...

Frazod · 03-05-2018, 06:45 PM

There's a video in the link, but I got an error message when trying to post it.

https://www.paulallen.com/uss-lexing...ated-rv-petrel

Wreck of Aircraft Carrier USS Lexington Located in Coral Sea After 76 Years

Wreckage from the USS Lexington was discovered by the expedition crew of Research Vessel (R/V) Petrel on March 4. The Lexington was found 3,000 meters (about two miles) below the surface, resting on the floor of the Coral Sea more than 500 miles off the eastern coast of Australia.

“To pay tribute to the USS Lexington and the brave men that served on her is an honor,” said Paul Allen. “As Americans, all of us owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who served and who continue to serve our country for their courage, persistence and sacrifice.”

As one of the first U.S. aircraft carriers ever built, the Lexington became known as “Lady Lex” and went down with 35 aircraft on board.

“Lexington was on our priority list because she was one of the capital ships that was lost during WWII,” said Robert Kraft, director of subsea operations for Mr. Allen. “Based on geography, time of year and other factors, I work with Paul Allen to determine what missions to pursue. We’ve been planning to locate the Lexington for about six months and it came together nicely.”

The USS Lexington was originally commissioned as a battlecruiser but was launched as an aircraft carrier in 1925. She took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942) along with the USS Yorktown against three Japanese carriers. This was the first carrier versus carrier battle in history and was the first time Japanese forces suffered a permanent setback in its advances on New Guinea and Australia. However, the U.S. lost the Lexington and 216 of its distinguished crew.

The Lexington had been hit by multiple torpedoes and bombs on May 8 but it was a secondary explosion causing uncontrolled fires that finally warranted the call to abandon ship. The USS Phelps delivered the final torpedoes that sank the crippled Lady Lex, the first aircraft carrier casualty in history. With other U.S. ships standing by, 2,770 crewmen and officers were rescued, including the captain and his dog Wags, the ships ever-present mascot.

During the Battle of the Coral Sea the Japanese navy sank USS Lexington (CV-2), USS Sims (DD-409), and USS Neosho (AO-23), and damaged the USS Yorktown. The Japanese lost one light carrier (Shōhō) and suffered significant damage to a fleet carrier (Shōkaku).

“As we look back on our Navy throughout its history, we see evidence of an incredible amount of heroism and sacrifice. The actions of Sailors from our past inspire us today,” said Sam Cox, Director of the Naval History and Heritage Command and retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. “So many ships, so many battles, so many acts of valor help inform what we do now.”

The Battle of the Coral Sea was notable not only for stopping a Japanese advance but because it was the first naval engagement in history where opposing ships never came within sight of each other. This battle ushered in a new form of naval warfare via carrier-based airplanes. One month later, the U.S. Navy surprised Japanese forces at the Battle of Midway, and turned the tide of the war in the Pacific for good.

Based on some initial success with his M/Y Octopus, Allen acquired and retrofitted the 250-foot R/V Petrel with state-of-the-art subsea equipment capable of diving to 6,000 meters (or three and a half miles). Since its deployment in early 2017, the ship was active in several missions in the Philippine Sea before its transition to the Coral Sea off the Australian Coast.

Allen-led expeditions have also resulted in the discovery of the USS Indianapolis (August 2017), USS Ward (November 2017), USS Astoria (February 2015), Japanese battleship Musashi (March 2015) and the Italian WWII destroyer Artigliere (March 2017). His team was also responsible for presentation to the British Navy in honor of its heroic service. Allen’s expedition team was permanently transferred to the newly acquired and retrofitted R/V Petrel in 2016 with a specific mission around research, exploration and survey of historic warships and other important artifacts.

Dayze · 03-06-2018, 09:01 PM

Bolter Bird in the Ready Room......esssh. Lol

Or worse, bolter too many times.....at night.......run low on gas....and have to launch an S3 to give you drink.......not a good day for a junior Nugget pilot.

Seemed like it usually resulted in a new call sign. Lol.

We had a pilot called Pyro....I thought it was a cool call sign. Come to find out that it’s because during his SERE training, he thought it was a good idea to pop off a flare to signal his rescue.....and it caught some area in So Cal on fire. Military area, of course.

