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Submitted by: Scott W. Boness
bowhunter@lakefield.net
Nephew of Lynden Lambrecht
Subject: My uncles memoirs June 1, 1944 - Feb 26 1945
Life on the Lexington
The memoirs of
Lynden Lambrecht
Torpedoman V-5
June 1,1944
Left T.I. Calif, U.S.A. for Pearl Harbor aboard U.S.S. Sea
Corpral, Army transport, lousy chow, rough trip, hard on dry land sailors!
June 7th
Tied up to dock at Fleet Landing Pearl. Got our first news of
landing in France.
June 8th
Tranfered to Aiea Rec Bks. until recently this was just a cane
field.
Rough Bks, no windows, pleasant stay, first class, gold bricks, no work for us.
Eat, sleep,
beer, movies, ball games, smokers! Lot of big league ball players, Di Maggio,
Mize, and others. Slipped out for liberty in Honolulu, this is the life!
July 4th
Tranfered to U.S.S. Orvetta. Breakdown first time so we didn't
sail. This is some Barge, the Japs wouldn't even want it. Several Libertys.
July 23rd
Lift anchor bound for Marshall Islands. Several boys drew Pearl
duty, good deal, Russian Markovich, Al Leach, Dick Leonard, and I left of Mingvs'
commandoes. Slim Lambertson,Lord Smith, Ole Olsen, Al Olinger, Bill Rhoads from
Keyport among the unlucky passengers. Russian has five days P&P for
goldbricking. Ours is legal just now.
July 31st
Anchored in Roi Harbor for a day.
Aug 2nd
Anchored in Eniwetok, Marshall Islands. Third and fifth fleets
based here.
Aug 2nd -13th
Laying around, working, party now and then.
Aug 13th
Transfered to U.S.S. Lexington, Tokyo Rose's "Blue Ghost"
Aug 13th - 19th
Getting squared away. Only 3 openings in torpedo gang for the
nine of us. Lucky to be one of the
three.
Aug 19th - 29th
Working on fish. One day off for beer party on Red Island. More
munitions than ship ever had aboard before.
Aug 29th
Lifted anchor with task force "8" Admiral Marc Mitcher fast
carrier Co. aboard.
Sept 6th
Have criss crossed equator, bald head to show for it - First
fighter sweeps over Palau
Sept 7th - 8th
Many strikes, no opposition. 12,000 landings
Sept 9th - 10th
Strikes against Mindanao P.I.
Sept 12th
Raids on Cebu fighters get 14 planes.
Sept 13th
Still Cebu, task force, jumped by two Jap. Bomb miss by 100
yards. First I've seen.
Sept 14th
Cebu - - -
Sept 15th-20th
Cover invasion of Pelileu - not much for us to do - Can see
star shell at night - Two buddies of mine - Sauce Klein & Bud Christoffel ashore
with 1st Marines.
Sept 21st
Strikes against Manila. Out spearheading again, no bogies,
surprising many Jap planes and ships hit.
Sept 22nd
Meat balls out this morning, no damage, could see land this
morning. Pilots had good hunting, many ships and planes, most of them on
fields.
Sept 23rd - 24th
Going south, Raids on Corin Islands
Sept 27th
Dropped anchor at north end of Palau Is.
Oct 2nd
Many Japs on island within sight, sail every night, load bombs
at day.
Oct 3rd
Anchored at Ulithi - Japs have evacuated recently. This will be
Our new base. Bad storms recently, 4 cans go aground
Oct 6th
Left Ulithi ( Scuttlebut says for Formosa )
Oct 6th - 9th
Traveling north fast, fuel from tanker.
Oct 10th
Strikes against Okinawa and other islands of Rukyv group. 250
miles below Japan Hits on two A.K.S. some planes shot up bad.
Oct 11th
Raids over Luzon and fuel from tankers.
