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USS Lexington sunk at Coral Sea found
Topic Started: Mar 5 2018, 10:18 PM (549 Views)
Aaron_w
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Toady
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J.C. Bahr
Mar 9 2018, 11:38 PM
Aaron_w
Mar 9 2018, 12:13 AM
There were losses in the battle but I'm not sure many actually went down with the ship, certainly there are no reports of living crew members being on board as the ship was scuttled.
I did see in some other discussion forum that there are dead aboard the ship itself... I think 219 was the number, but not positive... so yes, it is in fact a war grave. I think it has been verified already that the aircraft themselves are not considered part of it though, since they are in the debris field and probably no bodies aboard them... but there ARE other precedents of stuff like this being recovered with bodies though, so who knows.
I'm going to start a new post rather than take this one off topic.
Aaron Woods
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J.C. Bahr
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Hero
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This is so cool!...

http://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/2018/03/09/modern-treasure-uss-lexington-reveals-rare-f4f-wildcats/
J.C. Bahr

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" - Leonard Nimoy
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Aaron_w
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Toady
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It amazing the clarity of the markings on some of these aircraft, you would expect after 75 years underwater what wasn't covered with marine growth would have been faded or eroded away.
Aaron Woods
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Mark Schynert
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Yeast
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Aaron_w
Mar 10 2018, 10:09 PM
It amazing the clarity of the markings on some of these aircraft, you would expect after 75 years underwater what wasn't covered with marine growth would have been faded or eroded away.
Yeah, but...

The markings look pretty good under water, and it's great that the water clarity is such that they can be photographed to this detail. But stuff underwater looks a lot better than it does when it dries off, especially 75-year-old paints sitting in a salt solution. One hour out of the water, it'll probably look horrible (as have most other wrecks once brought up.)
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Harold K
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Dweeb
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Mark Schynert
Mar 11 2018, 07:14 AM
But stuff underwater looks a lot better than it does when it dries off, especially 75-year-old paints sitting in a salt solution. One hour out of the water, it'll probably look horrible (as have most other wrecks once brought up.)
This of course is why any artifact from salt water goes right back into salt water when recovered, while efforts are made to "stabilize" it. I have to wonder if the oxygen level, light and temperature at that great depth may have been kinder to these a/c than to those we're used to seeing, recovered from shallow waters.

All that said, your point is well taken, Mark. Perhaps Paul Allen has provided us a magical window on the past, to be enjoyed for its own sake.
Box-shaker; hater of all things resin and photoetched.
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Aaron_w
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Toady
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Mark Schynert
Mar 11 2018, 07:14 AM
Aaron_w
Mar 10 2018, 10:09 PM
It amazing the clarity of the markings on some of these aircraft, you would expect after 75 years underwater what wasn't covered with marine growth would have been faded or eroded away.
Yeah, but...

The markings look pretty good under water, and it's great that the water clarity is such that they can be photographed to this detail. But stuff underwater looks a lot better than it does when it dries off, especially 75-year-old paints sitting in a salt solution. One hour out of the water, it'll probably look horrible (as have most other wrecks once brought up.)
Good point and as Harold mentioned it is common practice to get artifacts back into as close to the same environment as possible.

I have no delusions that they could just raise these aircraft dry them off and instant display, simply amazed that the level of detail is available as they are.
Aaron Woods
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