| A destroyer, USS Morris (DD-417), alongside USS Lexington (CV-2) as the carrier is abandoned during the afternoon. Note crewmen sliding down lines on Lexington’s starboard quarter. The ship’s War Diary for May 8, 1942, signed by Commander James Rogers “Jim” Dudley (December 25, 25, 1898 – July 29, 1993), reported: “Ship losing way. Hangar thick with smoke, fire visible under forward elevator. Personnel assembling on flight deck. Injured ordered evacuated to cruisers standing by. At 1615 Hours, USS Morris came alongside, passed fire hoses on board in effort to combat fire. At 1645 Hours, water played on fire around forward elevator without success in extinguishing fire. With loss of speed, a port list of three degrees developed and ship took on a trim down by the bow of about two feet (0.6 meters). At 1657 Hours, ordered all squadron and air department personnel and men not needed for working the ship to embark in USS Morris alongside. Large cloud of smoke and steam came from forwarded elevator. At 1700 Hours, the list to port [increased] to now five degrees. At 1706 Hours, a steam explosion rose on the port bow. At 1707 hours, Rear Admiral Aubrey W. Fitch [(June 11, 1883 – May 22, 1978)] directed the Captain [Frederick C. Sherman (May 27, 1888 – July 27, 1957)] to have the ship abandoned. At 1710 Hours, [the] order [was] passed ‘All Hands abandon ship.’” “All injured on [the] flight deck were lowered over the side to boats and life rafts. Only those records which were above decks could be saved. Fires in office spaces below decks prevented saving of other records than rough deck logs, quartermaster’s note book and rough notes for War Diary.” “This writer abandoned ship at 1745 Hours (watch stopped by immersion in salt water) – Captain proceeded to inspect flight deck aft and after insuring all had abandoned, was last to leave going down a rope at stern about 1830 Hours after several terrific explosions had scattered flames and debris over a large area of water.” | |
| Image Filename | wwii1665.jpg |
| Image Size | 2.47 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 5709 x 4526 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 8, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | |
| Country | Coral Sea |
| Archive | Naval History and Heritage Command |
| Record Number | 80-G-7398 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database