Oct 12th
Formosa - A.T. General quarters 22 hours straight. Not much to
eat, no sleep. Plenty of shooting today, 3 planes splashed at dusk over next
task group. They burn dam good. Tojo lamp lighters light up the sea for miles
around. My mind is made up I am ready to go home any time. Like to see the man
who wasn't scared! Big air battles over Formosa.
Oct 13th
Formosa same story, plenty of targets and A.A. planes coming
back badly shot up, some missing, these pilots have guts. Used five fish with
good results, under almost constant attack, ships guns splashed two more Japs.
C.L. Cambard took a fish. Cans takes her under tow. Toughest going Lexington has
ever seen the salts say!
Oct 14th
Formosa again. Everyone is damn tired, no real sleep or chow
for five days. Several near misses from bombs.These Japs were good pilots. A
dozen or two broke into task group about 10 feet off the water, fish all over
the place, not many planes get away. One suicide hit C.L. Reno.
Oct 15th
Still Formosa, 4 days straight is unusual but theres still many
targets. Only two hours sleep. Many bogies around, task group C.A.P. having
field day. Houston (C.L.) takes two fish. Her and Cambars both safe. Pilots have
smashed all records. Total planes in five days will go over 500. Leaving tonight
Damn lucky to get out with these light casualities.
Oct 16th
Out to fuel. Jap fleet reported 300 miles N.W. Several
casualities from crew drinking alchol injectionfluid from F.6.
Oct 17th
Jap fleet backs down.
Oct 18th
Low on chow, beans and spam. fueled
Oct 20th - 21st
This is it. Supported Leyte landings
Oct 22nd
Fuel from tanker. Head back toward Leyte.
Oct 23rd
Our task group is closest group in toward Leyte. Under attack
all day. Our task group pilots break all records. Really a crack air group in "
19 ". Essex Comm. splashes 9 Japs alone. C.V.L. Princeton hit just off starboard
beam. Explosions and flames hundreds of feet in the air. Later sunk by our on
cans. Many dive bombers. Our ships guns get two more. Many near misses. It took
more than luck to get us out of this today. C.A.P. did a good job. G.Q. all
night
Oct 24th
Jap fleet out again. Reinforced by other task groups.
Oct 25th
Battle for Leyte Gulf. Hit and smashed Jap fleet. 4 flat tops,
dozen of crusiers and battle wagons, many cans, fleets guns sink the cripples
after the pilots smash them up. We used 27 fish alone, excellant results. Today
was the day.
Oct 26th
Knocking out a few stragglers, 125 survivers come aboard from
cans who picked them off the Princeton.
Oct 27th - 30th
East for Ulithi. Boy it'll be good to get back, should get
some chow again.
Oct 30th
Anchored in Ulithi
Oct 31st
Admiral Mitcher leaves ship for U.S.A. he's tops.
Nov 1st
Lift anchor steaming south for Manus in the Admirality Islands.
Headed for 5 days relaxation, sleep and beer.
Nov 2nd
Jap fleet reported out again. Change course towards Leyte -
lost contact.
Nov 3rd - 4th
Strikes against Manila
Nov 5th
Manila Bay again. (Big T ) C.A.P. leaves 3 suicide planes in ,
shot one down, another crashes in flames against our aft island structure. Quad
5 (40mm) wiped out, (Slim is on 7). Group of 20mm wiped out, 46 dead, 120
injured. Lost one fellow from the shop and two wounded. Lot of swell guys gone.
Not a nice site to look at.
Nov 6th
Manila again despite many guns out if commission. Dam hard on
crew. Japs around again today, plenty scared, wish we would have got that
vacation.
Nov 7th
Headed back to base. Large burial at sea. Kamikazes parachute
still in radar screen. Don't care for soveniors.
Nov 9th
Anchored in Ulithi. U.S.S Jason repair ship comes along side.
Dreams of state side repair job shattered. Wounded taken aboard hospital ship.
(Flat tops - Intrepid, Belleau Woods, and Franklin, states bound for battle
repairs)
Nov 9th - 19th
Repairs, new paint job.
