Though not a large warship, the USS Wake (PR-3) earned a distinctive place in naval history. After entering service in 1927, the gunboat passed through the control of several different nations, with each transfer contributing to an unusually complex and eventful operational history. Over the course of its lengthy service life, the vessel became associated with multiple historical turning points, ensuring that its story would remain noteworthy long after its time at sea had ended.
Origins as USS Guam (PG-43)
Originally commissioned as USS Guam (PG-43), the vessel was launched in Shanghai, China, on May 28, 1927, and entered service that December under the command of Lt. Robert K. Awtry. It was one of six modern Yangtze River gunboats constructed to replace an older group of patrol ships operating on China’s inland waterways.
In its early years, Guam was assigned to safeguard American missionaries, business interests, and other foreign nationals during a period of widespread political instability in China. On July 4, 1930, the gunboat traveled toward Yochow and Chenglin after receiving reports that American citizens had been captured by Communist forces. As it neared Yochow, rifle fire erupted from the shore, killing one of the ship’s crew members.
Alongside these protective duties, the vessel also collected radio intelligence by monitoring Japanese military communications and movements throughout the region. As Japan continued expanding its influence in China during the late 1930s, operations along the Yangtze became increasingly dangerous. Japanese naval vessels regularly kept the gunboat under observation, and its patrols took place amid steadily rising tensions as the conflict in the region escalated.
The USS Wake (PR-3) is captured by the Imperial Japanese
In 1941, the USS Guam was renamed the USS Wake, as her former name was being used for a new battle cruiser.
In November 1941, Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Earl Harris was ordered to close the US Navy installation at Hankow and sail for Shanghai. On the 28th, he and most of his crew were transferred to gunboats and told to sail to the Philippines. On the same day, Lt. Cmdr. Columbus Darwin Smith was summoned by Adm. William Glassford and asked to take command of Wake.
Smith seemed to be the obvious choice for the position as an old “China hand” with years of experience in the Far East. He was also a member of the Shanghai Pilot’s Association, who assisted in guiding international shipping up the Yangtze River, toward the Whangpoo River and Shanghai. Furthermore, Smith was able to speak Mandarin and could get by in Japanese.
On November 30, 1941, Wake reached the Chinese coast. It was here that her crew was divided between two ships, the USS Luzon (PG-47) and Oahu (PR-6). The two vessels then set sail for Manila while a skeleton crew of around 14 reservists stayed aboard Wake to serve as a radio outlet for the handful of Marines and Consular force that remained. There were no docks, so the gunboat was stationed at an anchorage in the middle of the Whangpoo.
One week later, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Immediately after, they demanded that Wake’s crew surrender and quickly captured the gunboat. Smith was the first American taken prisoner by the Japanese. He and the crew were thrown into a prison camp near Shanghai, where US Marines and Navy sailors captured on Wake Island would also be imprisoned.
During the Second World War, Wake was the only American vessel captured intact by the enemy.
The USS Wake (PR-3) enters service with the Imperial Japanese
On December 15, 1941, the former USS Wake was officially redesignated as IJN Tatara and placed under the Sasebo Naval District. It was subsequently assigned to the Shanghai Base Force as part of the China Area Fleet.
Throughout World War II, Tatara came under attack from Allied forces. Following Japan’s formal surrender in China in September 1945, the vessel was handed back to the United States, which then transferred it to the Chinese Nationalist government. Renamed RCS Tai Yuan, the ship continued its service under Nationalist control.
The RCS Tai Yuan fell into the hands of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and remained in Communist service until the 1960s. Since then, no U.S. Navy vessel has carried the name Wake, though the Casablanca-class escort carrier USS Wake Island (CVE-65), launched in 1943, bore a related name.
Fate of Lt. Cmdr. Columbus Darwin Smith
An interesting side story to the USS Wake‘s history involves Lt. Cmdr. Smith, who the Japanese took prisoner after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Smith escaped Japanese internment not once, but twice during three years. In January 1942, he was moved to Woo Sung Prisoner of War Camp, where he met Cmdr. John Woolley of the British Royal Navy. In March of that year, Smith, Woolley, and two others dug beneath the electric wiring surrounding the camp and escaped. However, only hours later, they were recaptured by Chinese soldiers working with the Japanese.
The escapees underwent brutal punishment at the hands of the Japanese for their escape attempt. They were taken to Ward Road Jail to be tried for desertion from the Imperial Japanese Army and put on trial before a military court. After the trial, they were thrown into solitary confinement for 52 days, all the while not knowing their fate.
Finally, they were taken back into the courtroom, and Smith received a sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.
Smith and Woolley were still determined to escape. The pair and a handful of other POWs made a rope from sheets and worked together to climb over a 25-foot-high wall. After successfully breaching the perimeter, they traveled over 700 miles on foot to the Chinese Nationalist Lines and were flown to freedom.