Lexington (CV 16) - Naval Cruise Book

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He vaults from his hot seat . 'N-Rf'-. 'W 'Q 11 .-,,,,, And runs along the wing of his plcme to safety i

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OPERATIUNAL CASUALTY The operation ot an aircraft carrier. quite aside from dangers from the enemy. is an exacting and hazardous job. The routine landing and launching of aircraft is full of risks--a broken tail wheel. a snapping cable. a hook that fails to catch, a brake that locks. a motor that stalls. a pilot that misiudges-and always. above them all, the danger oi tire. The Lexington is proud of the high proportion of her planes that have been launched and landed safely. Llike any other carrier. however. she has had her share ol accidents. On February 21, l945. a Hellcat. back from a routine hop. came aboard with a belly tank hall-lull. When he caught a wire and jerked to a stop. the tank broke loose from its fastenings and burst open under the still-whirling propellor. What ensued is shown in the pictures that follow. 'wiv fault! V 114 s . f . . , f .. Z7 A: , ,X ff . ': M Q His propellor strikes a spark on the tank . . He makes a rough landing I U He is ablaze! . . . The Pilot Wfesnes with his safety straps ' ' l

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vi- ... 1 WN ah I -S Firefighters get the blaze under control , , , They smother the last flame . . And the charred wreckage is towed up the ing merchant and naval vessels on both the east and west coasts , Following retirement on the evening of the lOth the next two days were occupied only with normal air patrols and the fueling of destroyers. Returning to the attack on August 13, Air Group 94 was sent against an electric company at Kawasaki. Haze and low clouds in the Tokyo area prevented most ot the planes from reaching the target, where re- sults were unobserved. Alternative industrial tar- gets were hit and other strikes of the day made a good score in strating and bombing planes dis- persed around Nasuno and other fields in the valleys north of Tokyo. ln the vicinity of the force the combat air patrol shot down an itinerant Iill, first and only airborne victim ot Air Group 94. Alter lueling on the l4th the Task Group returned to hit the Tokyo area again on the l5th. The first strike bombed installations at Hyakurigahara, but before the succeeding strike could reach the as- signed targets it was recalled, orders having been received to suspend all further air operations in' view of the lapanese agreement to surrender. Al- though for the next day or two occasional Iapanese planes were reported near the force, none ap- proached this ship and none were seen by planes of Air Group 94. THANKS, LEX The termination of hostilities naturally brought about a respite from the steady pounding of the preceding weeks, After fueling destroyers and en- flight deck. Land planes! Lt. ligl A. C. Pasterick, of Fighting 94, is congratulated by his squadron skipper on making the 2U.U00th landing aboard the Lexington. Iune 16, 1945. T ?tfQ7T't'