MovieChat Forums > Hell Divers (1932) Discussion > Saratoga - sister ship of Lexington CV-2

Saratoga - sister ship of Lexington CV-2


Built as sister ships, cruisers which were converted to aircraft carriers. My dad was a naval aviator who sailed on the Saratoga from San Diego to Pearl Harbor on December 8th, 1941 to start his assignment on the Lexington.
Since the Lexington had to be sunk after the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 7th & 8th 1942) there isn't much publicly-accessible film footage of her, so getting to see the Saratoga in this movie gives me some idea of what my dad went through. Fascinating, at least for me.

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My father was also a naval aviator on the Saratoga with your father that steamed out of San Diego on December 8. His squadron was VT-3. My husband recognized the old Saratoga from the movie. My dad was a torpedo bomber with the group that was eventually wiped out at Midway, but by then he had been transferred back to San Diego as a flight instructor (which is why I am alive today). It' great that this footage exists.

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