Lexington (CVT 16) - Naval Cruise Book

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USS LEXINGTON QCV-Zj 14 December 1927

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' On December 7, 1941 LEXINGTON was at sea with Task Force 12 trans- porting Marine planes from Pearl Harbor to Midway. 'When the mes- sage Hostilities with Japan com- menced.with air raid on Pearl was received, she immediately launched search planes to hunt for the Japanese fleet. At midmorning she headed south to rendezvous with INDIAN- APOLIS and ENTERPRISE Task Forces to conduct a search for the Japanese Task Force which was believed to be 200 miles south of Pearl Harbor and retiring She con ducted search operations southwest of Oahu until December 13 when she returned to Pearl Harbor On Decem ber 14 1941 she put out from Pearl Harbor On the morning of May 8 1942 a LEXINGTON search plane made contact on Admiral Takagr s carrier striking force and an attack was immediately launched 1nfl1ct1ng severe damage on Japanese carrier SHOKAKU While the American planes were attacking the Japanese force YORKTOWN and LEXING TON prepared for a return attack by the Japanese for an rntercepted mes sage 1nd1cated that the Japanese were aware of the location of the American Carriers While LEXINGTON maneuvered radically and sent up a hail of gun fire enemy planes launched torpedoes at her from both sides of the bow. At 1120 the first torpedo hit her and exploded just forward of the port for- ward gun gallery. A minute, later another hit on the same side further aft, just opposite the bridge. The tor- pedo assault was coordinated with a dive-bomber attack which scored three hits. At the end of the air battle, LEXINGTON had a seven degree list to port three engineering spaces were partially flooded several f1res were raging and her elevators were out of commission At 1247 LEXINGTON was shaken by a heavy explosion caused by the 1gn1 t1on of gasoline vapors below decks At 1553 Captain Frederick C Sher man fearing for the safety of the crew working below ordered them to secure and come up on the flight deck The men went over into the warm water and were picked up by nearby cruisers and destroyers LEXING TON was a raging inferno with the flames shooting hundreds of feet 1nto the air The Task Force Commander ordered the destroyer PHELPS to sink LEXINGTON Steaming to within 1500 yards of her PHELPS fired five torpedos With one last heavy explo sion the gallant fighting LEXING TON sank at 1956