USS Lexington (CV-2) wreck found .. 4 March 2018 [revised]

[Russ Matthews]

For anyone with a Facebook account, the R/V Petrel team just posted approximately 20 minutes (in two parts) of raw video showing the entwined wreckage of Lexington Devastators T-4 and T-9 ...

Part 1

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1698367180198756&id=1510752248960251

Part 2

https://www.facebook.com/rvpetrel/videos/1698356403533167/

Sorry to anyone who's left out. I looked for non FB links without success. Maybe they will repost this footage to YouTube or Allen's personal web page later.

Last edited by Russ Matthews on Thu Apr 05, 2018 4:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[lmritger]

For anyone with a Facebook account, the R/V Petrel team just posted approximately 20 minutes (in two parts) of raw video showing the entwined wreckage of Lexington Devastators T-4 and T-9 ...

Part 1

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1698367180198756&id=1510752248960251

Part 2

https://www.facebook.com/rvpetrel/videos/1698356403533167/

Sorry to anyone who's left out. I looked for non FB links without success. Maybe they will repost this footage to YouTube or Allen's personal web page later.

I'll post screenshots later... most interesting revelation is that T-4 received a replacement port flap still in it's original prewar aluminum lacquer finish, likely due to AA damage from the Shoho mission per someone on Petrel's page who knew Walt Nelson, the radioman aboard T-4. Nelson noted they were hit by AA on that mission and that the deck crew had the damage patched in about a half hour; I would imagine it wouldn't take too long to swap out a damaged flap and pop on a few aluminum patches. Also, it was interesting to see that Harley Talkington (NAP) was apparently more gentle with his throttle in T-9 than Robert Farrington in T-4; neither man was able to get a hit on Shokaku on 8 May, but if you look at the exhaust streaks on both aircraft, you can tell that Farrington was really pouring on the coals to get away from the Japanese fighter cover, owing to the much denser black exhaust streak. Conversely, T-9's exhaust streak looks much lighter... either Harley leaned out the mixture better, or he didn't have the same problems as Farrington on the trip back to Lex.

Man, I still can't believe we can even have that kind of conversation about aircraft which went down 76 years ago... I will never stop being amazed by this.

Lynn

[Clifford Bossie]

For anyone with a Facebook account, the R/V Petrel team just posted approximately 20 minutes (in two parts) of raw video showing the entwined wreckage of Lexington Devastators T-4 and T-9 ...

Part 1

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1698367180198756&id=1510752248960251

Part 2

https://www.facebook.com/rvpetrel/videos/1698356403533167/

Sorry to anyone who's left out. I looked for non FB links without success. Maybe they will repost this footage to YouTube or Allen's personal web page later.

I'll post screenshots later... most interesting revelation is that T-4 received a replacement port flap still in it's original prewar aluminum lacquer finish, likely due to AA damage from the Shoho mission per someone on Petrel's page who knew Walt Nelson, the radioman aboard T-4. Nelson noted they were hit by AA on that mission and that the deck crew had the damage patched in about a half hour; I would imagine it wouldn't take too long to swap out a damaged flap and pop on a few aluminum patches. Also, it was interesting to see that Harley Talkington (NAP) was apparently more gentle with his throttle in T-9 than Robert Farrington in T-4; neither man was able to get a hit on Shokaku on 8 May, but if you look at the exhaust streaks on both aircraft, you can tell that Farrington was really pouring on the coals to get away from the Japanese fighter cover, owing to the much denser black exhaust streak. Conversely, T-9's exhaust streak looks much lighter... either Harley leaned out the mixture better, or he didn't have the same problems as Farrington on the trip back to Lex.

Man, I still can't believe we can even have that kind of conversation about aircraft which went down 76 years ago... I will never stop being amazed by this.

Lynn

Every group of video and photos released are like a great time capsule. I never thought I would get to see the treasures illustrated.

[Russ Matthews]

R/V Petrel has posted extended raw video clips of three additional Lexington TBD wrecks for all the lucky Facebook users out there.

T-5 (parts 1, 2, and 3)

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1700689069966567&id=1510752248960251
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1700685449966929&id=1510752248960251
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1700682786633862&id=1510752248960251

T-11 (parts 1 and 2). This may be the best preserved airframe of them all.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1701787303190077&id=1510752248960251
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1701781593190648&id=1510752248960251

T-12 (parts 1 and 2)

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1704719986230142&id=1510752248960251
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1704716426230498&id=1510752248960251

[rcaf_100]

RV Petrel and her crew have now discovered the wreck of the USS Helena (CL-50) in the Solomon Sea.

https://www.paulallen.com/uss-helena/

Keep 'em coming, guys!

[Courier Sportster]

Please do say that something good is happening on this front. Activity, but tight-lipped. We'll call this a BUMP. Never let this one fall below the radar...

[Warbirdnerd]

The Navy just recovered an F-35 from deeper water than the Lexington. Here’s hoping to seeing a TBD or 3 recovered. https://news.yahoo.com/navy-recovers-su ... 08479.html