CV-2

Yesterday, Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist/explorer Paul Allen announced the discovery of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), lost at the battle of the Coral Sea on May 8, 1942.

The Lexington was struck by two bombs and two torpedoes from Japanese carrier aircraft. She maintained flight deck operations for several hours, but fires raged belowdecks and destroyed the ship’s damage control center. Captain Frederick Sherman gave the order to abandon ship at 1707 hours, and the Lexington was scuttled by the destroyer USS Phelps later that evening. The carrier went down on an even keel, “with her head up,” as one surviving officer put it. “Dear old Lex…a lady to the last.”

“To pay tribute to the USS Lexington and the brave men that served on her is an honor,” said Mr. Allen in a statement to PR Newswire. “As Americans, all of us owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who served and who continue to serve our country for their courage, persistence and sacrifice.”

The Lexington rests on the sea floor about 500 miles off the Australian coast, at a depth of approximately 3000 meters. At that depth, the process of decay is slowed, and parts of the wreck are incredibly well preserved.

Two hundred and sixteen of the Lexington’s complement lost their lives at the battle of the Coral Sea. Among them were 21 members of the Marine detachment who were manning the 5″ anti-aircraft batteries on the port side of the ship.

One of the bombs that struck the Lexington hit just behind Battery #2, port side forward. It detonated in the ready ammunition locker of Gun #6, killing or mortally wounding the entire crew and spraying Gun #4 and Gun #2 with shrapnel. The survivors stayed at their posts, and the entire battery received a Letter of Commendation for their actions.

Battery #4, port side aft, was raked by machine gun fire from the bombers. Marines on Gun #8 and Gun #10 were hit, including one young private called Raymond L. Miller. Miller refused to leave his position and died of his wounds; he was awarded a posthumous Navy Cross. (Much later, it was revealed that Miller’s real name was Jesse Rutherford, Jr. He had enlisted under a fake name to hide his age.)

Corporal Vincent Anderson was the fuse setter and assistant gun captain for Gun #10.

The first Japanese torpedo plane was spotted off the port bow at 11:15 a.m., about 3,000 yards out, and we received the order to commence firing. Simultaneously we picked up speed and began evasive maneuvers. The sound of all our guns firing was deafening and suddenly we felt a violent vibrating blow to our ship [a torpedo hit on the port side forward].

The enemy torpedo planes, after launching their torpedoes, began strafing our gun positions and on my Gun 10 three of our men were wounded and one was killed from these strafing attacks. At about 11:25 a.m., while still under attack from enemy torpedo planes, enemy dive bombers began their attacks and one bomb hit on the flight deck on the port side forward and exploded in the ready ammunition locker for our Marine Gun 6, killing all fourteen members of that gun crew.

[Anderson had served as a loader with Gun #6 until his promotion in February 1942. “Making corporal saved my life,” he said.]

We then received another torpedo hit on the port side, just aft of the first torpedo hit. Then suddenly we lost communication with our gunnery officer in Sky Aft and we immediately went to local control, picking our targets. About that time a large bomb just missed by inches my Gun 10 splinter shield, throwing up a 70 foot high wave of water that washed all of us off [the gun], only the splinter shield saved us from being washed overboard. We quickly regained our positions and resumed firing….

We could feel the vibrations of many near bomb hits…. We did receive a bomb hit in a port side boat pocket [converted to hold 20mm antiaircraft guns] and one bomb hit and exploded in the aft end of our stack, killing a number of men manning the .50 caliber machine guns on platforms…. This bomb also broke the siren pull cord and jammed the siren valve open, adding to the deafening noise of combat.

The enemy attack ended at about 11:39 a.m…. Immediately after receiving the order to stop firing we began cleaning up our gun battery and caring for the killed and wounded. It was then I found my buddy T. D. Germany, who was a loader on Gun #8, had been shot in the back by a strafing enemy torpedo plane. He was lying on the deck behind Gun #8 with a corpsman working on him. I kneeled down and spoke to T. D. who told me he was not going to make it and for me to take my pipe which I had loaned him to break in for me. At first I resisted but he insisted…. The last I saw of T. D. was when they took his body to the flight deck to put with those that had been killed.

