Lexington (CV 16) - Naval Cruise Book

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vo one again on Formosa on Ianuary 21, the other the next day on Okinawa, after which the force finally retired. After steaming 9758 miles, the Lexington dropped anchor again at Ulithi on lanuary 27, On Ianuary 30 Captain Litch, who had com- manded the ship since April 1944, was relieved by Captain Thomas H. Robbins, and on the following day Ftear Admiral R. E. Davison relieved Rear Admiral Bogan of command of the group, now once more Task Group 53.2. This series of replacements was completed when Air Group 20 was relieved two days later by Air Group 9. When the force steamed out again on February 10, Air Group 9, new to the ship and to combat, was electrified to learn that their first operation was to be the first strike by the fleet against Tokyo itself, undertaken in support of the landings on lwo lima slated to begin on February 19. The airfields assigned to the Task Group were to the east and southeast of the city. The first fighter sweep, on the morning of February 16, quickly discovered, from the absence of airborne opposition or AA fire, that the enemy had not been forewarned, Clouds, rain squalls and low visibility over the launching area helped the force achieve surprise. Opposition soon increased, however, until by the end of the day Air Group 9 had shot down 25 enemy planes in the air, as well as eighteen on the ground. The success of the day was marred for air group and ship by loss of the Air Group Commander, P. H. Torrey, lr. On the following day, after two fighter sweeps had been launched, further operations were can- celled because of unfavorable weather reports, and the force retired to the vicinity of lwo lima. There during the next few days they sent planes on direct support missions over the Acre of Hell, rearming at sea on the 20th. BACK IN THE STATES The force moved back to Tokyo on February 23, but nearly all future operations were nullified by continuously bad weather. Three strikes were launched on February 25, but the targets were found closed in. Finally on March l the force attacked the Nansei Shoto fthe chain of islands that includes Okinawal. The Lexington was assigned three small islands in the Amami Gunto tnorth of Okinawal, where only a few planes were discov- ered, and the day was chiefly spent in attacks on shipping. The following day the force retired once more, arriving at Ulithi on March 5. On the same day Rear Admiral Davison dis- embarked, and preparations were made for a return to the United States, the first since February 1944, for routine overhaul. Air Group 9 was transferred and replaced by Air Group 3, aboard for trans- portation home. On March 7 the ship left Ulithi and Rearming at Sea, 1945. Bombs are swung from an ammunition ship to the Lexington. within range of Iapanese aircraft. By 1945. the Navy was practically independent ot ports except for rest and maior overhaul. Reiueling at Sea, 1943. This was the secret weapon that made the Navy's far-flung Pacific operations possible. Vlith an occasional rendezvous with tankers. a task force could keep at sea for months at a time.

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d 1 t A Chitose class light carrier lies burning and dead in the water in the Second Battle.of the Philippine Sea. Cruisers from the I.exington's task group later finished her off With gunfire. Altogether four carriers were sunk in that engagement. the air were landed without accident. All the next lo d ' ' ng ay the ship continued to operate, sending off strikes and patrols 'as scheduled. 'Only on the 7th was she relieved, then at last she began h er retire- ment to Ulithi, transferring the wounded to the USS. Solace on arrival. She remained there during Nov b ' ' em er, undergoing repairs. On the way, the Lexington learned that she had been sunk again. The report did not seem as far wrong as usual. THE WEATHER TAKES A HAND ' During November, Air Group 19, who, since the occupation of Guam, had developed into a really magnificent air group, returned to the States, and were relieved by Air Group 20 from the Enterprise. On December ll the Lexington sortied once more from Ulithi flying the flag of Rear Admiral G, F. Bogan, Commander of Task Group 58.2. A Air G 2 ' roup Us war turned out to be more with the weather than with the lapanese. After three days CDecember l4-l6J of strikes against airfields in the Luzon area, in support of MacArthur's landings on Mindoro--strikes so successful that almost no enemy opposition developed-the force found itself for several days in the center of a typhoon. Luckily, the Lexington rode out this punishing storm with only minor damage, until finally the entire force was able to return to Ulithi on December 23, in time to spend th h l' e oiday season at that well-known resort. After a week of rest, the task group Cnow Task Group 38.23 ll sa ied forth again for three tough weeks of operations that included the first entry of the Fast Carrier Task Forces into the stormy South China Sea. The common purpose of these opera- tions, ranging from Indo-China to Okinawa, was to support the Army's landings at Lingayen Gulf, which began on lanuary 9. The first nine days of Ianua ry were spent in strikes on airfields on Luzon and Formosa, in which little enemy opposition was encountered. On the night of Ianuary 9, the force entered the China Sea, intending to seek out and destroy major units of the lapanese fleet which might threaten our landing operations. When no such units could be discov- ered, the operation developed into a far-flung hunt for enemy shipping. Attacks were launched on ship- ping and airfields at Saigon and Camranh Bay in lndo-China, Hong-Kong, the Pescadores lslands off Formosa, and Formosa itself. The most successful day was lanuary l2 at Cam- ranh Bay when planes from the Task Group wiped out one convoy of four merchant vessels and four escorts, a d n destroyed at least twelve vessels in another Durin th' - Q is time almost no airborne oppo- sition developed, and the chief obstacle was the weather, which seemed on occasion even to veteran fliers to be about as bad . as men could fly in. The strain on the pilots was correspondi ON TO TOKYO On lanuary 20, the force left the China Sea and proceeded northward to launch two more ngly great. strikes, 1 9 ls JNX s. ls N l . Q,-.

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The Lexington tops-off the Ault, one of her screen ot destroyers. This was a matter of routine every two or three days: by the end of the war, task groups were topping oft destroyers within sixty miles of Iapcm.