Lexington (CV 16) - Naval Cruise Book

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The wounded Lex continues her lonesome voyage to the mainland. The Lady wears her battle scars with a proud dignity. The absence of her fighting planes and airmen emphasizes the silent reaches of the flight deck, the great voids of the hangar deck. As we get into colder, northern latitudes the crew speculates about Christmas. Between the shores of Vancouver Island and the State of XVashington, the Captain breaks radio silence, requests arrangements be made to entrain part of our crew to get them home for Christmas. The railroads come through in heartwarming style, replying they will have special trains ready: so itls Home by Christmas for over a thousand sailors. XVe dock late, but everybody pitches in to help get the leave-bound crew and their gear ashore in time to make their trains. I put through a long distance call to Connecticut, eager to hear the sure to be surprised voice of the Missus . . . after a few moments of gay jubileeing, I learn that while the Lex was battling hills, had fractured an ankle, has her foot in a plaster cast! Today the Lexington swarms with new faces, new activities, shipyard crews have taken over. 23 December 1943 my orders are endorsed: Detached Temporary duty completed. Report to Chief of Naval Operations, Washingtcain, D. C. After supper Felix Stump leads the way down to the hangar deck. The bo,sun calls out . . . LEXINGTON-LEXINGTONU . . . a signal given when the Captain or an Admiral comes aboard or goes ashore. I hurry the handshakes, salute the quarterdeck, go down the gangplank to the dock. scarcely able to hold the flooding emotion. The vast expanse of the ship towers above us, merges into and becomes part of the night: a gangway light reveals the long, diagonal wrinkles in her hull plates, a fixed imprint of the con- cussion waves that followed the torpedo explosion. Felix Stump is also looking up at those wrinkles . . there are no words. The Captain and the crew . . . the living and the dead, men and steel, men and guns . . . lmages, moments, emotions . . . all are fused, become a unity-a ship. Good night, Lady Lex. 149 in the Marshalls, Dana, in the Hsafetyn of the peaceful surroundings at home in the Connecticut