The next day, we were transferred to the carrier USS Lexington, more commonly known as the "The Blue Ghost." Our convoy consisted of a cruiser, a destroyer and the Lexington. Most of the oil and aviation gas had been transferred to other ships, and we were left with about a dozen war weary F6F's, in which the VF and V.F. squadrons were to provide a CAP for the convoy until we reached Hawaii.

 

The second day out, I drew a turn at flying CAP. No enemy was encountered and the flight went off in a nice, quiet, dull manner. The next day, however, we did have a little excitement. Neil McLean was in the group providing CAP. As McLean neared the fantail during his landing approach, his engine cut out, and he was in the "drink" about as fast as you could blink an eye. He managed to get out of the cockpit before the plane sank. The destroyer pulled alongside and lifted Neil aboard. A few minutes later McLean was transferred aboard the Lexington, uninjured, except for a long gash on his forehead resulting from an encounter with the gunsight.

 

The next bit of excitement came a couple of days later. We were sitting in the Wardroom when "General Quarters" sounded. I guess most of us thought we were under attack. An announcement was made over the speaker system, that the cruiser had suffered a steering casualty. I didn't know what that meant, so I headed for the flight deck. As I went up the ladders, I could feel the carrier executing a mighty sharp turn. When I stepped out on the deck, one of the Officers standing there told me that the rudder control on the cruiser had malfunctioned and it had headed for the carrier. Fast maneuvering had prevented a collision of the two ships. We steamed around in circles for about an hour, while the cruiser's crew worked on the steering system. Finally, temporary repairs were completed, which it was thought would last until we arrived at Pearl Harbor.

 

We arrived in Pearl Harbor somewhere around the middle of March, and tied up at the dock while the planes, and any other material, which might better be left in a forward area, was unloaded. The stay in Pearl provided another opportunity to go into Honolulu. Things hadn't changed. There were still long lines outside of every business from restaurant to bordello. We had dinner at a famous Chinese Restaurant named P. Y. Chong's, after the owner. Chong had pledged to feed, free, all armed service personnel in the area on the day the Japs surrendered. His food was delicious, and I imagine there were many happy soldiers, sailors and marines on VJ day.

 

The thing I remember most vividly, was the fresh milk we were able to get at the mess and in town. I don't think I had ever missed anything as much as a fresh cold glass of milk.

 

Honolulu didn't rate very high in comparison to the idea of going home. When the Lexington raised anchor and headed out the channel for the United States, all faces were smiling.