COVERING WHIDBEY ISLAND’S NAVAL AIR STATION COMMUNITY
Whidbey
VOLUME 1, NO. 31 | 28 OCTOBER 2011
www.whidbeycrosswind.com
Happy hauntings
Wizards ready for 5th Fleet combat operations By Lt. ROY WALKER VAQ-133 Public Affairs
After a long two-month transit across the Pacific Ocean, the Wizards of VAQ-133 along with the rest of Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) and USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) have finally begun what they have been training for since January: Combat operations in support of Operation New Dawn (OND) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Iraq and Afghanistan. The road to this point has not been without difficulty, and there have been numerous lessons learned along the way for everyone involved, but it has certainly been worth the
SEE WIZARDS | PAGE 6 Tales of spooky activity on board the USS Lexington (CV-16) abound, even after the aircraft carrier was turned into a floating museum in Corpus Christi, Texas. PHOTO COURTESY OF RALPH TELFORD
Ships go bump in the night By K ATHY REED Whidbey Crosswind
A
t some point, ghosts became fashionable. There are television series devoted to searching them out, a rather ironic state of affairs if one assumes the whole point of being a ghost is the mystery of it all, dancing just on the periphery of awareness. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, there are certainly an abundance of tales, especially at this time of year. Even the Navy has ghost stories. Two Navy ships are purported to be haunted — the USS Hornet (CV-12) and the USS Lexington (CV-16). Both are Essex class aircraft carriers commissioned in 1943. Both are now floating museums — the Lexington is in Corpus Christi, Texas, and the Hornet is in Alameda, Calif.
The Blue Ghost Even the USS Lexington’s nickname is spooky — “The
Blue Ghost.” The ship got the name for a couple of reasons: First, the Lexington was painted dark blue as opposed to the standard haze gray. Second, the Japanese believed they sank the Lexington at least four times during the course of World War II, leading the Japanese propagandist Tokyo Rose to dub the ship “The Blue Ghost.” In fact, the previous USS Lexington (CV-2) was lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May, 1942. CV-16 was originally to have been named Cabot, but she was renamed while under construction to commemorate CV-2. The “new” Lexington was decommissioned shortly after the war, but updates led it to be reactivated in the 1950s as an attack carrier (CVA) and then an antisubmarine carrier (CVS). Nearly 30 years of her service time was spent as a training carrier (CVT). The Lexington remained active until 1991, longer than any other Essex-class ship. She was
THIS EDITION Fighting Marlins meet a milestone ...............pg. 2 Retired Chiefs look for ways to lend a hand .......pg. 3 Sarah Smiley: Child’s speech fleeting ..................pg. 4 NASWI personnel shine as tour guides .............pg. 7
The USS Hornet (CV-12) has been reported to be one of the most haunted places in the country. An annual ‘Monster Bash’ is held on board every year. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE USS HORNET ASSOCIATION designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003. With such a long history, it’s not surprising there are tales of the unexplained surrounding the Lexington. There are reports people have heard screams and cries in one of the shower areas below deck. According to reports, 30 crewmen lost their lives there
when the ship was torpedoed. According to the website www.ghosteyes.com, there have been more than 200 reports from visitors who have encountered a young, blondehaired, blue-eyed man during their visits, some even speaking to him. To this day, an
SEE SPOOKY | PAGE 12
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