USS Wake (PR-3)

USS "Wake" (PR-3) was a United States Navy river gunboat seized by Japan on December 8, 1941. She was originally commissioned "Guam" (PG-43). This designation was changed to PR-3 in 1928, and the name changed to "Wake" in 1941.

She was launched on May 28, 1927 as "Guam" by the Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works in Shanghai, China, and commissioned on December 28, 1927. Her primary mission was to ensure the safety of American missionaries and other foreigners. However, by 1939, she was "escorted" by a Japanese warship whenever she went, as China fell more and more under Imperial control.

In January 1941, she was renamed "Wake", as "Guam" was to be the new name of a large cruiser being built in the United States. On November 25, 1941 she was ordered to close the Navy installation at Hankow, and sail to Shanghai. When Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, Shanghai immediately fell to Japan. Surrounded by overwhelming Japanese force, the crew attempted unsuccessfully to scuttle the craft. "Wake" surrendered, the only U.S. ship to do so in World War II.

As of 2006, no other ship of the US Navy has been named "Wake", though a "Casablanca"-class escort carrier launched in 1943 was named "Wake Island".

ee also

*See USS "Guam" for other ships of the same name
*List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy

References

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w1/wake.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Wake" (PR-3)]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/09043.htm navsource.org: USS "Wake" (PR-3)]
* [http://www.combinedfleet.com/tatara_t.htm USS "Wake" as "IJN Tatara" and "RCS Tai Yuan".