Lexington (CV 16) - Naval Cruise Book

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On succeeding days, stories of what happened and how it happened are told .... When the torpedo exploded in the Chief Petty OHicer's quarters the outer bulkhead and most of the deck of the compartment were ripped away, what was left, was torn, shredded and buckled, the water slosh- ing in and out with the movement of the sea. I-Iow the repair crew managed to get the four men who were still alive out of the warped hatch, is something that is hazy even to the men themselves. One of the four rescued, Roy T. Sutton CM3fC, tells it this way: There were four of us sitting on the couch, all sitting there talking, laughing and going on. All at once something blew up. I went up and a chair hit me in the back. That was all I remember until I came to and I was under water. There was a lot of oil, gas fumes, or whatever it was in there. It seemed that all four came to about the same time. We all got up, scrambled around, turned our lights on, but we didnlt have any lights. We turned them on but they didn't burn. We saw a light through the glass in the water-tight door and we all 'made for that. Lague said, 'We'll all head for that' When I turned around I fell through something. I must have fell through the deck or something 3 I went under water. I jerked myself back up in there, I scooted across the deck or crawled across to the door. The door was pried open at the top and was stuck at the bottom. We pushed and shoved and split his belt buckle all to hell and finally shoved Lague through. I followed him through. I was the third one out. Felix F. Lague SP3 f c, puts in with: Dufour, Sutton, Zimmerman and I were on the same couch in the after end of that compartment. We were talking, not seriously about anything, and the next thing I knew, I was spitting oil and it was awfully hard to breathe in there. We didn't know where we were. We didn't know where to go. Everything was so turned upside down we didn't know which direction to turn. Somebody kept yelling for help and I didn't hear what else he was yelling, but he was yelling just as loud as he could and someone else told him to shut up. We saw a light from that glass port in the door, so I headed for that. As soon as the four living were removed, the communicating hatch was closed and shored up. The bodies of the dead in this compartment cannot be reached until the ship docks at Pearl Harbor. 142

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Maintaining speed and steering this ship without the use of a rudder and with three instead of four propellers, is an achievement that recalls an inscription hanging over the desk of Rear Admiral A. K. Doyle when he was a commander, and my first active contact in the Navy depart- ment . . . The difficult we do at once, the impossible takes a little longer. . . . It is taking the Wounded Lex a little longer, she is traveling two knots under par. From the skipper of the U.S.S. Minneapolis comes a message to the skipper of the Lexifzgton. Felix, you old rascal, you and the admiral have been sending signals long enough. I want you to know that all of us are proud of you and your fine ship. You are doing a remarkably fine job of steering and we are honored to be escorting you. When you find a seaman airman, that's nothing, but when you find an airman Seaman, that's news. My hat's off to an airman seaman and his crew. When we reach Hawaii the Lex leads the parade of ships into Pearl Harbor, there is much dipping of flags with bugle calls, and crews lined up in salute. VV e move up to the position of honor, the dock fronting HQ of Comairpac. A sailor points towards two little Hawaiian maidens on the outer edge of the crowd ashore, yells uVVOMENl,, Mail comes aboard, a long line of hospital ambulances begin taking off our wounded. A small launch goes through the torn hull, into the blasted compartment to remove the bodies of the dead we were unable to reach while at sea. The Lex goes to dry dock for a few days, technicians evaluate damages and make temporary repairs. Tons of spoiled meat are taken from the wrecked refrigeration compartments. Within forty-eight hours we leave dry dock. Heading out to sea we steam slowly past head- quarters, present a salute to Admiral Radford, now Deputy Chief, Comairpac. Our destination is the Bremerton Navy Yard, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. NVhen about fifty miles out, planes from our air group appear. They Hy over us in formation, rock their wings in a farewell salute, drop a few kidding messages: Request permission to land on Stump Field. Come back, all will be forgiven. The air group will remain on the beach at Hawaii, waiting, practicing new combat tactics While the Lex gets her rest cure and beauty treatmentsi' at Bremerton. 143