Corporal Vincent’s crew continued manning their battery in case of any additional attacks, though when they noticed their ammunition was growing “dangerously hot” from fires belowdecks, they threw many of the shells over the side. He remarked on the calmness of the crew as the abandon ship order was passed.

It was understood that our Marine Guard would be the last division to abandon the ship. The men did not seem eager to leave…. Some men went to the Service Store on the port side aft and rescued the ice cream, which they put in their helmets and shared with others…. The bodies of the dead had been moved to the aft end of the flight deck and covered with tarps.

At about 5:50 p.m. Captain Sherman came over to our Marine Gun Battery Four and relieved us of our duty and ordered us to abandon ship. At this point our First Sergeant Payton said, “Men, let’s give three cheers for the Captain,” and we did….

Anderson went down a line into the warm sea and swam out to a life raft, where he plucked a pilot and three sailors out of the water. He was picked up by the USS Dewey and promptly put back to work on one of the destroyer’s 5″ gun mounts. The survivors were taken to Noumea, where Anderson was reunited with his buddy T. D. Germany, who was recovering from his wounds in the hospital. Germany had been left for dead on the flight deck, but two sailors saw his hand move, and carried him over the side to a waiting destroyer. (Anderson presented Germany with the pipe at a 1981 reunion.)

Eighteen Lexington Marines went down with their ship, and are officially classified as unaccounted for.

Mr. Anderson kindly provided the following roster of the Marine detachment, along with their battle stations on the day of the Coral Sea battle. Sadly, he passed away in December 2017, joining his shipmates at long last. Semper Fi.

If you have pictures of Lexington Marines to share, please contact the webmaster.

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Battery #2

Battery Officer Captain Ralph L. Houser Survived

Asst. Battery Officer Marine Gunner James E. Hunt Wounded in action

Gun #2	Gun #4	Gun #6
Gun captain Sergeant Albert J. Hafner Survived	Gun captain Sergeant Harold L. Carmichael Survived	Gun captain Corporal Oliver D. Nicholson Died of wounds 8 May 1942.
Gun pointer PFC Richard T. Anderson Killed in action, not recovered.	Gun pointer PFC Wallace E. McCarty Died of wounds 16 May 1942.	Gun pointer PFC Francis M. Woods Killed in action, not recovered.
Gun trainer PFC Jethro E. Smith Survived	Gun trainer PFC John W. Clemann Survived	Gun trainer PFC Donald J. Sibler Died of wounds 8 May 1942.
Sight setter FM Corporal Elwin E. Smith Killed in action, not recovered.	Sight setter Private James L. Brown Wounded in action.	Sight setter Private Ellis M. Hulse Killed in action, not recovered.
Fuze setter PFC Roy A. Nichols Wounded in action.	Fuze setter PFC Marvin B. Schluessel Killed in action, not recovered.	Fuze setter Corporal John R. Harshbarger Killed in action, not recovered.
Rammer man Corporal James Tennegkeit Survived	Rammer man Corporal William J. McCance Survived	Rammer man Corporal Robert A. Herzog Killed in action, not recovered.
Hot shell man Private Robert M. Drake Survived	Hot shell man Private James V. Grizzell Survived	Hot shell man PFC Arthur W. Carson Killed in action, not recovered.
First loader PFC Henry J. Lanz Survived	First loader PFC William P. Webster, Jr. Wounded in action.	First loader PFC Henry Zemola Killed in action, not recovered.
Second loader PFC Joseph E. Clinton Survived	Second loader Private Mervin S. Brown Survived	Second loader PFC Edward Juszkowski Died of wounds, not recovered.
Second loader PFC Hillis D. Carter Survived	Second loader Private Billy C. Covert Wounded in action.	Second loader Private John M. Steele Killed in action, not recovered.
Second loader Private Max K. Mangan Survived	Second loader Private William Monroe Wounded in action.	Second loader Private Leonard E. Mayfield Killed in action, not recovered.
Second loader Private Alton M. Caudill Survived	Second loader Private James J. Corbin, Jr. Killed in action, not recovered.	Second loader Private Mathew L. Landwehr Killed in action, not recovered.
Second loader Private John A. Johnson Survived	Second loader Private John W. Skinner Wounded in action.	Second loader PFC Layne Nordstrom Killed in action, not recovered.
Second loader Private Harlan McGaha Survived	Second loader Private Lloyd D. Hall Wounded in action.	Second loader Private Gail L. Sherwood  Killed in action, not recovered.