Another pilot was “Marsha” because his last name was Brady
Another “Smellykat” because his last name was Smelik
A real life Merlin (ala Top Gun)......Lt Craig Olsen who went on to the Blue Angels.
Xena ...chick pilot, Maria Grauerholtz...because it was rumored that she could squat some crazy amount of weight. I think she’s a Navy doctor or surgeon now (talk about ambitious).
Another “Pappy” because he was like a 35yr -ish old junior Lt....and former enlisted SEAL. Name of Matthew Paradise, and all around badass.

Sorry for thread derailment.
...

Frazod · 03-06-2018, 09:04 PM

Civilians must be wondering what the **** we're talking about.....

**Easy 6** · 03-06-2018, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dayze

We played war games with the Air Force during work ups for deployment. Nellis and Elmendorf AFBs etc...and one of the F-15 drivers told me that Navy / USMC landings are considered a crash by AF standards in terms of rate of descent.

Never knew if that was true, but I believe it. After watching AF landings, and comparing to being under the wires onO3 level when a Navy jet landed.....sounded like a god damned bomb went off. And the trap wires brining it to a stop.....my god...the noise. Lol

Yeah, seagoing fighters seem to be more 4x4 truck than sports car... a Raptor would completely fall apart after a few of those landings

Considering all the cool shit you got to experience, do you wish you'd stayed in?

Dayze · 03-06-2018, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Easy 6

Yeah, seagoing fighters seem to be more 4x4 truck than sports car... a Raptor would completely fall apart after a few of those landings

Considering all the cool shit you got to experience, do you wish you'd stayed in?

Sometimes I do. I could’ve retired sept of 2016. My sea shore rotation for my job was 4 yrs sea going command, then 6 yrs shore command, for my 20.. Which is really good compared to a lot of of other rates/jobs.
My job was in Intelligence and was fairly high stress at times, even as a junior enlisted. And would’ve only got more stressful with rank I suspect. Glad I did it, but I was ready to get out. Don think I could’ve last 20. Lol. And with my sea shore, if I rreenlisted ( which would’ve been $28k bonus) and finished that en.istment...shit, I’m half way to retirement.... Might as well stay in at that point.

Sea duty was rough, but fun in some sort of perverted way lol. Shore duty I fear would’ve been boring by comparison.

Dayze · 03-06-2018, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frazod

Civilians must be wondering what the **** we're talking about.....

Absolutely.

Except Oaklandhater. He’ll understand what we’re talking about, what with all his service time and all etc.

Frazod · 03-06-2018, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dayze

Absolutely.

Except Oaklandhater. He’ll understand what we’re talking about, what with all his service time and all etc.

Heh.

To be honest, most of your airdale shit is going over my head as well.

Dayze · 03-06-2018, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frazod

Heh.

To be honest, most of your airdale shit is going over my head as well.

Oh shit...another discussion most won’t understand

Brown shoe

Vs

Black shoe

Death match.

Lol

Come at me bro.

Frazod · 03-06-2018, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dayze

Oh shit...another discussion most won’t understand

Brown shoe

Vs

Black shoe

Death match.

Lol

Come at me bro.

Meh. The only ones we dealt with was the helo detachment on the ship, and then only rarely. They kept to themselves. I think they were all homos.

Dayze · 03-06-2018, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frazod

Meh. The only ones we dealt with was the helo detachment on the ship, and then only rarely. They kept to themselves. I think they were all homos.

Lol

Good call
Never trust a guy with a banana in his pocket, or a guy with brown shoes.

Frazod · 03-06-2018, 09:33 PM

I only remember one - an old warrant officer who tried to dissuade me from drinking the ouzo in Naples. The REAL ouzo. Of course, the 20-year-old me absolutely never listened to the sage advice of anybody.

Holy shit, that was a bad night.

Dayze · 03-06-2018, 09:41 PM

Yeah.....I had a pilot give me a bottle of Patron ,about 3/4full , while in Pearl because he couldn’t take it into the club he was going into. Said it was good tequila and would t give me a hangover. 20. Old me thought it was a good idea to drink it all the last night in port , despite having to man the rails the next day, in nice hot, humid Hawaii heat.

