Show Flier Describes Sinking J a Of Nip Plane Carrier 3 1 By the Commander of an American Torpedo Plane Squadron in inthe inthe inthe the Coral Sea Battle as told to Clark Lee SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC UP R RAt At At 8 a. a m. m our scout planes loom out of an overcast sky and come aboard The word quickly spreads through the ship that they have sighted an enemy I aircraft carrier and that we are areto areto areto to attack The date is May 7 five five months after Pearl Har Har- HarI I I bor In the room where the pilots of my torpedo plane squadron are seated with me around a large table table table ta ta- ta- ta ble there is an atmosphere of ten ten- sion slon It eases as we set to work plotting our courses and planning our method of attack I The pilots' pilots flying gear gloves gear gloves I Ilife life jackets helmets helmets is is beside their chairs There is little conversation conversation con con- and I dont don't give any fight talk Everybody knows what we are up against We hear the fighters taking off above us Then our turn comes and we walk up to the flight deck where our planes are waiting already warmed up and with crews aboard Pilots Obviously Excited Young and eyed clear the pilots are obviously excited but no more than If they were going out to play a tough game of football They are a little nervous as we take off but once In the air they steady up quickly We dont don't waste time getting Into formation for the enemy is nearly at the maximum range and gasoline may be precious One circle and we are In line I take the squadron up through thick weather and we beeline for our objective After flying for a awhIle awhile awhile while we break out of the clouds into perfect clear weather a cloudless blue sky and a bluer sea Finally I see specks which steadily grow into ships We all have a new feeling of tenseness that lasts until we are actually in action Then it disappears Those few minutes of waiting for contact are undoubtedly the worst See Three Jap Ships I take the squadron down fast I see below only three enemy ships They are steaming east with a cruiser off each bow of the carrier and about four Cour miles in advance of it Very possibly there were other ships ships destroy destroy destroyers ers and cruisers cruisers in in the enemy force but if so I didn't see them We get lined up tip on the carrier and head straight for it Wen we are still about ten miles away the nearest cruiser opens on us We see the reddish orange flash of its guns and quickly change course My heart does a h half lf loop and seems t to hang suspended Then there are arc black puffs a mile ahead of us and my heart flops back into normal flight position and I begin to breathe again Hear Whap hap of Shells The cruisers cruiser's second salvo is so close that we hear the whaps of the shells We swing awing out away from his range My tail gunner g shouts over the radio that two 97 91 fighters arc atc after us They square away and dive on us from our quarter coming coming com tom ing within yards and then zooming away To shake them we dodge back toward the cruiser which again cuts loose We are i irid rid of them We arc are now about four Cour miles from the carrier Both cruisers open at us firing their shells into the sea to throw columns of water up ahead of us Meanwhile the carrier has started started started start start- ed a fast fut circle to its left running for its life We dont don't see the bombers but we VO do see ace their bombs The next few seconds ar an are indescribable One instant the carrier carrier car- car rier ncr is intact The next it Isa is isa isa a shambles as bomb after bomb rips into its deck Bomb Smashes Carrier Cannier CarrierA A bomb smashes the carrier squarely just astern of What must have been a heavy antiaircraft antiaircraft antiaircraft anti anti- aircraft gun mounting lobs lazily into the air and plops into the sea We duck into the trailing smoke moke and I give the signal for our at at- tack We poke our noses through the smoke and go in for the kill kUl A single antiaircraft gun somewhere somewhere somewhere some some- where near the stern still is firing fining but the carrier already is badly wrecked with smoke and flames everywhere I sight on the ship and think What a terrible mess It never occurs to me that there is an anybody anybody any any- body aboard the carrier cannier In fact tact I would be extremely surprised if It anyone suggested there were people people peo peo- pIe on board It is just a target I I have the sensation of sitting way off In one corner of the sky and watching myself and the other planes twisting and maneuvering down near the surface of the water Releases Torpedo Meanwhile I release my fish and pull out My plane jumps a little ahead as it is freed of the weight of the torpedo My No 2 plane releases then soars out over the stern We bank sharply and watch for the explosions They come almost simultaneously simultaneous simultaneous- ly ly square square hits amidships The torpedoes throw up spouts of water like a fountain The water reaches its maximum height in a column then seems to spill over a little A puff of smoke comes up from the center of the water column The splashes are different from near misses with bombs where the water spatters In huge wide ide splashes with heavy smoke and exploding gas shooting high Into the air My other planes push home the attack As we pull away the carrier carrier cartier car car- rier tier already is beginning to settle even though it still Is turning It completes three turns before stopping dead and going under a There Is no feeling of exultation There is no emotional reaction except except ex ex- relief I think that this one at least leat Is no longer a danger Its planes cannot attack our own carrier I dont don't think of Pearl Harbor or the Japanese or anythIng anything anything any any- thing except that this Impersonal enemy has been killed and cannot kill kUl us Our job is done now so we r I and head for home t I count the planes All AU there Eve thing okay Then I count age agu and find fend one extra But it is an au I American plane so we continue on our course counse Landing we find I that five planes from another squadron have joined me while four of mine came home with the theother theother theother other squadron Piece Picture Together I IBack Back on our carrier the pilots pilot write individual reports and we find that each has seen a dozen things the others never noticed Our Impressions are ane disjointed but gradually they fit into one picture We ask ono one fighter pilot from another another another an an- other squadron to describe the markings on the tall tail of the Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese roese bombers To his astonishment astonishment astonishment astonish astonish- ment he hadn't even noticed whether they were twin tell tail or single But he can describe minutely minutely mi ml the vital area in the Jap engine into which his bullets were vere pouring My neck is horribly stiff and 1 I realize that I have been turning my head constantly from the takeoff takeoff takeoff take take- off to the landing I make a mental mental mentel men men- tal tel note to remind t the e air crews to take strengthening neck-strengthening e exercises exercises exer exer- er- er in preparation for another battle |