is brilliant. It is also highly readable, so much so that the average layperson will enjoy reading this history.
Like many people with an interest in the Second World War, my focus has tended to be on the European phase of the conflict. But in recent years, I have become curious about the Pacific War, which was fought on and over islands spanning thousands of miles of ocean, under the ocean, and on into China, Burma, and Southeast Asia. Thus I bought this book a few months ago to help add to my understanding of that struggle.
In the main, "The Lonely Ships" is the story of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet and its efforts - along with its Dutch and British allies -- to hold back the steady tide of the Japanese advance from the Philippines, to Malaya & Singapore, and on to the Dutch East Indies (modern day Indonesia) and Western New Guinea. Sadly, this fleet was allowed to lapse into neglect between the wars, because Washington opted to keep military spending to a bare mininum. Only towards the late 1930s - in light of the growing threat presented by Hitler and Japanese militarism - was military spending allowed to increase. Indeed, by the time Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and embarked on its own blitzkrieg in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the U.S. Asiatic Fleet was ill-suited to meet the challenges now placed before it. “ …[F]rom the beginning , all that could be expected from the Western naval powers was a holding action: to serve while the powers at home got their wits about them, examined their resources, and decided what those priorities must be. All the while the men in the field fought the Japanese, destroyed the resources they could not protect, and retreated with as much cost to the enemy as they could exact.”
I highly recommend this book to both history enthusiasts and general readers alike.
Like many people with an interest in the Second World War, my focus has tended to be on the European phase of the conflict. But in recent years, I have become curious about the Pacific War, which was fought on and over islands spanning thousands of miles of ocean, under the ocean, and on into China, Burma, and Southeast Asia. Thus I bought this book a few months ago to help add to my understanding of that struggle.
In the main, "The Lonely Ships" is the story of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet and its efforts - along with its Dutch and British allies -- to hold back the steady tide of the Japanese advance from the Philippines, to Malaya & Singapore, and on to the Dutch East Indies (modern day Indonesia) and Western New Guinea. Sadly, this fleet was allowed to lapse into neglect between the wars, because Washington opted to keep military spending to a bare mininum. Only towards the late 1930s - in light of the growing threat presented by Hitler and Japanese militarism - was military spending allowed to increase. Indeed, by the time Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and embarked on its own blitzkrieg in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the U.S. Asiatic Fleet was ill-suited to meet the challenges now placed before it. “ …[F]rom the beginning , all that could be expected from the Western naval powers was a holding action: to serve while the powers at home got their wits about them, examined their resources, and decided what those priorities must be. All the while the men in the field fought the Japanese, destroyed the resources they could not protect, and retreated with as much cost to the enemy as they could exact.”
I highly recommend this book to both history enthusiasts and general readers alike.
July 20, 2020
This was a well-written work on the history of really three different things. It is the history of the United States Asiatic Squadron, based in east Asia, which existed from the 1850s till it became the United States Asiatic Fleet in 1902, a squadron intended primarily at first to protect American interests in China and Japan, seeing action in the Korean Expedition of 1871, the Spanish-American War in 1898, the Philippine-American War, and the Boxer Rebellion. It is the history of the Yangtze Patrol, another United States naval operation, based in China and tasked with patrolling the Yangtze River to protect American commercial interests and to protect American missionaries (and also patrolled associated coastal waters), operating from 1854 till 1942 when the United States withdrew what was left as it was needed elsewhere to fight the Japanese. Most of all I think it is the history of the United States Asiatic Fleet (previously known as the Asiatic Squadron). The Asiatic Fleet was a relatively small fleet (most of the world would not regard it as a real fleet owing to its size and for the majority of its existence lacking any capital ships such as battleships or fleet aircraft carriers, instead made up of a few cruisers, a number of destroyers, even smaller surface warships, submarines, and associated support vessels) assigned primarily to patrol Philippine waters (at least for the time covered in the bulk of the book devoted to it, through the 1920s and the 1930s it had a role in China as well) and existed until February 1942, most of the fleet having been destroyed fighting or fleeing the Japanese, those few ships remaining later incorporated into the Seventh Fleet (beyond the scope of this book).
Most of the book is about the U.S. Asiatic Fleet, though to be fair I have to mention my copy of the book is missing pretty much the entire section on the Yangtze Patrol, as pages 85 to 116 are simply not a part of this copy and from what I can tell never were. I continued to read the book as I had already read good coverage of the Asiatic Squadron and the entirety of the book on the Asiatic Fleet was correctly printed (pages 1 to 132 covered the Asiatic Squadron and the Yangtze Patrol appeared to be the main subject of the missing pages going by the table of contents, while from page 133 to 323 was on the Asiatic Fleet, that section mostly on what happened right before and then during World War II).
