Was he on Yorktown at the Coral Sea battle? We turned the Japanese back but they lost a light carrier. We lost the Lexington and Yorktown was badly damaged. The fact that Yorktown was at Midway is a tribute to the sailors and yardbirds at Pearl Harbor. The loss’s the US took in torpedo planes at Midway is a heartbreaker. The fact that your dad survived is a great achievement. A good man in harms way.
He was a machinist mate on Yorktown. He had been on the ship since mid 1940. When the Captain realized she was not going to sink from her initial damage, he ordered the engineers back on board to get her on an even keel and power restored. My dad was one of the snipes that went back on board. He was in one of the engine rooms when the Japanese torpedoed her. He was not injured. Had Yorktown not been torpedoed, she would have been saves. They had put out the fires, restored some power, and were getting ready to get her underway. He finished the war on USS West Virginia.