Nov 20th
Six two man subs slipped by anti sub nets. Sank tanker near us.
Smoke thousands of feet in air. Cans and D.E.'s dropped depth charges. Reports
of Jap sailors in water. One sub grounded on reef.
Dec 1st
Left Ulithi with Admiral Bogan aboard. Now in new task force.
Dec 2nd - 7th
Gunnery practice.
Dec 8th
Anchored in Ulithi.
Dec 11th
Underway.
Dec 12th
Steering casuality. Almost hit B.B. New Jersey ( to bad we
didn't ) Admiral Halsey is aboard her.
Dec 14th
Strikes over Luzon.
Dec 15th - 16th - 17th
Fighter patrol night and day to keep Japs down while Mindoro is
invaded. Clark field one of main targets.
Dec 18th
Steaming for Ulithi. Fueling on way in.
Dec 24th
Drop anchor. Ulithi atoll. Xmas Eve, Xmas party and good chow.
Work as usual.
Dec 30th
All loaded , many rockets. Big E. returns from Pearl loaded
with night fighters. Underway. Tranfered torpedomen to V.5. Ordinance, not so
hot.
Jan 1st. 1945
Wish I was home to help celebrate last night, instead of in
sack by 8 P.M.
Jan 2nd
Headed north east.
Jan 3rd - 4th
Damn chilly out. Hit Formosa. Damn few Japs. Fuel from tanker.
Jan 6th - 7th
Hit Luzon. Preparing way for its invasion.
Jan 8th
Hit Formosa. Sail through Formosa straits into China sea.
Jan 9th
Invasion via Lingayen Gulf. Not as much opposition as expected.
Jan 12th
Raid shipping Camiron Bay Fr.Indo China. Sank 5 A.K.S. and
light cruiser. Three hits with our fish. No air opposition.
Jan 13th
Fuel from tanker and air searchs. Pilot from Hancock broke
formation and landed on Jap air strip. Why is a big mystery. Other Pilot strafe
and burned plane.
Jan 14th
Scouting for Jap fleet. Picked up 5 Chinks from life raft.
Jan 15th
24 today. Getting old. Strikes over Hong Kong, China. Heavy A.A.
Bad weather. Several bogies splashed by C.A.P. G.Q. all day.
Jan 16th
Hong Kong. Weather good, many targets, used 5 fish 3 hits. Many
A.K.'s damaged or sunk. A.A. is terrific. Many planes lost over target, others
damaged. Searches often jumped by Jap. patrols.
Jan 17th - 18th - 19th
Fueled cans. Searches and C.A.P.
Jan 20th
G.Q. several times during day and night. Passing through Batan
Island north of Luzon. Japs seem to shuttle back and forth from Luzon and
Formosa. C.A.P. splash 10 assorted planes. All task forces fired at dusk. No
actual attacks on ships. Going out of China sea. Glad to get out. Low on chow
and no mail.
Jan 21st
Formosa. Little opposition over targets. Pilots report many
P38's & B24's Luzon fields. Must now be in use. Other task groups have attacks.
T hit by dive bombers. 10 Japs shot down. Hancock on our port quarters damaged
when one of her T.B.M.'s cracked up with depth charges.
Jan 22nd
Hit Okinawa.
Jan 23rd
Fuel from tanker.
Jan 24th - 25th
MAIL. Steaming south
Jan26th
Dropped the hook at Ulithi Atolls.
Jan 27th - Feb 9th
Loading supplies. 17 new fish. One beach party.
Feb 10th
Underway. Air group "9" aboard. Gunnery.
Feb 11th
Heading north. 90 miles west of Guam.
Feb 12th
Air group practicing attacks.
Feb 14th
Fuel from tanker.
Feb 15th
Start speed run into Tokyo. This maybe rugged. 1 Betty
splashed, 1 Sampan sunk.
Feb 16th -17th
TOKYO. Weather poor. Total for our task group 3 flat tops, 146
shot out of air, many destroyed on ground, two plane factorys hard hit. No Japs
reached task groups.