The book is organized into two sections, the first optimistic and with American power on the rise, centering on the Asiatic Squadron and the Yangtze Patrol. This section though with some gripping sections was primarily it felt an overview of the subject (I felt for instance the section on the Spanish-American War, while definitely adequate, was fairly brief). The second half (more than half really) is heroic but grim, as it the tale of a vastly outnumbered, outgunned, isolated American naval command doing what little it could against the Japanese at their very height, running, fighting, hiding, fighting some more, running some more, the Fleet slowly whittled down till just a couple of ships remained, some run aground on reefs or shores avoiding the Japanese (or launching desperate attacks) thanks to their lack of familiarity with where they had to operate (their center of operations continually changing as base after base fell or had to evacuate due to Japanese advances), other ships destroyed in desperate battles, often badly outnumbered, lacking any way to resupply or repair ships most of the time, and operating with a near complete lack of air cover (several times PBY flying boats were available and did heroic work, sitting ducks as they were against Japanese fighter craft). Also in this section is some good coverage of the final stand of American forces on Corregidor Island as well.
The book is at its absolute best in a minute my minute or hour by hour account of various actions, whether overall specific battles such as the Battle of Balikpapan or the heroic but often doomed fates of various individual ships, such as the U.S.S. Langley (the U.S.’s first aircraft carrier, though by the time of World War II it was too slow for fleet operations and was a seaplane tender serving with the Asiatic Fleet, destroyed by its escort after becoming inoperable due to repeated Japanese air attacks in February 1942 near Java), the U.S.S. Houston (a heavy cruiser, the most powerful ship of the Asiatic Fleet, fighting in the Battle of the Java Sea and meeting her end at the Battle of Sunda Strait, launching their attack with only one accompanying vessel, the Australian vessel HMAS Perth, 2, originally 3 vessels against something like 20 Japanese warships and almost 60 transports), the U.S.S. Marblehead (a light cruiser, fighting in the Battle of Makassar Strait in 1942, fighting alongside Dutch and Australian ships, somehow heroically making it to safety despite numerous attacks and being almost inoperable, successfully retreating to India), and the U.S.S. Pecos (replenishment oiler that was part of the Asiatic Fleet, despite heroic action, was sunk in March 1942 south of Java while carrying 700 survivors from U.S.S. Langley and U.S.S. Stewart, in the end only 242 survivors rescued after the ship sank thanks to Japanese aircraft). Each of these ships (and more) detailed the individual actions of sailors and officers, of what they were trying to accomplish, what they did to overcome extremely tall odds (whether trying to hide their vessel near the shore by the day with palm fronds and green paint or coming up with makeshift repairs or darting in and out of rain squalls to shake Japanese aircraft) and made for gripping reading.
In addition some of the most gripping stories weren’t necessarily about individual vessels or particular battles, with some engaging tales of survival, such as the tale of the crew of PBY No. 18, under the command of Lieutenant Thomas H. Moorer, their flying boat shot down by Japanese aircraft that were on their way to bomb Darwin, Australia (and the ships anchored there), the author detailing a harrowing tale of trying to land a severely damaged aircraft while still very much being shot at, the crew getting rescued by an American freighter, Florence D, that ship getting suck by Japanese aircraft, the combined aircraft and ship crews surviving at sea for a time, making their way to an uninhabited part of Bathurst Island, after a fifteen mile trek through the wilderness concluded that they couldn’t walk to safety, and were eventually rescued by the H.M.A.S. Warranambool, a coastal patrol boat that couldn’t reach the men and had to ferry them in shifts using a sailboat, with that boat then attacked by a Japanese Kawasishi flying boat (fortunately successfully making it back to Darwin, Australia). This was just one of several such stories the author relayed and were riveting reading.
It was sad to read about all the frustrations and real danger the Asiatic Fleet (and its Dutch, Australian, and British allies) faced, ranging from faulty torpedoes (a huge problem facing the U.S. Navy early on in World War II), a near complete lack of aircover (and what few planes they had were either not designed to fight top of the line Japanese fighters such as the PBYs, were badly outdated, or sometimes even when modern were piloted by extremely inexperienced pilots), extreme difficulties in getting repairs (the U.S.S. Houston was in several engagements without the use of its rear guns as there was no way to repair them), lack of charts (at one point Americans were able to trace using pencil and paper a chart in one instance an ally let them look at), language difficulties (mainly between Dutch and American warships), political infighting (in the ABDA, the joint American, British, Dutch, Australian force cobbled together to try to hold the line against the Japanese, one that did the best it could but often had political infighting about who was in charge, the use of particular resources – particularly what little airpower they had – and differing goals, with the Dutch wanting to fight to the bitter end to protect the Dutch East Indies and the other allies not so much).
