Show Salt Laker on Lexington Says Japs Threw Works The Japs Taps had to throw the works at the aircraft carrier U U. S S. S S. S Lexington lost in the Coral sea battle N The first carrier to be commissioned commissioned commissioned com com- by the navy the big bigcraft bigcraft bigcraft craft was built to take it and did just that At the same time the navy issued a on Coral sea disclosing loss of the Lexington Lexington Lexington Lex Lex- ington Lieutenant Senior Grade Julian T. T Bollinger Bellinger of Salt Lake City was home on leave Friday after having s survived the attack on the carrier Lieutenant Bollinger Bellinger a quiet spoken affable officer was on 4 duty on the Lexington's deck when the carrier was struck by and bombs The attack did not sink the big ship fire below decks and explosions prompted the order to abandon ship and the Lexington Lexing Lexing- ton fought on for five hours and 30 minutes after it was first struck Lieutenant Bollinger son of Mrs Fred Bollinger 1521 Yale avenue is a veteran in aircraft carrier service Before being detailed to the Lexington in July 1941 he was on the carrier carrier carrier car car- rier Ranger He also has seen cruiser duty How the Lexington withstood everything the Japs could throw at at it and fought on until the fire got out of control was told by the officer The attack occurred about noon on May 8 after the Lexington Lexington Lexington Lex Lex- ington twice had made contact with the enemy Some of its airplanes airplanes airplanes air air- planes were aloft and made landings on another carrier We made contact with four Jap heavy cruisers and a carrier on the morning of May 7 Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieu Lieu- tenant Bollinger said I think this force was put out in an Continued on Page Thirteen Column Two c Japs Threw Everything They Had at Lexington Says Salt Laker Who Was Aboard Carrier Continued from front Page PAse One effort to sidetrack us from the Jap main task force that was aiming at Port M Moresby resby On the morning of the we made contact with the main force which included transports and several classes of That was the action in which our ship was lost I am In air ordnance gunnery and my battle station was on the flight deck where the duties were to see that planes were loaded with ammunition and that their guns were in proper shape Well Armored I felt torpedoes strike They didn't bother us much There was hardly a jar The Lexington Lexing Lexing- ton was well armored and its blisters withstood the torpedo attack The torpedoes struck on the port side amidships A bomb fell on the port side and another another anther an an- other ther on the starboard The ship listed some but within a afew afew afew few minutes was righted by purposely purposely purposely pur pur- flooding starboard compartments compartments com corn to overcome the list to port The attack lasted 11 min mm- utes A fire was started on the flight deck but was put out In five minutes More of our planes took off and everything seemed to be under control We had plenty of speed and the engine room wasn't hit Ruptured Oil Line But one of the hits must have ruptured an oil or gasoline line because a a. hen heavy vy fire started below below be be- low decks There was an explosion and when it was apparent the fire below couldn't be controlled the order to abandon ship was en five hours and 30 O minutes after the attack took place We took to r rafts and some of us just swam I was in the water ab about ut 20 minutes before being picked up by another ship Lieutenant Bollinger said he was too busy to observe much of the fight but that he was able to see Jap torpedo planes level off and unloose their charges Saw Torpedoes Drop They came down so close we could see them drop the torpedoes torpedoes torpedoes torpe torpe- does and follow the wakes waItes to toward toward toward to- to ward the snip The bombers came in on a glide bombing attack attack attack at at- tack at low level Dive bombers came down so close we could see them release bombs The worst suspense was in wondering where bombs would hit The flight deck is a danger danger danger dan dan- ger spot because all of it is subject to hits and theres there's no use moving to another point After it all was over my myown myown myown own conclusion was that Id I'd rather be torpedoed than bombed Lieutenant Bollinger said that plane losses of the Lexington were slight We had planned on continuing continuing continuing contin contin- to put planes into the air after the attack began but the below deck explosion put the elevators out of action and we couldn't raise the planes to the flight deck Took Toll of Japs He lie Te said the Lexington's antiaircraft antiaircraft antiaircraft anti anti- aircraft fire got several Jap planes I saw four torpedo planes crash into the sea and one dive bomber disintegrate in the air he said Lieutenant Bollinger was graduated from the University of Utah in 1935 and received his training at the naval air staat station station sta sta- tion at Pensacola Fla t i 4 d n 1 S I F dJ I It t i i H i UK liE CAME THROUGH FATAL ATTACK ON Lieutenant Julian T. T Bollinger Bomb worse than |