Feb 18th
Fueled destroyers.
Feb 19th
Covering two Iwo Jima invasions.
Feb 20th
Fueled and loaded ammo. First time ammo ever loaded underway.
MAIL. Bogies at night, task group fired. New B.B. Missouri splashed two. Sara
reported hit many times. She's fresh from training duty at Pearl. Bismark Sea
C.V.E. reported sunk.
Feb 21st
Bogies again. Big E. joins us. She was with Sara. Both carriers
had all night fighter air groups.
Feb 22nd - 26th
Iwo again. Rugged going ashore. We can hear the fire directors
over our R.B.D. they must be using S.O.2 C.S. for this work. By the sound of it
you would think its just practice. Using Many Cans, Cruisers, B.B.S, for
support. Planes dropping everything including fire bombs.
Feb 27th
Back to Tokyo. Cloudy. Pilots ran into snow. Still manage to
get insome good strikes.
Feb 28th
Heading south. Strikes on Kure cancelled because of bad
weather. This is Japan's best Naval base.
March 1st
Strikes over Okinawa and Rokyo Island. Many photo planes used.
This might be next group invaded or so schuttlebut goes.
March 2nd
South bound for Ulithi.
March 6th
Anchored in Ulithi Atoll.
March 7th - 8th
Unloading supplies - straight dope - We're State side bound
WOW ! ! !
March 9th
Lifted anchor with C.L. Boston and C.V.L. San Jacinto.
March 10th
Two suicide Japs raid Ulithi. One C.V. hit.
March 12th
Anchor at Eniwetok, M.I.
March 14th
Underway for Pearl.
March 22nd
Docked at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor.
March 23rd
Underway for states.
March 25th -26th
Removed warheads from fish. Hit storm and had one hell of a
time keeping 600 lbs of torpex from crawling in your rack.
March 27th
Puget Sound, U.S.A. Anchor at sub nets. Unloading ammo. Reports
from the fleet having rugged time in South Japan and Rukyo Island. Kamikazes hit
several flat tops. Thank God we missed this one. Hope they don't cut our leaves
short. Invasion of Okinawa soon.
March 28th
First leave party off. 21 days. Sara and T.- in.
March 29th - 30th
Worked 24 out of 32 hours and then had liberty. Plenty tired.
Ah that beer is good.
March 30th
Fire watches. Good chow. Liberty.
Till April 19th
Nice chicks working on ship. This is the duty. Wasp hit at
Okinawa returns. Mitchers flagship.
April 20th
(Left eve of 17th via plane for Chicago) Leave offically
starts. 22days of living.
April 21st
Train from Chicago to Milwaukee. Spent night there. HOME this
is it. First time since Jan 44. Great to be back. Old buddies gone and gas
rationing only signs of war.
May 9th
Leave home hope not for long.
May 11th
Hit Bremevton with ski of Milwaukee spent last night in
Seattle.
May 13th
Trial run in Sound. Tranfered 3 T.M.V. and brought 2 aboard.
May 15th
Trial run. Loading ammo supplies.
May 22nd
Frisco bound.
May 23rd
Gunnerys. No more 20 m.m. gun stations.
May 24th
Tied up at Alameda, Frisco Bay
May 26th
Mouse, Ole, and I lower Frisco champaygne supplys. Big night.
May 27th
Take 100 tiny tims aboard (1200lb rockets) Hard day. Our
vitamens from last night don't help any. Les came aboard for several hours.
May 28th
Last state side liberty.
May 29th
Left for Pearl and points west loaded with Medium bombers.
Gunnery on the way.
June 4th
Pearl.
June 5th
Liberty.
June 6th
Left for gunnery and air group drill. A.G. 94 aboard. F6 F's,
F4 V's, S.B. 2 C's, T.B.M's.
June 11th
Back at Pearl. Liberty. 5 new T.M.V's.
