FOUND!!! USS Lexington (CV-2)

[vikingBerserker]

Those are the best preserved Devastators I've seen. The only other one I am aware of is somewhere off the coast of Florida.

It would be awesome if they could be salvaged.

 

[Donivanp]

The ship is to be held as a War Graves. It would be cool to recover some of the aircraft though. There's a Diorama for someone.

 

[buffnut453]

The problem is the ship is in 3 pieces with wreckage spread over an area. I think it would be splitting hairs to treat the aircraft as somehow not part of the war grave...and that's before we consider the long-running challenge of persuading the USN to permit the recovery of any aircraft because the Navy traditionally views ANY aircraft as still belonging to the Service, irrespective of where it's found or how long since it was lost.

Anyhoo...back to the piccies. Here are a few more Devastator shots, with another identifiable airframe 'T-8':

Also, a close up of the kill markings on Wildcat 'F-5':

 

[BuNo02100]

That last pic posted of F4F-3 "F-5" shows not only 4 traditional aerial victories, but what appears to be a marking denoting a bomb, perhaps for action at during the Lae/Salamaua raid of 10 March 1942. VF-3 flew cover and AAA suppression and carried 100 pound bombs, which LtCmdr Thach and most of the aviators apparently despised. The name under the cockpit is almost readable, perhaps a closer pic or higher quality scan will fill in the missing blank. It would help determine who the aircraft was assigned, not necessarily who flew it all the time. But that could be determined by any records that remain, or possibly Lundstrom's The First Team................

 

[buffnut453]

'3-F-5' was associated with Lt Albert O. Vorse so perhaps this airframe was associated with him?

 

[BiffF15]

Last letter looks like an "R".

 

[Donivanp]

From Wikipedia, They never get it wrong ;-()

VF-3[edit]
Vorse was attached to the aircraft carrier Saratoga's VF-3 fighter squadron in January 1941.[9] VF-3's division leaders were men like Commanding Officer Jimmy Thach, credited with developing the eponymous Thach Weave, and Donald Lovelace, for whom the destroyer escort USS Lovelace was later named. Vorse was a section leader in the squadron. VF-3 bore an imposing pedigree: it was the first carrier-trained unit (then called VF-2) and among the first to employ dive bombing tactics (as VB-2B).[10]

Though his stint with VF-3 was a short one, he did see aerial combat with the unit and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions performed on 20 February 1942. On that day, several Japanese Kawanishi H6K flying boats had followed the aircraft carrier Lexington and vectored Japanese carrier bombers and Mitsubishi G4M land attack planes to her coordinates. Thach's 1st Division splashed some of these snoopers but ran through its fuel reserves and was forced to land back aboard Lexington. Lovejoy's 2nd Division (of which Vorse was a section leader) went up as relief, but had yet to meet the enemy by the time Gayler's 3rd Division—launched early on a hunch—went skyward. What transpired next would give the Navy its first ace of World War II as well as its first Medal of Honor recipient for the war.

The first group of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 4th kokutai showed up on the scene and was rapidly intercepted by Lexington's CAP. The men of VF-3's 3rd Division were the first to intercept this initial wave of bombers, and each section of Gayler's division was credited at least one bomber downed. Meanwhile, as 2nd Division was en route to landing, they were re-routed for intercept to assist 3rd Division. They arrived just in time to harry the disorganized bombers. Vorse and four other pilots in 2nd Division finished the Japanese attack, earning one credit each before they moved on to the attack planes that were retreating. Refueled and ready to enter the arena once more, Thach's 1st Division—sans a reserve crew of Butch O'Hare and Duff Dufilho—took to the skies just as a gas-depleted 2nd Division was finally landing aboard Lexington. The 1st Division worked over the land planes and even had an assist by a Lexington Douglas SBD Dauntless from VS-2, which finished off the Japanese land planes and forced the last air-worthy bomber to retreat.

Albert O. "Scoop" Vorse Jr. pictured seated second from the left.
A second division of the 4th kokutai, split up from its sister division in order to better find Lexington in the overcast weather, would be badly thrashed by O'Hare and Dufilho. The two pilots were the only fighters available to intercept the bombers in time given available resources. With "Duff" Dufilho's guns jammed, it would fall to O'Hare to single-handedly scatter the enemy. O'Hare performed the feat, earning himself five kills and propelling him into the history books as the Navy's first Medal of Honor recipient and ace of the war.

