USS Lexington found

[IanC]

Friends,

Saw this and thought it would be of interest.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-43296489

The wreck of a US aircraft carrier that was sunk during World War Two has been found off the coast of Australia. The USS Lexington was found 3km (2 miles) underwater in the Coral Sea, about 800km off Australia's east coast.

The ship was lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea, fought with Japan from 4-8 May 1942. More than 200 crew members died in the fighting.

The US Navy confirmed the ship had been discovered by a search team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Pictures showed the wreck to be well preserved. The discovery of the Lexington, along with 11 of its 35 aircraft, was made by Mr Allen's company Vulcan on Sunday.

[Chet Sowersby]

I saw that as well Ian. As they noted, it is in remarkable condition.

Chet

[Edward]

Awesome pics. Thanks for sharing.

[Steve Flanagan]

Lexington

With the Felix the Cat logo and four kill flags on it, that fighter shouldnt be hard to identify pilot

[Tom B]

Very sad but interesting Tom

[Martin Simon]

Saw it on the news here this morning. Unbelievable how good those planes still look after all that time in the water.
Very interesting to watch the footage.
Martin

[Stephen Smith]

With the Felix the Cat logo and four kill flags on it, that fighter shouldnt be hard to identify pilot

Fighting Squadron Three (VF-3), March 5, 1942. Standing, l to r: Mason, Clark, Sellstrom, Eder, Johnson, Lackey, Haynes, Stanley, Peterson, Dufilho, Lemmon. Sitting: Morgan, Vorse, Lovelace, Thach, Gayler, O'Hare, Rowell. Extreme left, back row: ENS Newton H. Mason

[ENGLISH BOB]

I saw that as well Ian. As they noted, it is in remarkable condition.

Chet

I think its 2 miles down Chet, minuet oxygen and very cold,perfect preservation conditions.
Cheers
Bob

[N.C. Wyeth]

O'Hare . . .

This is a little "lengthy" . . . but hang in there - it ties in nicely with this new discovery . . .

STORY NUMBER ONE

Many Years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object.

And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.

He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al"Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some resemblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he testified.

Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay.. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read:

"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still."


STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare.

He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.

One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.

He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.

As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American-fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.

Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly.

Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.

Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return.. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft. This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.

A Year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His hometown would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.


SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son.

[Robert Shoaf]

That Devastator torpedo bomber is in amazing condition for being underwater since 1942.
My understanding is that poor damage control led to the Lexington's loss, but lessons learned helped save other seriously damaged carrriers later in the war.

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

pictures for the WAF archives.

Below, "T5" and "T8", "Devastator" torpedo bombers.

See You

Vince

[FrenchVolunteer]

2

"T4" and "T9", two other "Devastator" torpedo bombers, and "F5", one "Hellcat" fighter.

See You

Vince

[FrenchVolunteer]

3

one of the 12x 5-inch (127mm) guns, and one of the 12x 1.1-inch (28mm) quadruple guns.

[FrenchVolunteer]

4

"Lady Lex", in memoriam.

[Robert Shoaf]

Thanks for the additional photos. The fighter is an F4-F Wildcat, not an F6-F Hellcat, which did not go into service until late 1943.