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Thank you for posting, I enjoyed reading that and wish my dad would have told me more about his memories on the Yorktown CV-5. My dad was in the Navy prior to WWII, he graduated from Pearl Harbor Submarine Base Torpedo School in December 1940 and was then assigned to the Yorktown.

He told me the Yorktown pulled into port at Norfolk about a week before Pearl was attacked and he had taken a train home and was having dinner with his family when they heard the news on the radio.

He managed to get back and rejoin the ship, I think he had to take a train to the west coast, but I don’t remember.

After Robert Ballard discovered the Yorktown, my sister bought his book and gave it to my dad. I went to visit home one night after work, as he was just finishing that book. He was choked up and emotional like I had never seen him. He handed me the book and said to take it and read it. I glanced though it for several minutes and then ask him if he could tell me about what he did.

He told me his job was to set up the torpedo and mount it to the plane. The torpedo planes took off and most did not return. Latter they knew they were going to be attacked and they lined up his group and ask for volunteers. He said they did not know what they were being ask to do, but he stepped forward. He said some men prayed and some men cried, but he had a strong belief in god and had no fear.

He ended up in the crows nest of the ship where they had mounted a machine gun and his job was to help with the ammo. They were trying to shoot down planes and one few by and one of the men in the plane stood up and was either waving at them or shaking his fist at them. The men in crows nest were shaking there fist back at him and more.

That plane was hit seconds latter and destroyed.

He never spoke about the Coral Sea or much else, wish I had known more to ask.

After he passed my mom gave me an envelope that had some of his records. Among the items was a group photo of his torpedo class graduation and certificates for each promotion. Also an original copy of the next ships action reports from the Destroyer he was assigned to next. It was sent to Guadalcanal in Dec of 42, up through the Salomon Islands, Rabaul, Tinian, Sipan, Philippines and China. I learn more form this paper he kept than I did from him as he kept his memories buried. I liked reading your memories your dad shared with you. They were truly great men of which the world could use more of.