U.S.S. Lexington in the battle of the Coral Sea (May 4 to 8, 1942). chronicles her history up until she was sunk by American torpedoes while she lay stricken and helpless, the victim of a huge Japanese air onslaught. Stanley Johnston was a journalist assigned aboard the Lady Lex and he writes of her life and death with a reporter's eye.

Ever wondered what it was like to serve aboard an aircraft carrier before & during WW II? Read this fast moving description by a journalist who was aboard the USS Lexington during her last voyage from Pearl Harbor to her last battle in the Coral Sea.He includes interviews with the Lex's airman moments after they landed. He gives you a vivid first person view of the the ship as she fights to stay afloat until there is no recourse but to sink her before the Japanese do. Many of the battle details were still classified when the book was published so names of ships are censored and of course the Japanese fatalities were only speculation. ( )