World War II's "Floating Targets"-- Part 6: An Encounter With the USS Tucker

YPs were diesel powered with a top speed of 10 knots.

The YP-346 hauled supplies to remote islands and, whenever possible, trolled for tuna (after all, they had originally been tuna boats).  They also played the role of entrepreneurs when they would buy items at one place and sell for good profit at other places.  Nothing wrong with making a buck during war.

The Navy has two sets of signals:  one for major warships and one for minor ones like the YPs.

At midnight August 3, 1942, the YP-346 was near Point Victor on its way to Espiritu Santo, when the USS Tucker (DD-347) flashed its signal lights with the message "Identify yourself at once."  The problem was that the YP-346 didn't have the signal to reply.  A tense few moments ended when Theodora ordered his signalman to reply in straight English and the destroyer let the ship pass.

--GreGen