Henry Zemola
PFC Henry Zemola served with the Marine detachment of the USS Lexington (CV-2).
He was killed in action at the Coral Sea on 8 May 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 305306
Current Status
Remains lost at sea.
Pursuit Category
Based on circumstances of loss, this individual is considered permanently non-recoverable.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
October 30, 1922
at Chicago, IL
Parents
Henry Zemola
Victoria (Lusak) Zemola (d. 1944)
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Truck driver
Service Life
Entered Service
March 3, 1941
at Chicago, IL
Home Of Record
1081 N. Marshfield Avenue, Chicago, IL
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Henry Zemola
Military Specialty
First Loader
Primary Unit
USS Lexington
AA Battery #2 / Gun 6
Campaigns Served
Coral Sea
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Letter of Commendation
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Henry Zemola served as a member of the Marine detachment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. His battle station was in the port side forward gun gallery, manning a 5″ antiaircraft gun. As the first loader, Zemola stood at the gun’s breech and handled the gunpowder cases (cartridges), lifting them from a scuttle in the deck and readying them for firing.
Zemola was at his post on 8 May 1942, during the battle of the Coral Sea. At 1122 hours, an aerial bomb struck the Lexington’s flight deck, penetrated the thin armor, and exploded in the ammunition locker of Gun #6.
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.
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.”
The bodies of eighteen Marines were either left aboard the Lexington or lost over the side during the battle. All members of #2 Anti-Aircraft Battery were posthumously commended for their bravery at the Coral Sea.
Burial Information or Disposition
PFC Zemola ultimately went down with his ship. The Lexington is considered to be his final resting place.
Memorials
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
Battle of the Coral Sea Memorial Park, Cardwell, Queensland, Australia
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Henry Zemola.
Zemola also listed a “friend,” Mrs. William Hedrick, of 2009 North Oakley Avenue, Chicago.
Location Of Loss
The last reported location of the USS Lexington on 8 May 1942.
Comment from Victoria Farrar
19 March 2012
Henry was my grandmothers brother. It is nice to have some more detail on his brave service. Thank you.
Reply on 8 April 2012
Victoria – you’re very welcome. I wish I could have provided more information. Have you considered getting a copy of his service records from the national archives?
Comment from Patricia Erdley
3 July 2012
My Dad was his youngest brother. We received his records and his Purple Heart and had a letter signed by the President, in 2004. How was this record created? Patricia (Zemola) Erdely
Reply on 3 July 2012
Hi Patricia – this summary was created through available census and muster rolls on ancestry.com, an After Action report from BuShips in 1942, and various other Web resources. It’s necessarily a bit incomplete as I can’t get records for every Marine listed as missing. If you notice any mistakes, or there’s something that should be included, please let me know!
Best,
Geoff
Reply on 3 July 2012
Boy, thank you for the swift reply. Your information is actually more informative than what the military provided. He enlisted on 03 Mar 1941, and reported to the USS Lexington on 26 Aug 1941. His remains were unrecoverable, he went down with the ship. He is engraved on the Battle Memorial in the Phillipines.
Thank you for the honor of having him remembered on this Memorial.
Reply on 3 July 2012
I’m glad to be able to do something to help remember what he gave up for all of us. I’ll add those dates to his memorial right away.
Here are a few of the links I used – some of them go into a LOT of detail. PFC Zemola’s station was Gun #6, Gun Gallery #2.
The official report of the loss of the Lexington:
http://www.fold3.com/image/#268369521&terms=uss+lexington
The ship’s action report – includes some pictures of Gallery #2 and Gun #6 (the aft-most gun) after the attack.
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/logs/CV/CV2-Coral.html
And here, on page 24, is some information on his citation for bravery in the battle:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/65355241/All-Hands-Naval-Bulletin-Sep-1942
Best,
Geoff
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