Evening star., 1942-09-17
Brave Yorktown Bore
Brunt Of Midway
Sea Air Battle
Previous Deck Wound
Had Been Patched Up:
Coptuin Soved Mess Mon
Br the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1.-THE
U. s. 8. Yorktown. sent out hastily
repaired merely to trail other plane
carriers for the cleanup" Job.
fought to death bearing the brunt
OF the Midway sea-air battle.
This information was disclosed to-
day in the story Of the gallant ships
last stand, as constructed by the
18th Naval District headquarters
here from accounts of rescued crew
members.
These sailors, their eyes bright
with pride for their lost ship, also
told how some OF their mates died
and how the carriers 53-year old
commander. Capt. Elliott Buckmas-
ter. saved a colored mess attendant
at the risk OF his own life.
She was the best carrier In the
Navy" declared Chief Machinist
Mate A. E. Wendell of Erie, Pa. Il
hope the folks remember her"
Capt. Buckmaster-"the Old Man"
to his crew-swam from a life raft,
pulling the mess attendant and
hoisted the disabled man into the
only remaining place in a whale
poat. He then returned to the raft
to await rescue himself.
Flight Deck Patched.
The Yorktown's flight deck was
patched-to cover a midship bomb
wound received in the Coral Sea bat
tie in May-but despite her intended
follow up role at Midway, it was one
OF her patrols which located the Jap
carrier force retreating from an en-
counter with land-based Army and
marine craft.
Then, the survivors recounted, she
was wounded anew in the first hours
Of the Midway engagement June
by another bomb crashing through
her deck. Two hours later, the Jap
torpedo planes struck. The crew
abandoned her then, but she re-
manned afloat until June 7, until
after two Jap submarine torpedoes
hit her and two others blew up the
destroyer Hammann, secured along
side for salvage attempts. The ex-
plosion of the Hammann's depth
charges added to the destruction.
Il think the last planes the Japs
had plugged those torpedoes into
u.s." said Chief Commissary Steward
G. E. Galloway of Carrollton. Mo.
I'VE got EN- all, and nobody ever
ran into any Jap planes after that"
Bothered by Dive Bombers.
The Jap dive bomber attack
bothered Fire Controlman Paul
Blame Rehlander of La Port, Ind,
more than the torpedo planes.
"I feel sorry for anybody who
has to 90 through dive-bombing,"
he said, give me torpedoes any
day"
Remainder didn't agree with Navy
communique announcements that
four Jap bombers got away. Il
think maybe one got away" he re-
marked.
Il heard that one of the planes
coming in low" Rehlander con-
tinued, flew past marine up for
ward. The plane was all shot to
pieces and the pilot shook his fist
at the marine, so that marine drew
q bead on him with a rife and shot
him down.
ut might be just yarn, but
don't know. The marines are pretty
handy with those rifles"
Was Blown Into Water.
Seaman (First Class M. P. Hill
Of Jasper, Fla. who was back aboard
the Yorktown with rescue crew
when the Japanese submarines let
60 the torpedoes into the carrier
and the Hammann, said:
THE explosion threw us in an
arc over the ship. through the over
head, and into the water on the
other side. I was just getting back
on board when the depth charges
on the Hammann went off and blew
me back into the water again. One
Of the torpedoes got us. The other
two cut the Hammann right in two.
She sank right away. About three
minutes, guess.
II saw men on the destroyer
blown 200 feet in the air"
The sailors were of the opinion
that other destroyers got the sub
marine. mo Jap that touched her
(the Yorktown will ever wear any
medals" commented one.