There is a good index, bibliography, and some good maps scattered throughout the text. No photographs though, that would have been nice. No real complaints about the book otherwise.
Most of the book is about the U.S. Asiatic Fleet, though to be fair I have to mention my copy of the book is missing pretty much the entire section on the Yangtze Patrol, as pages 85 to 116 are simply not a part of this copy and from what I can tell never were. I continued to read the book as I had already read good coverage of the Asiatic Squadron and the entirety of the book on the Asiatic Fleet was correctly printed (pages 1 to 132 covered the Asiatic Squadron and the Yangtze Patrol appeared to be the main subject of the missing pages going by the table of contents, while from page 133 to 323 was on the Asiatic Fleet, that section mostly on what happened right before and then during World War II).
The book is organized into two sections, the first optimistic and with American power on the rise, centering on the Asiatic Squadron and the Yangtze Patrol. This section though with some gripping sections was primarily it felt an overview of the subject (I felt for instance the section on the Spanish-American War, while definitely adequate, was fairly brief). The second half (more than half really) is heroic but grim, as it the tale of a vastly outnumbered, outgunned, isolated American naval command doing what little it could against the Japanese at their very height, running, fighting, hiding, fighting some more, running some more, the Fleet slowly whittled down till just a couple of ships remained, some run aground on reefs or shores avoiding the Japanese (or launching desperate attacks) thanks to their lack of familiarity with where they had to operate (their center of operations continually changing as base after base fell or had to evacuate due to Japanese advances), other ships destroyed in desperate battles, often badly outnumbered, lacking any way to resupply or repair ships most of the time, and operating with a near complete lack of air cover (several times PBY flying boats were available and did heroic work, sitting ducks as they were against Japanese fighter craft). Also in this section is some good coverage of the final stand of American forces on Corregidor Island as well.
The book is at its absolute best in a minute my minute or hour by hour account of various actions, whether overall specific battles such as the Battle of Balikpapan or the heroic but often doomed fates of various individual ships, such as the U.S.S. Langley (the U.S.’s first aircraft carrier, though by the time of World War II it was too slow for fleet operations and was a seaplane tender serving with the Asiatic Fleet, destroyed by its escort after becoming inoperable due to repeated Japanese air attacks in February 1942 near Java), the U.S.S. Houston (a heavy cruiser, the most powerful ship of the Asiatic Fleet, fighting in the Battle of the Java Sea and meeting her end at the Battle of Sunda Strait, launching their attack with only one accompanying vessel, the Australian vessel HMAS Perth, 2, originally 3 vessels against something like 20 Japanese warships and almost 60 transports), the U.S.S. Marblehead (a light cruiser, fighting in the Battle of Makassar Strait in 1942, fighting alongside Dutch and Australian ships, somehow heroically making it to safety despite numerous attacks and being almost inoperable, successfully retreating to India), and the U.S.S. Pecos (replenishment oiler that was part of the Asiatic Fleet, despite heroic action, was sunk in March 1942 south of Java while carrying 700 survivors from U.S.S. Langley and U.S.S. Stewart, in the end only 242 survivors rescued after the ship sank thanks to Japanese aircraft). Each of these ships (and more) detailed the individual actions of sailors and officers, of what they were trying to accomplish, what they did to overcome extremely tall odds (whether trying to hide their vessel near the shore by the day with palm fronds and green paint or coming up with makeshift repairs or darting in and out of rain squalls to shake Japanese aircraft) and made for gripping reading.
In addition some of the most gripping stories weren’t necessarily about individual vessels or particular battles, with some engaging tales of survival, such as the tale of the crew of PBY No. 18, under the command of Lieutenant Thomas H. Moorer, their flying boat shot down by Japanese aircraft that were on their way to bomb Darwin, Australia (and the ships anchored there), the author detailing a harrowing tale of trying to land a severely damaged aircraft while still very much being shot at, the crew getting rescued by an American freighter, Florence D, that ship getting suck by Japanese aircraft, the combined aircraft and ship crews surviving at sea for a time, making their way to an uninhabited part of Bathurst Island, after a fifteen mile trek through the wilderness concluded that they couldn’t walk to safety, and were eventually rescued by the H.M.A.S. Warranambool, a coastal patrol boat that couldn’t reach the men and had to ferry them in shifts using a sailboat, with that boat then attacked by a Japanese Kawasishi flying boat (fortunately successfully making it back to Darwin, Australia). This was just one of several such stories the author relayed and were riveting reading.
