Lexington (CV 16) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 49 text:

W MORE UNIDENTIFIED SHOTS. A Iill makes a torpedo run through a storm of 5-inch and automatic fire. The run is successful, but he fails to drop his torpedo, and passes harmlessly close aboard. This sequence, which was used in The Fighting Lady , may not have originated on the Lexington.

Page 48 text:

UNIDENTIFIED SHOTS FROM THE FILES A stricken lap falls fright! and explodes fbelowb, as the gunners at their battle stations look on. Note the plane and the destroyerlin the background. In the second picture they have hardly moved. Air warfare moves fast! I ?,Zj2.'H2 ,577 , , -vr- 1 fi if 7 V Xl 4 . ' 'H 1 v ' ,Wx J., MV ' ' A , f,,,'f,, I 4' . Y 1 , wuz, gf f- ' f ,,, .

Page 50 text:

enemy fleet. Though they never found the fleet fgp which they searched, they reached a point 450 miles from the ship before turning back, thus ppgv- ing for the first time that fighter planes could bg uesd on long-range flights of this type. The epic performance of Air Group l6 in the subsequent attack on the Iapanese fleet is told in a vivid and skilful book, Mission Beyond Darkness, by Lieu- tenant Commander Ioseph Bryan, lll, and Philip Reed. Nine planes and four pilots were lost in thing, engagement. These historic days were Air Group 16's last. After ten more days of milk runs over Guam, the ship was relieved and retired to Eniwetok. On Iuly 9 Air Group 16, by now rated one of the top three groups in the Pacific, was relieved by Air Group l9 for a well-earned rest. THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS Air Group 19 brought aboard the first squadron of Helldivers to operate from the Lexington. Re- garded with distrust at first, the ship soon learned to respect their Worth, and the skill of their pilots. The cooperation and tremendous enthusiasm of the new air group quickly won the esteem of all on board. The air groups tour of duty began slowly, but 191 Irma, 1944-Guam burns. This is how the Iapcmese P105 ound their landing fields on the day of the Turkey Shoot .