Dumbass. I’m amazed I’m alive most days, quite honestly.

Frazod · 03-06-2018, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dayze

Yeah.....I had a pilot give me a bottle of Patron ,about 3/4full , while in Pearl because he couldn’t take it into the club he was going into. Said it was good tequila and would t give me a hangover. 20. Old me thought it was a good idea to drink it all the last night in port , despite having to man the rails the next day, in nice hot, humid Hawaii heat.

Dumbass. I’m amazed I’m alive most days, quite honestly.

At least it only had alcohol in it. Real ouzo contains opium. Not a lot, but enough. I was definitely worried about them hitting us with a random piss test. Luckily they didn't.

Dayze · 03-06-2018, 10:04 PM

In case anyone feels unmotivated....the bio from that junior LT I worked with....
JFC.
Meanwhile, I was able to install new mower blades in my riding mower.

Captain Matthew Paradise enlisted in the Navy in 1985 and attended Basic Underwater Demolition School class 138. Upon successful completion, he was assigned to Seal Team TWO where he made deployments to Northern Europe as a mountain and arctic warfare specialist. During his tenure at Seal Team TWO, he earned instructor qualifications in Combat Swimming and Mountain and Arctic Warfare. In 1989, Captain Paradise was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program and attended the University of Washington earning a degree in Electrical Engineering and a commission in August 1992.

Captain Paradise attended primary flight training in Corpus Christi, Texas and advanced flight training in Kingsville, Texas earning his wings in July of 1995. In July of 1996, Captain Paradise completed initial training in the F/A-18 and was assigned to VFA-22 where he made two Western Pacific deployments and participated in Operations SOUTHERN WATCH and DESERT FOX. Captain Paradise was selected to attend USN Test Pilot School, graduated with class 117 in July 2000 and was assigned to VX-23 in the Carrier Suitability department. While at VX-23, Captain Paradise was both Project Officer and Project Pilot for numerous programs including Joint Precision Approach Landing System, and F/A-18 E/F degraded flight control carrier suitability testing. While at VX-23, he earned his Masters degree in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. In January of 2003, Captain Paradise was assigned as Air Wing Landing Signals Officer for CVW-5 on the USS KITTY HAWK and flew flights in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. In October 2004, Captain Paradise was assigned to VFA-192 as a department head. During his tenure at VFA-192, the squadron was awarded numerous accolades including two Safety “S” awards and the Department of the Navy award for Safety Excellence. In November 2006, Captain Paradise served his joint tour as Maritime Communications System Manager for NATO Communications Service Agency in Mons, Belgium. Following his joint tour, Captain Paradise reported to VFA-34 as the Executive Officer and assumed command in May 2010 deploying aboard USS Abraham Lincoln in support of operation ENDURING FREEDOM. In January of 2012 Captain Paradise reported to Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in preparation for his assignment aboard USS George H. W. Bush and reported aboard in July of 2013, serving as the Executive Officer until July of 2015.

Captain Paradise’s personal decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service medal, two Meritorious Service medals, five Air medals including two with combat “V”, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medals, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal and various campaign and unit citations. He has accumulated over 3100 tactical jet flight hours and 900 carrier landings.

lcarus · 03-07-2018, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.A. Chieffan

I had dinner with Paul Allen, twice, in London. Just ten days ago.

I killed Paul Allen with an axe to the face. His body is dissolving in a bathtub in Hells Kitchen

**HemiEd** · 03-07-2018, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frazod

Meh. The only ones we dealt with was the helo detachment on the ship, and then only rarely. They kept to themselves. I think they were all homos.

Weren't you a Yeoman?