It was sad to read about all the frustrations and real danger the Asiatic Fleet (and its Dutch, Australian, and British allies) faced, ranging from faulty torpedoes (a huge problem facing the U.S. Navy early on in World War II), a near complete lack of aircover (and what few planes they had were either not designed to fight top of the line Japanese fighters such as the PBYs, were badly outdated, or sometimes even when modern were piloted by extremely inexperienced pilots), extreme difficulties in getting repairs (the U.S.S. Houston was in several engagements without the use of its rear guns as there was no way to repair them), lack of charts (at one point Americans were able to trace using pencil and paper a chart in one instance an ally let them look at), language difficulties (mainly between Dutch and American warships), political infighting (in the ABDA, the joint American, British, Dutch, Australian force cobbled together to try to hold the line against the Japanese, one that did the best it could but often had political infighting about who was in charge, the use of particular resources – particularly what little airpower they had – and differing goals, with the Dutch wanting to fight to the bitter end to protect the Dutch East Indies and the other allies not so much).
There is a good index, bibliography, and some good maps scattered throughout the text. No photographs though, that would have been nice. No real complaints about the book otherwise.
April 8, 2018
This is a little known part of WWII that has been virtually ignored by historians. It's the story of what happened to the Men of the Asiatic Fleet who were trapped on the other side of the world on December 7th 1942, with no hope of any kind of rescue these men were on their own and their story is all about Guts and Gumption the like we love to hear about of our fighting men. My dad was one of them and never mentioned a word about it his whole life. I only recently pieced his story together. For these guys the war was much longer then it was for those who joined after Pearl Harbor and many of them were sprinkled throughout the Fleet as Battle hardened Veterans, such as Commander Ernest Edwin Evans who later won the Medal Of Honor at The Battle off Samar telling his men beforehand he intended to take his ship into Harms Way. My dad was there on board the USS Heermann and got a citation for his action. There were others also mentioned at this battle that were originally with the Asiatic Fleet.
February 28, 2022
A well researched, if a bit dryly written (from a 21st century audience perspective) and heavily WWII focused account about an often forgotten and glossed over portion of US Naval History. I wish there had been more of a focus on the origins and "life" section from the early 1800s through 1920s, although understand that there's a paucity of individual documentation pertaining to that Era. Hoyt does do a good job of blending the larger geopolitical context, both with the traditionally identified "western" powers as well as with the various Nations states of Southeast Asia, with individual stories to bring some color and the human element to this History. An interesting read recommended for anyone wanting more context for this often overlooked portion of naval history and foreign relations
October 7, 2019
A great read for history buffs. The author did an amazing job.
November 25, 2009
So often we think of ourselves as the easy victor but the US Asiatic (not Pacific) fleet lost many ships and men in the beginning of WWII from 1941 to 1942. They started off with several cruisers, a slow coaler modified into a aircraft hauler (not a carrier), several destroyers, many subs, the various support ships like tugs and sub tenders and even flat-bottomed river boats from the Chinese patrol that had to travel from Shanghai past Japanese controlled Taiwan across the sea to Luzon. The book takes the reader through all the brave battles as the fleet moved stepwise from the Phillipines to Java and eventually, to Australia, in defeat, left with only a handful of destroyers, several subs and (I think) a damaged cruiser. American ingenuity, bravery and good-natured commitment to our allies is demonstrated even in defeat.
October 8, 2009
Edwin Hoyt's story of the development and eventual destruction of America's Asiatic Squadron is a little known chapter in America's history. The book chronicles America's attempt to exert influence in the Far East in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author has an engaging style and the subject matter is, in my opinion, exciting. An excellent read.
July 9, 2014
During World War II the Allied navies in the Pacific region in Asia were ignored with emphasis placed on Atlantic and Mediterrain operations. Here is a good discussion of the Allied ships in Asia at the outbreak of World War II.
December 28, 2014
A decently written account of an aspect of the sea war in the Pacific that is generally skimmed over: the actions (and demise) of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet during the first months of the war. An okay book for those seriously interested in the topic.
May 2, 2015
Quick, interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews