THE LUCKY Y

It was 1943, and Commander Charles Crommelin was leading Air Group Five for the attack on Mili Island.  While Charlie was making a low level strafing run, his Hellcat was hit by a Japanese cannon shell.  The shell shattered and "frosted" his "greenhouse" (windshield), destroying his instruments and wounding him in several places.  One eye was blinded  by the flying glass and other was hurt; ;his right wrist was broken and bleeding.

  The Yorktown was over 120 miles away, but he knew that if he was going to live he had to make it back to teh ship.  If he ditched near Mili Island it would be suicide because if the sea did not get him, the Japs would.  By sticking his head out of the cockpit he could see with his partially good eye.  A blackout at this point meant certain death.

Flying like this for 120 miles, Charles sighted the Yorktown.  When he approached the Yorktown, Red Voltz brought him in a for a safe landing.  Charles then taxied his plane away from the arresting wire, parked it, and climbed out of it.  Only after knowing he had safely landed his plane aboard the Yorktown did Charles allow himself to collapse from loss of blood.  He was then rushed to sick bay, where he recovered from his wounds.

As more raids came from the Marshall Islands, it was decided to launch air strikes on the airfields there.  On December 4, the Yorktown led six carriers.  The carrier came under attack from four torpedo planes. As the planes came in from the starboard side, they were attacked in turn by the Yorktown's gunners.  Four planes came in low, armed with torpedoes, ready to sink the Yorktown.  As they approached, one was shot down by some excellent gunnery from San Francisco.  But still the other three came on, threatening and deadly.  Although shells exploded around the 3 planes, they held their course and kept coming.  Two of the planes began smoking from hits, but the third continued to fly close to the water.  Closer and closer the two smoking planes came, while the undamaged one followed closely behind.  The two undamaged planes flew a few feet over the flight deck but did not release their torpedoes.

  One of the Japanese Kates was hit by a five inch shell as she passed over the Yorktown.  She burst into flames.  Chief Petty Officer Photographer's Mate Alfred N. Cooperman caught the flaming plane on film.  Two of the planes crashed into the sea in flames.  The last passed over the flight deck and was shot down as it made it attempt to escape.  If the planes had dropped their torpedoes the Yorktown would have been in great trouble, because there were armed and fueled planes on her flight deck.  Some sailors started to call the USS Yorktown "The Lucky Y"...nothing could have stopped the three planes that had already completed their runs from dropping their fish, but they didn't.  No one has ever discovered why they torpedoes were not dropped into the Yorktown.

 

As Air Group Three attacked the airfields in the Saigon area, a few pilots had close calls.  Lt. Bill McLeroy noticed that his wingman's plane swerved out of formation.  Quickly Bill called over his radio to his wingman, Bob Thienes.  After a few minutes, Thienes answered with some difficulty and explained that he hit his head.  Blood was streaming down his face and dripping into his lap.  He was also partially blinded.  He could hardly make out the instruments in front of him.

  Next, silence on the radio.  After a few minutes Bob spoke again and it was clear that Bill was passing out intermittently.  Thienes was wounded, partially blind and passing out and the Yorktown was 200 miles away.  Only with help could Bill make it back to the Yorktown.  He decided he could not let his friend die.

  As the minutes passed the F6F would climb and Bill would have to coach bob to level off and fly straight.  Then Bob would start to decent.  Again Bill would coach him to level off.  It went on like this for miles.  Finally McElroy spotted the Yorktown on the horizon.  Now comes the final test.  Should he try to help Theines land aboard the carrier or should he allow him to parachute out and be picked up by one of the destroyers near the Yorktown?  Either way it would be risky.  Theines might pass out before he could pull the rip cord.

  As Thiene's F6F approached the stern of the Yorktown, Dick Tripp was on the landing signal officer's platform ready to help with his safey paddles.  Slowly Theines approached the stern, guided by his instinct and radio from McLeroy.  McLeroy watched Dick's paddles and told Thienes how to correct his approach.  Closer and closer Thienes approached under the watchful eye of Tripp and McLeroy.  As he was over the stern Dick gave him the signal to cut power, and McLeroy yelled into the radio "Cut Power!"

Thienes cut his power and his plane settled onto the deck.  Men raced to his plane; Thienes was back home safe.  In sick bay it was discovered that Thienes had taken a Japanese antiaircraft shell in his skull.  So Thienes flew over 200 miles, groggy and unconscious most of the time to a spot on the sea that was only 800 feet long and 100 feet wide with only the coaching of another pilot by radio.  Thienes was a lucky pilot on the "Lucky Y."

Pacific Carrier © 1988




2025 © www.YorktownSailor.com