Lexington (CV 16) - Naval Cruise Book

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with Lexs Marine Detachment being employed as one of the initial landing forces in the Tokyo area. Air Group 94 flew countless hours over the coastal waters and Japanese home islands during this period, including September 2, when the historic unconditional surrender of Japan was formally accomplished aboard AdmiralHal- seyls flagship .Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Lexington is planes continued dropping supplies to concentration camps until September 4, meet- ing no hostile aircraft or other signs that every- thing wasn't perfectly secure. On the afternoon of September 5, 1945, the flattop set a precedent for heavy 'carriers by steaming into Tokyo Bay, her crew proudly lining the rails in the hallowed Navy tradition. With the exception of a break for rest and re- plenishment, September 27- October 7, Lexington remained in the waters of Tokyo Bay and vicin- ity until December 3, when, carrying a number of military personnel Mguestsn awaiting dis- charge, she set a course for the United States. Upon arrival at San Francisco twelve days later, her passengers debarked, along with many crew- men slated for separation or taking advantage of long-awaited leave. In addition, 18 officers and 249 of her men were detached, being replaced by only 95 for peacetime Navy duty. To prove she could make history when there wasn't even a war going on, Lexington intro- duced HProject Pinwheelw on October 28, 1945. Two rows of planes, six per row were securely lashed facing inboard on the forward and after ends of the flight deck, alternate banks of planes were then turned up Qapplied with full powerj to give a turning torque to the ship. It was found this would swing her to starboard or port as de- sired at a rate of fifteen degrees per minute. Along with many other combatants which had served so gallantly, Lexington was scheduled for The tradition of painting symbols on tlie side of the carriers island structure to indicate enemy airerai destroyed grew up earbf in the war. Here, a pilot adds fajaanese flags in May of 1944. it if

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ff'-ff-Q--ss-.11-3.-111m , . , .. .-.. ,r .,..:.r:: .n as ,. ..x.:m. ......r ..,..tt'rv..:'- . ,. .-. .-.. . ..,.lv'i'TL - fff '. ' f ' ' X ' ' Three days later the japanese high command had not agreed on unconditional surrender, and even after the second atomic bomb exploded that morning at Nagasaki, there were several policy- making officers who insisted on holding out for certain conditions before agreeing to end the hostilities. Finally, following an Hlmperial Deci- sion by Emperor Hirohito, a message was dis- patched to the Allied Capitals, signifying japan's readiness to accept the Potsdam Declaration. Iapan's Premier, Prince Higashi-Kuni, in ad- dressing the Diet fParliamentj September 5 ad- mitted the atomic bomb was the immediate inducement to surrender, saying, 4'This terrific weapon was likely to result in the obliteration of the Japanese people .... - Following an exchange of official communiques concerning specific surrender terms, President Truman received the final message of agreement from the Emperor on the afternoon of August 14 and made the announcement to the American people at 7:00 p.m. . It was 8:01 on the morning of the 15th feast longitude datej when AZNav 194 reached Lexing- ton, proclaiming, that the war with japan had been brought to a conclusion. The first strike had been launched nearly four hours earlier and completed their missions, but several carriers called back strikes already in the air, before the targets could be reached. It would be vastly incorrect,,however, to say that ournmilitary forces immediately relaxed and prepared to celebrate. As the Lex War Diary stated that morning, We maintained a heavy Combat Air Patrol which was put to good use, since many enemy planes attempted to make suicide attacks on the Task Force, they were all shot down, as Admiral Halsey put it, 'in a friendly sort of way'f' - Attacking enemy aircraft were to be challenged, the Admiral's message was: HAll snoopers will be investigated and shot down, not vindictively, but in a friendly sort of way. Thirty-eight japanese planes were actually shot out of the air on August 15. A memo in Lexingionis record dated August, 1945, lists the following unofficial accomplish- ments of the carrier and her Air Groups Q16, 19, 70 20, 9 and 94j. Total number of flights .... 21,492 Action sorties ................................... .. 8,635 Enemy planes destroyed in air ........... 375 Enemy planes destroyed on ground ..... 665 Ship 's planes lost to AA fire ................ 107 Ship 's planes lost to enemy planes ...... 23 Total bomb tonnage dropped .......... .. 3,156 Total planes' rockets fired ......... .. 4,781 Combat ships sunk ............... . ............ 20 Merchant ships sunk ............................ A 57 The last Air Group to see action aboard, Ninety-Four, claimed 190 enemy planes destroy- ed on the ground, plus 64 Hprobablesw and 176 damaged, their total of only one enemy plane shot out of the air while based aboard CV-16 emphasizes the token opposition from Japanese fighters during the final months of the war. Air Group 94 engaged in gunnery exercises during the next couple of days, until the Task Force sailed south to rendezvous with aReplenish- ment Force. While reconnaissance planes from other carriers roamed over japan's skies during the next week, Lex remained 200 miles to the southeast of Honshu, conducting routine training operations, exercises were also held in which several Task Groups in the area-American and British Ships-joined together for maneuvers. August 25 CV-16 moved to within 100 miles of the japanese mainland and her Air Group conducted patrols over the land soon to be occu- pied by our advance occupation forces. When prisoner-of-war camps were located teach mark- ed by large letters 'LPWUQ the ship was imme- diately notified, and the next aircraft to leave her flight deck -within only two hours - were cram- med with food, clothing and medical supplies. Shipis company donated magazines, clothes, shoes and toilet articles while the print shop ran off a special edition of Lexington? newspaper, Sunrise Press, for an audience which had been isolated from the news of current events for such a long period. The squadrons' pilots flew many such mercy missions throughout the next week, earning for themselves, as well as the officers and men of the Blue Ghost, the heartfelt apprecia- tion of the captives anxiously awaiting release. The first Americans ashore arrived August 28,

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vrhfiarmf-'H-ffpiml -J-'M f -L 1 1 -1'1 :'e'f'PT5 'ii5- b l1Q??2'?iiE'33?I?E?5i?i5- Q2Q.Zl? f Lexington fought a long and hard war and she served her country well The American Navy was largehf responsible for dejhating japan, and Lexington fought her role with honor and distinc- tion. The nuclear blasts over Hiro- shima and Nagasahi climaxed a long hard campaign, fought by the Navy on the high seas and by the Marines on the beaches and islands ofthe Pacijia with support hom the Army Air Corps. As so many times in the past Americas might had been extended across hostile T waters by herlbower at sea. inactivation shortly after final hostilities ended. The proud flattop arrived at Bremerton, Wash- ington for this purpose May 23, 1946, and exact- ly eleven months later was placed out of commis- sion. Her assignment- Bremerton Group, U. S. Pacific Reserve Fleet. 1950 brought the Korean War and a build-up in strength of our Naval forces in the Western Pacific-the Seventh Fleet. United States' air- craft carriers - employing squadrons of jets from their decks for the first time in history-played an important role in the conflict, ranging from strikes against inland targets to close air support of amphibious operations. Lexington was slated for modernization and re-activation during this period, and on October 1, 1952 she was re-designated an attack aircraft carrier QCVA Exactly eleven months later the ship commenced conversion in Puget Sound. The most important modernization feature was the new angled or canted deck, which was being tested aboard Anti'etam at the time Lex entered the shipyard. This concept, first conceived by the British, would enable aircraft to land diagon- ally across the deck, instead of straight up the centerline. Landing planes would not interfere with those taking off simultaneously from the bow of the carrier via catapult, and furthermore, less arresting gear would be required. The pre- conversion Essex-class flattops were equipped with thirteen arresting wires, five barriers and '72