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Battery #4

Battery Officer 1 Lt. Earl A. Cash Survived

Asst. Battery Officer 1 Sgt. Leonard C. Payton Survived

Asst. Battery Officer GySgt. Weisner F. Thomas Wounded in action

Gun #8	Gun #10	Gun #12
Gun captain Corporal Charles E. Chaney Survived	Gun captain Sergeant Julius R. Guest, Jr. Survived	Gun captain Sergeant Ray J. McBride Survived
Gun pointer PFC Gerald P. Preiner Killed in action, not recovered.	Gun pointer FM1c William C. Brusasco Survived	Gun pointer PFC Binford D. Cardinal Survived
Gun trainer PFC Dwight S. McGee Survived	Gun trainer PFC James L. Norton Survived	Gun trainer PFC Vernon P. Lutz Survived
Sight setter PFC Roy Wageman Survived	Sight setter PFC Robert G. Alexander Survived	Sight setter Field Cook Donald E. Kellogg Survived
Fuze setter PFC Edwin M. Allred Survived	Fuze setter Corporal Vincent L. Anderson Survived	Fuze setter PFC Bernard L. Butler Survived
Rammer man Corporal Walter P. Forsythe Survived	Rammer man Corporal Ralph M. Vice Wounded in action	Rammer man Corporal Clarence J. Kaltenberg Survived
Hot shell man PFC Edward M. Hurley Survived	Hot shell man PFC Roy M. Watson Survived	Hot shell man Private Glenn L. Johnson Survived
First loader PFC Howard H. Leach Survived	First loader PFC Miles P. Green Wounded in action.	First loader Private William J. Kennedy Survived
Second loader Pvt. Elmer R. Hess, Jr. Survived	Second loader PFC Robert A. Langennegger Survived	Second loader PFC Thomas A. Davis Survived
Second loader PFC James A. Sletner Survived	Second loader Private Lambert A. Frentzel Survived	Second loader Private Jean R. Griffith Survived
Second loader PFC Thurman D. Germany Wounded in action	Second loader Private Norvil Moe Wounded in action.	Second loader Private Julian A. Duval Survived
Second loader PFC Lee F. McAllister Survived	Second loader Private Ralph R. Desso Wounded in action.	Second loader Private Frank W. Peacock Survived
Second loader Private George Butela Survived	Second loader Private Jesse Rutherford, Jr. a.k.a. “Raymond Miller” Killed in action, not recovered.	Second loader Private Paul M. Beddow Survived
Second loader PFC Conrad L. Ziegler Survived	Second loader Asst. Cook Guy H. Irwin Survived	Second loader PFC Lee F. Works, Jr. Survived

Other Duties

1Lt. John H. Gustafson Spotter, Sky Aft.Survived	Platoon Sgt. Robert W. Waugh Spotter, Sky Aft. Wounded in action.	Corporal Lowell S. Brandle Flag Orderly Survived
Corporal George E. Tucker Flag Orderly Survived	PFC Russell E. Baker Flag Orderly Survived	Private Kenneth Z. Bales Orderly, Admiral Fitch Survived
PFC Neil Swift Orderly, Captain ShermanSurvived		Private John L. Skellings Orderly, Commander Seligman Survived

 

All wreck photos in this post are © Navigea Ltd., R/V Petrel and were made available via PR Newswire.