Evening star., 1942-06-18
Lexington 'sWounded
Shifted Frequently
As Damage Spread
Senior Medical Officer
Tells of Fortitude of
Aides and Injured

WIN 1CSOA4 tlShA OllC bdon
of removing sick relative from
one bed to another were given g
story beyond their comprehension
yesterday by Comdr. A. j. White
senior medical officer aboard the
aircraft carrier Lexington, who su-
.pervised removal of approximately
$50 wounded men from the carrier
to small boats in the Coral Sea.
Comdr White told his story to a
Blue Network audience in the late
afternoon and later appeared for q
brief interview in the Navy De-
partment pressroom. He is a native
of Ohio, but his family has spent
much time in Washington the last
few years.
The men were taken over the
sides in basket stretchers, with
each patient strapped to prevent
his being thrown out. Small boats
that received them took them tc
other naval craft, where their hos.
pitaliZation was continued and fur
.ther necessary surgical work was
done.
Below Decks During Battle.
Comdr White felt the first tor
pedo in the Inflated Lexington but
said he forgot to count after that
and did not know how many the
vessel received before she sank
From his battle station below decks
he could not see the battle in prog
reSS
- Here is what appears to be the
first story of what happened to the
injured men on the carrier as told
by Comdr. White:
Soon after the first torpedo hit
which was followed by further tor
pedo hits and two bomb hits on the
flight deck, casualties began to
arrive in the main sick bay and in
the aviation battle dressing station
under the flight deck The first
casualties arriving consisted of
severe burns, with shock. The avia-
tion battle dressing station had
many shrapnel wounds, mainly of
the chest, abdomen and extremities,
some of which were fatal within a
period of minutes. Others. less
severely injured. were treated and
put to bed in the living compart-
gments. and given the necessary
nursing care.
= This work absorbed the time of
all medical personnel during the
frst hour following the attack. At
;this time-or about one hour fol-
lowing the attack-the ship suffered
an internal explosion of great in
tensity. This explosion was on the
deck on which the main sick bay
was located, necessitating the re-
moval of all patients from the main
sick bay to the captains cabin on
The main deck. This procedure was
made extremely difficult due to the
warping of matches.
Handicapped BY Darkness.
THE presence of smoke and
pungent fumes required the wearing
of gas masks by all personnel. All
compartments about the sick bay
deck were in darkness and as a re-
suit of the explosion our flashlights
were all out of order. which made
our progress to the captains cabin
Every tedious.
Upon our arrival in the captains
cabin We found a very adequately
equipped dressing station which had
been established by two hospital
corpsmen sent to this location in
advance for the treatment of many
burn cases resulting from a bomb
explosion on the main deck. Here
-we were able to continue the treat
zment of our patients.
7 This consisted mainly of the ad-
eministration of blood plasma for
shock and local treatment for burns.
sSome fracture cases were treated at
this time and all patients were
placed on mattresses obtained from
sstaterooms in the vicinity of the
cabin. They we're given morphine
where needed to relieve their pain
sand were made as comfortable as
spossible.
THE drinking water supply had
sbeen damaged early in the attack
QptUlC VI NdllOuS dllU
.all personnel we're dependent upon
sthe water supply provided by our
Preserve tanks scattered throughout
! the ship. This was supplemented by
ifruit juices and fruit obtained from
.the pantrieS of the various officers
smesses.
There seems to be an unnatural
thirst created not only by injury but
as a result of the nervous tension
land perhaps the presence of smoke
in the air. AS result, we were not
Ionly called upon to provide water
for our patients, but at numerous
.dreSsing stations scattered through
;out the ship water was issued in
relatively small quantities to unin-
.Jured personnel. This was done in
ian effort to guard against heat ex-
.hauStion. particularly in the fire.
rooms and their vicinity.
Driven to Flight Deck.
Work in all dressing-room sta
itlons progressed satisfactorily until
the continued explosions and the
. fres fllled the entire upper portion
OF the ship, making it necessary to
move all patients from the captains
cabin-frst to the gun galleries and
from there to the flight deck.
AS fires progressed and it became
more evident that the ship would
! nave to be abandoned, word was
received from the executive officer
: TO bring all patients to the fight
oeck IN preparation for their re-
moval to other ships in the vicinity.
This was done and the transfer of
patients by small boat and directly
to destroyers was accomplished by
means of basket stretchers. which
could be lowered from the flight deck
10 the smaller boats alongside.
. 1T was very much regretted that
these patients had to be moved on
so many occasions, but Succeeding
events proved the necessity for such
movements.
: 1T is believed that very few suf-
! fered in the course of their recovery
from this necessary handling and
it was remarkable to note the for
titude of all hands and the willino-
! nnec af fba y,of;ontS - l.,