The Wreck of USS Lexington - A Broken Lady, Deep Beneath the Waves 

My friend Cecil Wiswell was one of the youngest aboard at 17 and one of the last to leave. He considered the next 80 years of his life a gift. He told me stories! And, on his 90th birthday, he bought himself a Harley, he was that cool. Knowing him was a gift

My Grandfather was on the Lex when she sank.He was in shark infested waters for 16 hours before being pick up. RIP grandpa Larry, he was a great man. He died in 1986.

In the late 70's I worked with a man who was on the Lexington. He told me the radar antenna jammed and he had to climb up and try and get if free. He said after the sinking him and other crewmen ended up on an Island for awhile till they were finally picked up. It was interesting to see the radar antenna he was struggling with.

Lady Lex. Gone but not forgotten.

My Dad served on the Lexington 1938-1940 as part of the Marine contingent. He loved the Lexington and my Mom told me when he heard it had been lost, he went down to the street corner and cried. I have the his photo album with the photos of his time on the "Lady LEX".

The fact those aircraft haven't lost their paint or markings is absolutely astounding.

It’s worth mentioning that the ship proper is indeed a war grave however the empty uncrewed aircraft are not. They’re simply tagged as debris that fell off the ship. I think it would be perfectly reasonable to salvage the incredibly rare TBD devastator torpedo planes they suffered such appallingly high casualty rates. The devastator was an already outdated design by early WW2 and these even have their neutrality stars still visible along with the prewar rudder marking. I would love to see an old TBD fly just yo see how dangerous it really was to its own crew

My high school friend's dad served on the Lexington when it went down. We were seniors in 1970. His family name was Martwick. The sinking affected his dad and he wouldn't talk about it. His brother in Chicago had a cat in the late 1960's. He was a cool cat, couldn't be bothered. They used him to film cat food commercials. If anybody ever saw Morris the Cat, his owner was the carrier sailor's brother, Martwick. My friend Bill Martwick worked as a ticket taker on the Queen Mary in Long Beach in the late 60's. Jacques Cousteau had a marine museum on board. One morning Jacques rolled in and Martwick demanded the $5 parking fee. He used to like to piss people off and Jaques Cousteau was just another target to him. $5 or you don't get in. Jacques threw a $5 bill at him and roared in to the parking lot cussing him out in French. If I didn't write this down, nobody would ever hear about these things.

The last TBD in naval service was scrapped in November 1944. The U.S.S. Midway museum in San Diego has one of the replicas used in the movie, "Midway." An impressive exhibit!

That Mk 15 torpedo sure speaks volumes as to the failure of US torpedoes early in the war.

The Lady Lex deservered her own video .What a brave ship

the wings aren't really 'snapped'. They are just in the wingfold, a normal position for storing planes on the decks

Had the pleasure of befriending a particular individual by the name of EJ Thorndike. While restoring his vast collection of John Deere tractors Man he sure love this flat top Shared ALOT of drinks with that man ( sorry Elizabeth) A toast for virtually every man who served on the lady lex. Excellent video young man

Although I joined the Navy 36 years after she sunk I still feel a bond with my shipmates who met their end aboard her.

My great uncle Gorton served on the Lady Lex up until thd day she sank. He marked on his old service map the voyage it had taken across the pacific, through midway, then Japan to where it met it's fate. He passed a few years back but i still have the map penciled with his historical markings

My grandfather served on this ship before the war. He joined the army when wwii broke out and served in combat. I can’t imagine what he would have felt when this wreck was found.

a true beauty of a ship and a lady still after her end. love the video thank you for your efforts

The USS Yorktown was found to be in very good shape when was located back in 1998, with the wreck being 3 miles down.

The current state of damage control at the time played a large role in her loss, poor practices and inexperience made her sinking inevitable. But the Navy learned from these mistakes and quickly developed proper and effective practices that saved many ships from being total losses. That the USS Franklin suffered far more damage yet sailed home under her own power is a testament to the new procedures effectiveness.

My chief engineer on ocean tugs, Lester L. Anderson, was on the Lady Lex @Coral Sea, serving as a Chief Bos’n Mate in ‘42. He was a good man, crew mate, and always had a great story to tell. He also ate hot sauce on his corn flakes. For flavor, as he so often said. I still have his picture. Rest well Chief, you earned it.

I always had a morbid fascination with shipwrecks. Thank you for making so many great videos on this topic

If we could raise these aircraft, all could be restored to flying condition and then placed in a museum. When you look at the restoration of glacier girl or some of the more damaged aircraft recovered, it’s amazing what can be done

I think you really hit a good niche with these wreck videos. Not to say your other naval history content isn’t amazing, but there are other established channels already doing that. There is no one doing these in-depth wreck analyses however, and that really helps your channel stand out

I knew a navy veteran when i was a kid, back in 73 that was on the Lex, Jimmy Simmons. He drove truck for aqua slide and dive in south Texas. RIP Mr. Simmons

My best friend's grandfather served aboard the Lexington and was present at the Coral Sea engagement. He was later reassigned to the aircraft carrier USS Randolph for the duration of the war. ⚓ 🇺🇸

Dad was on Yorktown and he remembered watching Lexington explode and burn

A great way to start the day

Thank you for sharing this important aspect of American history.

