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CV2 Lexington: The Battle of the Coral Sea
May 8, 1942, marked the climax of the Battle of the Coral Sea. The day before, the U.S. Navy had scored the first victory, but soon after, one of its own aircraft carriers was about to suffer heavy losses.
At 11:05, a Japanese squadron led by Takahashi spotted the U.S. carrier fleet. The torpedo bombers attacking the Lexington successfully launched a three-pronged assault from all sides. The U.S. forces returned fire with anti-aircraft guns, and the entire fleet turned to starboard.
At 11:20, the Lexington was struck by the first torpedo, which hit the No. 85 rib with precision, causing water to flood the port fuel tank and piercing the anti-torpedo belt.
Just one minute later, a second torpedo struck the port side again, causing another fuel tank to take on water. Two elevator systems ceased operation due to hydraulic failure, and seawater surged in through the torn opening. Water flooding into multiple port-side compartments caused the carrier to list 6 degrees to port.
Following the torpedo attack, 19 dive bombers dove from an altitude of 4,000 meters; one bomb struck the forward port gun position, killing a large number of gunners, while a second bomb completely destroyed the base of the funnel. Several other bombs came close to hitting their targets.
After the Japanese attack, the Lexington did not appear to have sustained particularly severe damage; in fact, the aircraft were even fully recovered that afternoon. Unfortunately, due to ineffective damage control, the ship ultimately sank as a result of an oil and gas explosion, and the Japanese were, somewhat reluctantly, allowed to claim this victory.
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