| Original caption: “On board USS Lexington (CV-16) off Kwajalein. Marine gun captain points out Jap[anese] ‘Kate’ moving in to launch torpedo.” “Kate” was the Allied designation for the Nakajima B5N2 kyū-nana-shiki kanjō kōgeki-ki or kankō Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber. It carried one Type 91 Koku Gyorai or “aerial torpedo.” The 6th Gunnery Division was staffed by the United States Marine Detachment on USS Lexington (CV-16). On December 4, 1943, Task Group 50.1 was conducting operations to suppress Japanese aircraft and shipping in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Lexington was operating with USS Cowpens (CVL-25), USS Enterprise (CV-6), and USS Yorktown (CV-10) and their associated escorts. The strike package was launched at 0700 Hours and returned at 1016 Hours. Yorktown also launched a strike at Wotje. Radar reported “bogies” at 1201 Hours as the Task Group withdrew at moderate speed. Carrier Air Patrol (CAP) was vectored to intercept. Lexington’s lookouts saw the Japanese aircraft at 1204 Hours, flying low and closing fast. The 1st plane was shot down at 2,000 yards (1,800 meters) and crashed 400 yards (365 meters) off the port bow. The 2nd plane was shot down at 2,000 yards and crashed 1,500 yards (1,370 meters) off the starboard beam. The 3rd plane released its torpedo before it was shot down 1,200 yards (1,100 meters) away; the left wing fell off, and it crashed 400 yards off the starboard quarter. All the Japanese planes burned violently. The torpedo ran true and passed astern by a 100 yards (90 meters). A 2nd attack enveloped Yorktown, and a torpedo passed the stern of USS San Francisco (CA-38). The Wotje strike landed on Yorktown at 1507 Hours. The Tas Group then withdrew at high speed. All aircraft of CAP landed by 1810 Hours. More bogies appeared on radar at 1846. Yorktown engaged Japanese aircraft. At 2331 Hours, Lexington engaged Japanese aircraft. 1 minute later, a torpedo hit the area of the Steering Room, which was intact because it was armored. 2 men were killed, and 7 were missing, although 5 bodies were later recovered. The Steering Room crew reported that gas was filling the compartment and that they might have to evacuate. The rudder was jammed, and Lexington began to circle, unresponsive to the wheel. The Steering Room got the rudder centered in 30 minutes, and then was taken to sick bay for treatment. The Machinist’s Mate was unconscious. 2 electrician mates and a quartermaster rigged a hand steering system while injured. Lexington could make 20 knots (23 miles per hour; 37 kilometers per hour). Lexington withdrew while under attack by numerous Japanese aircraft. She ceased fire at 0023 Hours. Lexington made Pearl Harbor for emergency repairs, arriving on December 9. She reached Bremerton, Washington, on December 22 for full maintenance, completed on February 20, 1944. Many of the surviving crew were granted liberty to go home for Christmas. United States Navy Lieutenant Commander Edward Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was due to be removed from proximity to active combat duty due to his age – he was in his mid-sixties. He successfully appealed that decision and instead boarded the USS Lexington (CV-16) with Lieutenant Victor Jorgensen (July 8, 1913 – June 14, 1994) to journey from Hawaii to the Gilbert Islands for Operation Galvanic – the invasion of the Gilbert Islands and air operations to support the Battle of Tarawa. This assignment would lead to some of Steichen’s most memorable images of World War II. After the war, he compiled his photographs and written reflections from this period into “The Blue Ghost,” a photographic log documenting his tour of duty on the Lexington. Steichen was appointed director of the newly established Naval Photographic Institute 6 months before the end of the war. He oversaw approximately 4,000 combat crew photographers, in addition to his original unit. Following the declaration of Allied victory, the unit was swiftly demobilized, and Steichen concluded his active service on October 22, 1945. He was awarded the Navy’s Distinguished Service Medal. His work with the Navy formally ended the following year with the release of United States Navy War Photographs, a collection of a 100 images from his Naval Aviation Unit. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2260.jpg |
| Image Size | 659.53 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2275 x 2420 |
| Photographer | Edward Steichen |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | December 1, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Kwajalein |
| Country | Marshalls |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-80-G-431055 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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