My dad was aboard Phelps when they sank the Lex. As a kid I went to Phelps reunions with dad in the 70s. I can still remember those men crying when they talked about it...

Slap me between two pieces of bread and call me a sandwich! I was absolutely transfixed by this video, well done!👏 Well, the incredible technology for recovering deep ocean objects exists. Evidence of it is the many things salvaged from Titanic's resting place. I think the Navy should make an effort to recover some of the aircrafts, and certainly, the radar antenna. Lexington was an iconic vessel, still is. We owe it to her.

Good video. Even in her shattered and sorry state, Lexington still gives off hints of being the lady of war she once was.

How many people now have Larry Gatlin songb”she’s a broken Lady” playing in their head? I grew up from a man, Archie Ridgway, who served on the Hornet, (I think, this talk we had in the late 70’s was a long time ago) His ship sunk, he was in the water for 30 hours. Then, to add insult to injury, the ship that picked him and several other mates ALSO got hit and sunk. 19 hours in the water this time… He said just taking a bath brought back horrible memories. RIP, Mr Ridgway.

Probably better than the videos covering multiple ships. Very good video.

Great video. Thanks for posting it.

Then-LT Noel Gayler was a character, according to the book "Queen of the Flat-tops" by war correspondent Stanley Johnston, who was aboard Lex during its final cruise. By the end of the battle, he had 8 kills, 4 of which were on the 8th before Lex sank. This made him the Navy's leading ace at the time. While the crew were abandoning ship, Johnston says Gayler dove off the stern and swam about 100 yards away from the ship. He then swam back and climbed one of the ropes that men were using to climb down into the water. When one of the other pilots who was still on the flight deck asked him why he came back, he said (paraphrased): "Oh, I didn't know any of those other fellows out there. When are you all planning on going over?" Gayler went on to become CINCPAC, though, so he wasn't a complete goofball.

my great great grandpa was on that ship he was a deck holder and a greaser for the propeller shafts he was at sea alone for 3 days after she was sunk

I appreciate these videos of yours. I'm sure my lost Shipmates would also appreciate these. The wreck sites are handled as well as can be expected. They are Honored as are the Sailors who paid the ultimate price for our Freedom. Thank you. USS Independence CV-62 1983 to 1986

10:56 You would not believe this plane has spent 80 years at the bottom of the ocean! The paint and insignia looks like it was applied last week! Amazing preservation! These planes should really be salvaged and restored into some sort of half-decent museum condition for display.

I never talked with guys who were on the Lexington when that battle happened but I did speak with guys who did and they told unbelievable stories. Said they tried right up until the order to abandon ship was given to save her. And several crews had to be almost taken off by force because they believed they could still save her. Sailors take their ship very seriously. Same thing happened to the Yorktown when she went down at Midway. They sort of left that out of many accounts as it was felt at the time, it made the Navy look a bit undisciplined, which it wasn't but dedication to a ship is not something you can discount either.

Every dammn Dauntless should be raised and put together to one full plane for exhibition. No matter what the plane was a part of the turning point in the war, And i like it for it's cute rubber duck appearance.

This is GREAT! THANK YOU for covering this fantastic vessel!

Great vid Skynea, fascinating pictures.

Nice job! I esp appreciate your clear narration to help explain what we are looking at. thank you

Go get those warbirds!

You’re channel is one of my favorite on the platform mate! I feel very lucky to have found you before you blow up and have huge success, it’s only a matter of time before you hit 100K subs man! Keep up the great work you really have big channel quality and your scripts, editing are brilliant. Delivery is great, you really are on your way. I’ll do my small part by liking, commenting, and sharing great videos like this one! God speed !

The aircraft down there are in spectacular condition, I hope to see more content about aircraft wrecks like the ones in this video. Really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to what you have in store for the future.

*YES!* Thanks for doing my favorite ship.

What a very interesting video of the war ships you've discussed, very informative. Thank you for a lesson on war history.

Great pictures.

they raised a portion of titanic with bags of diesel, and the navy has a purpose built gizmo to raise deep deep stuff, its doable

Outstanding video in a very good overview of the wreck thank you sir

A very informative video. Thank-you.

Excellent! Thank you.

Awesome video

Great video.

The Navy needs to recover those devistators. The Navy has the equipment to do it

My Grandfather worked at the torpedo station in Newport, RI during the war. The very same place where the "Dud" torpedoes, like the one in this video, were manufactured until they came up with a better detonator for them.

Great video!

Amazing video. There is something odly compelling, seeing these wrecks. The guns pointed skywards, the aircraft Sat on the bottom, hidden in permanent darkness, all quiet and peaceful after an awful journey to the bottom.

Thank you!

I haven’t heard any news about the efforts, but as of January there was apparently a private effort to recover four of the Devastators from the wreck owing to the lack of any in a museum. Normally I’d doubt it, but the company leading the effort is the same one that’s recovered a ton of old warbirds from Lake Michigan, so they have some experience in the field. Last update to their website was in July, seems they’re having an interesting time trying to get navy permission

Lady Lex. Gone but not forgotten.. Lady Lex. Gone but not forgotten..

