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S1 Carl Curtis Young
Monument

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S1 Carl Curtis Young Veteran

Birth
Tennessee, USA
Death
8 May 1942 (aged 19)
At Sea
Monument
Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines Add to Map
Plot
Tablets of the Missing - United States Navy--Missing In Action
Memorial ID
View Source

He is memorialized at the Battle of the Coral Sea Memorial Park in Queensland, Australia.

~

He also has a memorial marker at Hollywood Cemetery in Jackson, Tennessee.


USS Lexington (CV-2), nicknamed "Lady Lex", was an early aircraft carrier built for the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the Lexington class; her only sister ship, Saratoga, was commissioned a month earlier. Originally designed as a battlecruiser, she was converted into one of the Navy's first aircraft carriers.


Battle of the Coral Sea:

On the morning of 8 May 1942, around 11:05 , Japanese B5Ns attacked first because the D3As had to circle around to approach the carriers from upwind. American aircraft shot down four of the torpedo bombers before they could drop their torpedoes, but 10 survived long enough to hit Lexington twice on the port side at 11:20, The shock from the first torpedo hit at the bow jammed both elevators in the up position and started small leaks in the port avgas storage tanks. The second torpedo hit her opposite the bridge, ruptured the primary port water main, and started flooding in three port fire rooms. The boilers there had to be shut down, which reduced her speed to a maximum of 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph), and the flooding gave her a 6–7° list to port. A massive explosion at 12:47 was triggered by sparks that ignited gasoline vapors from the cracked port avgas tanks. The explosion killed 25 crewmen and knocked out the main damage control station. The damage did not interfere with flight deck operations, although the refueling system was shut down.

Shortly afterward, Lexington was attacked by 19 D3As. One was shot down by fighters before it could drop its bomb and another was shot down by the carrier. She was hit by two bombs, the first of which detonated in the port forward five-inch ready ammunition locker, killing the entire crew of one 5-inch AA gun and starting several fires. The second hit struck the funnel, doing little significant damage although fragments killed many of the crews of the .50-caliber machine guns positioned near there. The hit also jammed the ship's siren in the "on" position. The remaining bombs detonated close alongside and some of their fragments pierced the hull, flooding two compartments.

Another serious explosion occurred at 14:42 that started severe fires in the hangar and blew the forward elevator 12 inches (300 mm) above the flight deck. Power to the forward half of the ship failed shortly afterward. Fletcher sent three destroyers to assist, but another major explosion at 15:25 knocked out water pressure in the hangar and forced the evacuation of the forward machinery spaces. The fire eventually forced the evacuation of all compartments below the waterline at 16:00 and Lexington eventually drifted to a halt. Evacuation of the wounded began shortly afterward and Sherman ordered "abandon ship" at 17:07. A series of large explosions began around 18:00 that blew the aft elevator apart and threw aircraft into the air. Sherman waited until 18:30 to ensure that all of his crewmen were off the ship before leaving himself. The destroyer Phelps was ordered to sink the ship and fired a total of five torpedoes between 19:15 and 19:52. Immediately after the last torpedo hit, Lexington, down by the bow but nearly on an even keel finally slipped beneath the waves at 15°20′S 155°30′ECoordinates: 15°20′S 155°30′E. Some 216 crewmen were killed and 2,735 were evacuated


Service ID: 2957537.

Rank Seaman First Class U.S. Navy

Entered the service from Tennessee.

Date of Death May 8 1942

Status Missing In Action

★ Purple Heart

YOUNG, Carl Curtis, SEA1, 2957537, USS Lexington (CV-2), Coral Sea, May 8, 1942, (Cascode121) killed in combat, dd May 8, 1942.


Source material from multiple public domain websites.


Remembered by Buffalo (50696055)

He is memorialized at the Battle of the Coral Sea Memorial Park in Queensland, Australia.

~

He also has a memorial marker at Hollywood Cemetery in Jackson, Tennessee.


USS Lexington (CV-2), nicknamed "Lady Lex", was an early aircraft carrier built for the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the Lexington class; her only sister ship, Saratoga, was commissioned a month earlier. Originally designed as a battlecruiser, she was converted into one of the Navy's first aircraft carriers.


Battle of the Coral Sea:

On the morning of 8 May 1942, around 11:05 , Japanese B5Ns attacked first because the D3As had to circle around to approach the carriers from upwind. American aircraft shot down four of the torpedo bombers before they could drop their torpedoes, but 10 survived long enough to hit Lexington twice on the port side at 11:20, The shock from the first torpedo hit at the bow jammed both elevators in the up position and started small leaks in the port avgas storage tanks. The second torpedo hit her opposite the bridge, ruptured the primary port water main, and started flooding in three port fire rooms. The boilers there had to be shut down, which reduced her speed to a maximum of 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph), and the flooding gave her a 6–7° list to port. A massive explosion at 12:47 was triggered by sparks that ignited gasoline vapors from the cracked port avgas tanks. The explosion killed 25 crewmen and knocked out the main damage control station. The damage did not interfere with flight deck operations, although the refueling system was shut down.

Shortly afterward, Lexington was attacked by 19 D3As. One was shot down by fighters before it could drop its bomb and another was shot down by the carrier. She was hit by two bombs, the first of which detonated in the port forward five-inch ready ammunition locker, killing the entire crew of one 5-inch AA gun and starting several fires. The second hit struck the funnel, doing little significant damage although fragments killed many of the crews of the .50-caliber machine guns positioned near there. The hit also jammed the ship's siren in the "on" position. The remaining bombs detonated close alongside and some of their fragments pierced the hull, flooding two compartments.

Another serious explosion occurred at 14:42 that started severe fires in the hangar and blew the forward elevator 12 inches (300 mm) above the flight deck. Power to the forward half of the ship failed shortly afterward. Fletcher sent three destroyers to assist, but another major explosion at 15:25 knocked out water pressure in the hangar and forced the evacuation of the forward machinery spaces. The fire eventually forced the evacuation of all compartments below the waterline at 16:00 and Lexington eventually drifted to a halt. Evacuation of the wounded began shortly afterward and Sherman ordered "abandon ship" at 17:07. A series of large explosions began around 18:00 that blew the aft elevator apart and threw aircraft into the air. Sherman waited until 18:30 to ensure that all of his crewmen were off the ship before leaving himself. The destroyer Phelps was ordered to sink the ship and fired a total of five torpedoes between 19:15 and 19:52. Immediately after the last torpedo hit, Lexington, down by the bow but nearly on an even keel finally slipped beneath the waves at 15°20′S 155°30′ECoordinates: 15°20′S 155°30′E. Some 216 crewmen were killed and 2,735 were evacuated


Service ID: 2957537.

Rank Seaman First Class U.S. Navy

Entered the service from Tennessee.

Date of Death May 8 1942

Status Missing In Action

★ Purple Heart

YOUNG, Carl Curtis, SEA1, 2957537, USS Lexington (CV-2), Coral Sea, May 8, 1942, (Cascode121) killed in combat, dd May 8, 1942.


Source material from multiple public domain websites.


Remembered by Buffalo (50696055)


Inscription

S1C, US NAVY



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  • Maintained by: ShaneO
  • Originally Created by: War Graves
  • Added: Aug 8, 2010
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56786479/carl_curtis-young: accessed ), memorial page for S1 Carl Curtis Young (6 Aug 1922–8 May 1942), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56786479, citing Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines; Maintained by ShaneO (contributor 47009366).