Naval History and Heritage Command

A Philippine timber tree having a heavy, hard, wood. Yacal herself was built principally of this wood.

Yacal (YFB-688) - a small ferryboat constructed in the Philippine Islands by the Cavite Navy Yard - was launched on 15 September 1932. Completed on 11 November 1932, the small, wood-constructed coal-burner performed yard duties at Cavite for almost a decade. Following up their devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces struck at the Philippines in December 1941 and scored lightening-quick successes. In the destructive deluge which engulfed the Philippines, Yacal met her end on 2 January 1942. Records do not indicate whether she was destroyed by her own forces to prevent capture or by the Japanese. In any event, she was struck by the Navy list on 24 July 1942.