June 13th
Left Pearl with C.V. Hancock and C.L.V. San Jacinto.
June 14th - 19th
Gunnery practice for air group.
June 20th
Strike Wake. Practice for pilots. Set ships record for Ammo
used in one day. Worked on rockets. Couldn't stand many days like today.
June 21st - 25th
Leyte P.I. bound. Jap subs hit two A.K.'s near by.
June 25th
Dropped anchor in San Pedro Bay. History was made here. Started
loading supplys. One Rec. Party. Don't care for country.
July 1st
Underway for Japan.
July 7th
Sub contacts off Iwo.
July 10th
Tokyo. No opposition. Aircraft hard to find.
July 11th - 12th
Fuel Cans, head north.
July 13th
Hokkaido, north most of Japan's homeland.
July 14th - 15th
Hokkaido, B.B. Pound beach, wipe out several steel mills,
Pilots sink Hokkaido ferrys. Good intelligence, exact time schedules of ferrys
Known. Some air opposition.
July 16th
Spot British fleet while fueling. The war must be almost over
then. Not impressed by it.
July 17th
Tokyo Bay
July 18th
Tokyo Bay. Pound Jap B.B. Nagoto. Escorts pound beach.
July 19th - 22nd
Bad weather.
July 24th
Kure. Damaged several carriers and remainder of Jap fleet.
Heavy A.A.
July 25th
Kolbe. Hit A.K.'s in Harbor, heavy A.A.
July 30th
Kure again.
Aug 1st
Fuel two T.M.V.'s off on tanker. Bad weather
Aug 2nd - 9th
Bad weather. Keeps zomies down. Russians in war on July 8th,
good news. First atomic bomb dropped. Berry A.O.M. killed, swell kid.
Aug 10th
Dope on atomic bomb, sounds too good to be true. Poor Japs.
Task group flyers destroy 89 aircraft, sink one D.E. & damaged a D.D.
Aug 11th - 12th
Fuel, supplys & ammo. Hear Japs want to surrender, sounds
swell.
Aug 13th
Tokyo. Pilots report Japs hold A.A. unless actual bombing runs
are made. C.A.P. splash 17 airborne Japs around task force. Mostly Judys torp.
planes. Man walks into prop while loading bombs on hanger deck, funeral
tomorrow. AL Leach 21 today.
Aug 14th
Fuel. Landing partys packed, ready to go.
Aug 15th
Tokyo. First strikes off, radioed to drop bombs in sea when
Truman announces Japs quit. Halsey gives V. speech. Bonn Homme Richards damaged
in bomb explosion, not serious. Marine accidently shot himself while checking
his rifle.
Aug 16th
Special V.J. day church service, V.J. chow, and 2 bottles of
beer to splice main brass. Why don't we do this more often? Wars end hasn't
caused too much excitement. Point system, a single man don't rate at all. Fleet
comes together as a unit to have pictures made.
Aug 17th
Fuel,chow, mail. Many A.P.A. join us to remove landing forces.
Take over Marine's 20's.
Aug 18th
Admiral Sherman makes Lex his flag ship.
Aug 22nd
Patrol Japs. Taking many pics.
Aug 23rd - 24th
Patrol search for P.W. camps. Pics show P.W. waiving and
raising cane.
Aug 25th
Drop P.W. food and supplys. Don't mind this job at all.
Aug 26th
P.W. supplys.
Aug 30th
Sherman changes flag to Wasp. She may be our relief but her
flight deck was twisted in typhoon. She may have to go back for repairs.
Aug 31st
Transfered from T-F 38-1 to 38-3. Saw home islands several
times today.
Sept 2nd
Sherman again raises flag. Wasp to U.S.A. Sherman & Capt
Robbins fly to Japan.
Sept 4th
Censorship lifted.
Sept 5th
Lex. first C.V. ever to enter Tokyo Bay. Anchor off Yokohama at
1500.
Sept 6th
Lift anchor at 1730 with fleet landing forces aboard.