First time to your channel. Good job. Subscribing right now

👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Very distinctive warships.

The sinking of the Lexington helped save the Yorktown at Midway... at least for the first attack. One of the men on the Lexington saw the av-gas lines feeding the fires on the hanger deck. He suggested draining the av-gas lines when being attacked, and filling them with an inert gas. The fires from the first attack on the Yorktown were quickly brought under control, and she was back in operation ( at a reduced speed ) before the second attack. In fact, the attacking Japanese pilots thought she was a different carrier since she looked undamaged. And, the US Navy continued draining the av-gas lines for the rest of the war. Just that one change probably saved numerous US carriers in battle. And, it can be traced directly back to the loss of the Lexington.

Amazing 😊

I saw the video released when they found Lexington. No one ever said that the wreck was in pieces. Interesting new info.

Lady Lex and Sister Sara, carriers before the Navy knew what carriers were for. The Navy ddfaced the ladies with big gun turrets and seaplane catapults like they were removed unused. Both ships were outfitted with biplanes of wood snd fabric that were light enough some of them could be lased to the overhead on the hangar deck, allowing each boat to have over 100 aircraft, way more than they were rated for. And way more than they had pilots for. Good to have spares when you are still writing The Book on how you do stuff.

Lexington and saratoga were converted to carriers from battlecruisers, with all the design compromises that entails. Makes I.D. of the wreck fairly easy though.

Never Forget 🇺🇸

The Fighting Lady, she and her crew waded into the enemy and threw haymakers til the end.

If you're looking to see a slightly more accessible 1.1 inch mount there is one on the battleship North Carolina in Wilmington, NC. It's just forward of her superstructure on the starboard side if my memory is correct!

A fine video my friend! I did not know she was broken up, as bad as you showed :(

Better keep an eye on her. Chinese salvors are violating all kinds of wrecks,, including the WWII wrecks.

Thanks for this 👍🇳🇿

The only museum where you can find a TBD Devastator is at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Like the wine bottles on Titanic, the visible round in that 20mm magazine appears to have its projectile pushed into the case, and maybe the primer popped out the back. Oerlikon rounds, like rifle ammunition, aren’t filled to the brim with powder so that makes sense. It’s also interesting to see crud coming out of the 1.1” barrels. They were chromed. You can see the shiny ends of the barrels sticking out of their jackets where the chrome kept rust from forming, but not internally?

They did raise the CSS Hunley with her crew aboard. The TBD's would be a national treasure and worth raising.

That picture at the start of this video show the Lexington after they torpedoed her with 8 torpedo's . She was never liked by the navy due to the fact she was built on a cruisers hull and not purposely built carrier hull . That also why it took 8 torpedoes to sink her lol . They just did not want her to survive was the bottom line .

Ohhhh those TBDs...and the "bent" wings are simply folded. The Navy is infamously opposed to recoveries, though, even ones far less fraught than these would be...

She delivered some serious American hurt on the Japanese before going down.

If there was a way to recover one of the Devastators

Wow!

I serves on the second USS LEXINGTON and got the privilege to decommission and cross-deck to USS FORRESTAL. Enjoyed this video

I did my initial carrier quals on her replacement.

After seeing the wreck of the Yamato and its somewhat.... kit-form condition, you're certainly on the nose about Lexington suffering explosions after she sank

Yes, a war grave, but I do believe in at least try and preserve parts of the wreack for future generations. They only come once in a life time. In a way puting some of the stuff in a museum helps preserve the memories and honor them that have died. I do not believe in saveing a hole ship, but at peast parts of to remember them.

At least she sunk in a deep water and rather near the routes where Australian patrol crafts and navy warships frequently passes by, that would hopefully keep those Chinese grave robbers out of her for the time being. I honestly worry about her wreck being illegally salvaged given the fate of wrecks in Java sea and around the South China sea (or what’s left of them). But at least her wreck being so deep would make it uneconomical for those jerks given how much the cost of equipment and other stuffs would outweigh the value. I mean, they haven’t touched those deep wrecks in Iron Button Sound so that should be a good sign.

Personally , I'd be for raising the devastators.

If all parties needed would sign off on it. The company that raised the Kursk would be a great place to start.

The technology used to find these wrecks is amazing, perhaps in the future it will be there to lift aircraft from the wrecks or small pieces but not if it intrudes into the inside and disturb any war grave area.

The Fighting Lady.

the wings aren't snapped, they are FOLDED

Paul Allen was a great man, financing all those expeditions to discover several WWII wrecks

Leave the ship as a war grave but grab the planes.

Allegedly Ernest King,, who captained the Lexington in the 30s and always regarded her as his favorite command, never forgave Frank Fletcher for losing her.

American Cruisers always lost their bows with Torpedo Hits

This was really interesting and the pictures were amazing but I was wondering why you don't have a bit more information even at the end of the video like casualties etc

Leave her alone, leave her boys alone.

Time 01:59 - You can see some writing on the beam. Was it noted by the diver when he explored the wreck?? If so, what does it say?