VF-2[edit]
After Saratoga was torpedoed on 11 January 1942, the aircraft carrier was forced to return to Pearl Harbor for repairs. Soon to arrive at Pearl Harbor for refitting and redeployment was USS Lexington, which incidentally needed experienced aviators to fill out the ranks of its much-depleted VF-2 squadron. The two had already traded air groups in the wake of Saratoga's battle damage so there was some familiarity between the carriers. Since Saratoga's repairs would take months to finish and the Navy was aware of trouble brewing in the area of the Coral Sea, 12 April 1942 Jimmy Thach loaned a number of VF-3 pilots to VF-2 CO Paul H. Ramsey. Vorse was among those sent over to Lexington and would remain with VF-2 until 16 June 1942, mere weeks before its disestablishment.

The Battle of the Coral Sea would begin seemingly inauspiciously for "Scoop" Vorse. Rotten weather caused him and his wingmen to lose track of the VT-2 Douglas TBD Devastators they were charged with shepherding to the target area. With no hope of reconnecting with the outbound torpedo bombers, his section was forced to head back to Lexington. The change in plans wound up assisting in the defense of Task Force 17, however, when Vorse, returning to the formation of ships, broke through the clouds and into the flak-filled skies above Lexington and Yorktown. Almost immediately he spotted a lone Aichi D3A Val dive bomber making a run on Yorktown. Vorse zeroed in from above and followed the Val into the beginnings of its dive, shearing the enemy aircraft's wing from its fuselage with a hail of bullets. Even with this last-second effort, the Japanese bomb splashed dangerously close to Yorktown, exploding only a few hundred feet from port.[10]:Ch. 12[11]

 

[buffnut453]

Perhaps "WARNER"?

 

[BuNo02100]

I am going to probably have to say that F-5 was "assigned" to Noel Gayler and the kill markings and bomb mission represent his activities, not necessarily that he was flying the aircraft when those were credited. He had 4 victories prior to Coral Sea and took part in the Lae-Sal raid on 10 March. Looks like what may be a "G" and the last looks like an "R." The aircraft may have been painted up for PR photos in Hawaii similar to F-1 for Thach and F-3 for O'Hare.

Interesting detail, Gayler was transferred to VF-2 prior to Coral Sea after his time with VF-3. That is not ironclad proof, just a coincidence of sorts that was created by the necessity of the early days of the war in the Pacific.

 

[Ascent]

All other considerations aside I would think that the fact that they are 2 miles down would make them impractical to recover.

 

[Marcel]

Salvaging a ship from 3km down is virtually impossible.

Cool photos. I hope they will leave her alone after this .

 

[tomo pauk]

Salvaging a ship from 3km down is virtually impossible.

Cool photos. I hope they will leave her alone after this .

I'm sure that no-one will try to salvage parts of the ship - apart from being water grave, it is a dan heavy thing, even broken in several pieces.
I'm more interesting about the A/C, they appear to be in excellent condition with regard to the time passed and location.

 

[Gnomey]

Great find!

 

[Hansie Bloeckmann]

Thank you for the replies
Oh, and a million US$ question - can Mr. Allen salvage the aircraft without clashing with the USN?

?? Does the fact that the Lex and her aircraft lie in International Waters affect the salvage, recovery process?

 

[tomo pauk]

?? Does the fact that the Lex and her aircraft lie in International Waters affect the salvage, recovery process?

Don't know.
I love the techical stuff, but loathe the legal stuff and the 'right of the strongest'.

 

[Hansie Bloeckmann]

Don't know.
I love the techical stuff, but loathe the legal stuff and the 'right of the strongest'.

Just saw on the evening news fotos of the Lex- and the computer tycoon who is involved in this "project"--about 500 miles NE from the Australian Coast, if I read it correctly- that's all- no longitude/latitude co-ordinates given out, nor confirmation of the depth where she rests-

 

[Hansie Bloeckmann]

Those are the best preserved Devastators I've seen. The only other one I am aware of is somewhere off the coast of Florida.

It would be awesome if they could be salvaged.

Viking- Eastern Coast area? Anywhere near the fabled "Bermuda Triangle" that runs in a line from the Gulf Stream to near Bimini?? Just wondering.

 

[buffnut453]

Here's one more pic showing a slightly different view of the F4F:

 

[Capt. Vick]

What is that, the raft compartment behind the cockpit?

 

[buffnut453]

What is that, the raft compartment behind the cockpit?

Yep.