03-05-2018, 06:45 PM
Frazod WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Frazod's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2000	USS Lexington found in Coral Sea There's a video in the link, but I got an error message when trying to post it. https://www.paulallen.com/uss-lexing...ated-rv-petrel Wreck of Aircraft Carrier USS Lexington Located in Coral Sea After 76 Years Wreckage from the USS Lexington was discovered by the expedition crew of Research Vessel (R/V) Petrel on March 4. The Lexington was found 3,000 meters (about two miles) below the surface, resting on the floor of the Coral Sea more than 500 miles off the eastern coast of Australia. “To pay tribute to the USS Lexington and the brave men that served on her is an honor,” said Paul Allen. “As Americans, all of us owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who served and who continue to serve our country for their courage, persistence and sacrifice.” As one of the first U.S. aircraft carriers ever built, the Lexington became known as “Lady Lex” and went down with 35 aircraft on board. “Lexington was on our priority list because she was one of the capital ships that was lost during WWII,” said Robert Kraft, director of subsea operations for Mr. Allen. “Based on geography, time of year and other factors, I work with Paul Allen to determine what missions to pursue. We’ve been planning to locate the Lexington for about six months and it came together nicely.” The USS Lexington was originally commissioned as a battlecruiser but was launched as an aircraft carrier in 1925. She took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942) along with the USS Yorktown against three Japanese carriers. This was the first carrier versus carrier battle in history and was the first time Japanese forces suffered a permanent setback in its advances on New Guinea and Australia. However, the U.S. lost the Lexington and 216 of its distinguished crew. The Lexington had been hit by multiple torpedoes and bombs on May 8 but it was a secondary explosion causing uncontrolled fires that finally warranted the call to abandon ship. The USS Phelps delivered the final torpedoes that sank the crippled Lady Lex, the first aircraft carrier casualty in history. With other U.S. ships standing by, 2,770 crewmen and officers were rescued, including the captain and his dog Wags, the ships ever-present mascot. During the Battle of the Coral Sea the Japanese navy sank USS Lexington (CV-2), USS Sims (DD-409), and USS Neosho (AO-23), and damaged the USS Yorktown. The Japanese lost one light carrier (Shōhō) and suffered significant damage to a fleet carrier (Shōkaku). “As we look back on our Navy throughout its history, we see evidence of an incredible amount of heroism and sacrifice. The actions of Sailors from our past inspire us today,” said Sam Cox, Director of the Naval History and Heritage Command and retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. “So many ships, so many battles, so many acts of valor help inform what we do now.” The Battle of the Coral Sea was notable not only for stopping a Japanese advance but because it was the first naval engagement in history where opposing ships never came within sight of each other. This battle ushered in a new form of naval warfare via carrier-based airplanes. One month later, the U.S. Navy surprised Japanese forces at the Battle of Midway, and turned the tide of the war in the Pacific for good. Based on some initial success with his M/Y Octopus, Allen acquired and retrofitted the 250-foot R/V Petrel with state-of-the-art subsea equipment capable of diving to 6,000 meters (or three and a half miles). Since its deployment in early 2017, the ship was active in several missions in the Philippine Sea before its transition to the Coral Sea off the Australian Coast. Allen-led expeditions have also resulted in the discovery of the USS Indianapolis (August 2017), USS Ward (November 2017), USS Astoria (February 2015), Japanese battleship Musashi (March 2015) and the Italian WWII destroyer Artigliere (March 2017). His team was also responsible for presentation to the British Navy in honor of its heroic service. Allen’s expedition team was permanently transferred to the newly acquired and retrofitted R/V Petrel in 2016 with a specific mission around research, exploration and survey of historic warships and other important artifacts.
Posts: 119,568

03-06-2018, 09:01 PM	#61
Dayze Resident Glue Sniffer Dayze's Avatar Join Date: Nov 2003	Bolter Bird in the Ready Room......esssh. Lol Or worse, bolter too many times.....at night.......run low on gas....and have to launch an S3 to give you drink.......not a good day for a junior Nugget pilot. Seemed like it usually resulted in a new call sign. Lol. We had a pilot called Pyro....I thought it was a cool call sign. Come to find out that it’s because during his SERE training, he thought it was a good idea to pop off a flare to signal his rescue.....and it caught some area in So Cal on fire. Military area, of course. Another pilot was “Marsha” because his last name was Brady Another “Smellykat” because his last name was Smelik A real life Merlin (ala Top Gun)......Lt Craig Olsen who went on to the Blue Angels. Xena ...chick pilot, Maria Grauerholtz...because it was rumored that she could squat some crazy amount of weight. I think she’s a Navy doctor or surgeon now (talk about ambitious). Another “Pappy” because he was like a 35yr -ish old junior Lt....and former enlisted SEAL. Name of Matthew Paradise, and all around badass. Sorry for thread derailment. ...
Posts: 37,379

