Evening star., 1942-06-18
Lexington Was Forced to Yield Finally TO Flames
Despite Audocity of her Officers and Men

and singed crew gathered on the
after end Of the flight deck. Forward
all was ablaze and the flight deck
was too hot to put foot upon it.
Admiral Fletcher sent several de-
stroyers alongside, and we trans
ferred our wounded, 100 men, to the
vessels. Hundreds OF the other crew
members also stepped aboard the
destroyers.
Still other hundreds let long hemp
ropes down the sides of the Lexing-
ton, Slid down them, and into the
limpid waters Of the Coral Sea.
Many life RATS were floating around
the Lexington's stern. Big Navy
whaleboats from cruisers and de-
stroyers were plying back and forth.
A few men struck out to swim the
quarter mile to the nearest cruisers.
Number Of Planes Saved.
Several members OF flight crews
removed the little yellow life RATS
from fighter planes on the flight
deck-planeS that never would fly
again. These men used the RATS to
ferry themselves across to the war
ships standing by. It should be mem
toned that IS per cent of the Lex
ington's fighting planes-those espe.
cially picked Tor lack of damage
were flown of her burning deck long
before the fire was beyond all control
and landed on her companion car
rier. The number of planes thus
saved was limited by the capacity of
the other carriers hangers.
Joined group of pilots who re-
membered that the ships store of ice
cream would melt soon with the re-
frigerator's electric current cut OF.
Rather than lose 1t, they got several
2-gallon cans and we sat around
under the wings of planes parked on
the deck and ate the ice cream from
paper drinking cups.
This was typical o: the leisurely
way in which the ship was aban-
doned. There was no hurry, no
scrambling. This discipline was part
OF the reason roll calls later revealed
that 90 per cent of her personnel
were safely transferred from here.
Only 8 per cent Of the original COM
plement were missing. Most Of these
were victims Of the air fighting. the
bombing or torpedoing of the Lex
ington, or finally, of the fire fighting
and internal explosions.
did last turn on the deck with
vI =
air ofdcer, after most Of the crew had
left. We decided to take the next
favorable chance ourselves. My prep
arationS consisted OF transferring all
notes to a breast pocket of my shirt,
where hoped they would stay dry.
Then picked q rope with a big
knot ut its end, where I might sit
until picked up, and cautiously slid
down. Comdr. Eldredge was q bit
careless in securing lis grip and he
ddi the trip to the water in one
scorching flash that left him with
blistered palms and a friction burn
on one leg.
In two minutes was picked up in
q whaleboat with other men. We
towed several life RATS as well, and
got a number Of men to q cruiser I
stayed aboard the cutter with the
coxswain and We commenced to
gather in men who were swimming
and showing signs OF exhaustion.
Hauling exhausted men from the
water over a 3-foot-high gunwale
while . small craft is rolling is no
simple task. After pulling in about
30, ones arms weaken. In all We
got so aboard. They filled the boat
because so many lay on the bottom
trying to cough the sea water out of
their lungs. Undoubtedly the fore
sight Of the coxswain in electing to
pick up swimming men saved sew
eral lives.
While we were thus engaged, there
came q heavy explosion aboard the
Lexington that sent the amidship
portion of the fight deck hurting
into the air. Flames burst through.
Immediately afterward came
binding flash. a tremendous shock,
and q billowing cloud Of black
smoke soaring skyward as the 1000
pound bombs exploded. Bits Of the
steel deck and side plates show
cred the sea for hundreds of yards
around, endangering all in the water
and in the boats.
later learned that Comdr. Selig-
man had just slid down q rope into
the sea and Capt. Sherman was still
on a rope when this explosion came
They had stayed to the last to see
that every man got away.
Destroyer Administers Coup.
Only a few minutes later, the after
tip of the fight deck was blasted
away. Planes were tossed into the
water when the torpedo warheads
let 60. Capt. Sherman and Comdr.
Seligman were swimming to q cut
ter when this happened. Luckily,
they we're not harmed by the debris
that fell all around them and they
were rescued.
- 1t was almost dark when our boat
reached the mother ship and un-
loaded. The whole length of the
Lexington was ablaze as I climbed
aboard the rescue cruiser. 1t was a
fierce. white fire evidently consum-
ing the &c, 900 gallons Of aviation fuel
and million gallons of fuel oil from
tanks now wide open.
Blast after blast rent the ship,
but she floated high and upright. A
few small vessels poking among the
debris around her for possible SWIM
mers were ordered to leave her side.
A destroyer stood by to administer
the finishing coup. This consisted
OF salvo of four more heavy tor
pedoes delivered at close range.
After their blasts had opened new
holes, . the Lexington slowly filled
with water and gradually, still up
right, slid with a prolonged hiss, be-
meath the water.
"She was q lady to the end" one
of her officers exclaimed as the glow
of her flames died away.
Copyright. le42, BY the Chicago Tribune)
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