Sept 7th
Mail. Return Marines to their ship.
Sept 8th - 9th
Provisions and fuel. Chow is very low, Beans and more beans.
Sept 10th
T-F-38-3 enters Tokyo Bay. Adm. takes flag ashore. Anchor off
Yokohama. Mail.
Sept 11th - 14th
At anchor taking on supplys. Few men getting liberty. Report
Japs starved but friendly. Slim leaves for discharge, Mouse and Grady for
school. Execs Rep aboard.
Sept 15th
Lift anchor. ( 1 ) Striker reports from - T -. Chrystal ball
says state side by
X mas. I wonder. In reply to Co. Ser. force message. In regard to quality of 3rd
fleet food. Halsey reports " Quanity insuffcient to report on Quality - He ain't
kidding beans 3 times a day is a little to much.
Sept 16th - 23rd
Patrols.
Sept 24th
Anchor at Siapah to take aboard air group 92 - air group 94,
will leave for U.S.
Exect. Off. Ahron leaves ship. Underway at 1500.
Sept 28th
Anchored at Eniwetok, Marshall Islands. Mail call. Painting
ship, loading supplys. Beach partys every 3 or 4 days, still not much beer.
First time ashore in 3 months.
Oct 1st
Little dope on our last 5 weeks of the war. 2,172 sorties
flown, 471 tons of bombs, 2,782 rockets used, 191 planes destroyed, 64 drops,
176 damaged, many ships sunk or damaged, trains and factories pounded, 3,000,000
gals of fuel used and 800,000 gals. of aviation gas.
Oct 4th
Lift anchor bound for Tokyo. Ad. has flag aboard.
Oct 13th
Arrive in Tokyo Bay, anchor in Yokosuka Harbor. Ran into
typhoon on way. Okinawa took a beating from it.
Oct 14th - 24th
Ships work. A few liberty in Tokyo.
Oct 24th
Lift anchor for several days of drill at sea.
Oct 28th
Tie up in Yokosuka Harbor.
Oct 28th - Nov 5th
Ships work and occasional liberty in Yokosuka.
Nov 5th - 9th
Drills at sea. One mid air collision.
Nov 9th
Back to anchorage.
Nov 16th
Captain grow new Captain. Dispatch from C.T.F. "58" say
probable date of relief arriving is Jan 20th. Too damn long.
Nov 24th
Out to sea for several days of drill.
Nov 27th
Back to Yokosuka. Exec. say dispatch has just been recieved
saying Lex and Intrepid will be relieved in a few days. Stateside in Dec. Best
news since V.J day.
Dec 1st
Loaded Army passengers.
Dec 3rd
Underway for the States with the Intrepid.
Dec 5th - 7th
Typhoon.
Dec 15th
Docked in States. First leave but no transportation.
Dec 17th
Left for home.
Jan 14th, 1946
Back aboard after a swell leave. Ship is anchored near Long
Beach.
Jan 14th - Feb 14th
Taking it easy. Last month aboard ship.
Feb 15th
Leave ship for Terminal Island.
Feb 15th - 20th
At T.I. awaiting transportation to Great Lakes.
Feb 20th - 24th
So. Pacific R.R. though Ariz, New Mexico, Texas and then north.
Feb 24th
Arrive at Lakes and begin processing.
Feb 26th
Discharged.
Feb 1945
Very unusual. Ship is two years old today. She has steamed
146,000 miles, 18,000 landings abroad. Picked up a little more dope on the Lex
life in Her 2 years. The distance traveled is equal to 6 times around the world.
She has burned 27,000,000 gals. of fuel oil. Her planes have used 79,098 gals of
gas. Her guns have destroyed 17 aircraft. Her planes have shot down 367
meatballs, she has been in 21 raids and covered 7 amphibious landings. Taken
part in two navel actions against the Jap. Fleet. There are 610 men left of Her
original crew. She has crossed the equator on 13 separate occasions, entered the
realm of the Dragon 4 times.
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