03-06-2018, 09:04 PM	#62
Frazod WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Frazod's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2000	Civilians must be wondering what the **** we're talking about.....
Posts: 119,568

03-06-2018, 09:33 PM	#70
Frazod WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Frazod's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2000	I only remember one - an old warrant officer who tried to dissuade me from drinking the ouzo in Naples. The REAL ouzo. Of course, the 20-year-old me absolutely never listened to the sage advice of anybody. Holy shit, that was a bad night.
Posts: 119,568

03-06-2018, 09:41 PM	#71
Dayze Resident Glue Sniffer Dayze's Avatar Join Date: Nov 2003	Yeah.....I had a pilot give me a bottle of Patron ,about 3/4full , while in Pearl because he couldn’t take it into the club he was going into. Said it was good tequila and would t give me a hangover. 20. Old me thought it was a good idea to drink it all the last night in port , despite having to man the rails the next day, in nice hot, humid Hawaii heat. Dumbass. I’m amazed I’m alive most days, quite honestly.
Posts: 37,379

03-06-2018, 10:04 PM	#73
Dayze Resident Glue Sniffer Dayze's Avatar Join Date: Nov 2003	In case anyone feels unmotivated....the bio from that junior LT I worked with.... JFC. Meanwhile, I was able to install new mower blades in my riding mower. Captain Matthew Paradise enlisted in the Navy in 1985 and attended Basic Underwater Demolition School class 138. Upon successful completion, he was assigned to Seal Team TWO where he made deployments to Northern Europe as a mountain and arctic warfare specialist. During his tenure at Seal Team TWO, he earned instructor qualifications in Combat Swimming and Mountain and Arctic Warfare. In 1989, Captain Paradise was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program and attended the University of Washington earning a degree in Electrical Engineering and a commission in August 1992. Captain Paradise attended primary flight training in Corpus Christi, Texas and advanced flight training in Kingsville, Texas earning his wings in July of 1995. In July of 1996, Captain Paradise completed initial training in the F/A-18 and was assigned to VFA-22 where he made two Western Pacific deployments and participated in Operations SOUTHERN WATCH and DESERT FOX. Captain Paradise was selected to attend USN Test Pilot School, graduated with class 117 in July 2000 and was assigned to VX-23 in the Carrier Suitability department. While at VX-23, Captain Paradise was both Project Officer and Project Pilot for numerous programs including Joint Precision Approach Landing System, and F/A-18 E/F degraded flight control carrier suitability testing. While at VX-23, he earned his Masters degree in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. In January of 2003, Captain Paradise was assigned as Air Wing Landing Signals Officer for CVW-5 on the USS KITTY HAWK and flew flights in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. In October 2004, Captain Paradise was assigned to VFA-192 as a department head. During his tenure at VFA-192, the squadron was awarded numerous accolades including two Safety “S” awards and the Department of the Navy award for Safety Excellence. In November 2006, Captain Paradise served his joint tour as Maritime Communications System Manager for NATO Communications Service Agency in Mons, Belgium. Following his joint tour, Captain Paradise reported to VFA-34 as the Executive Officer and assumed command in May 2010 deploying aboard USS Abraham Lincoln in support of operation ENDURING FREEDOM. In January of 2012 Captain Paradise reported to Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in preparation for his assignment aboard USS George H. W. Bush and reported aboard in July of 2013, serving as the Executive Officer until July of 2015. Captain Paradise’s personal decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service medal, two Meritorious Service medals, five Air medals including two with combat “V”, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medals, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal and various campaign and unit citations. He has accumulated over 3100 tactical jet flight hours and 900 carrier landings.
Posts: 37,379