USS Lexington found and the condition of the Aircraft is staggering

[NutLoose]

Actually they do not deem the aircraft as such.

From Flypast mags link

It's still a war grave no matter how far the debris field is scattered, and as such I concur with others that they should not be touched.

I spoke with the US Navy History & Heritage Command and they do not consider the aircraft found as war graves, only the ship.

[cargosales]

Slight thread drift but a genuine question, if any one knows the answer? I've googled loads and can't find it...

Why are US Navy squadrons known as VFx, be that VFA, VFN or whatever? Genuinely curious here.

CS

[MartinShadbolt]

The 'V' comes from the french 'voler' - to fly. So all aircraft carriers are CV..., which means Aviation Cruiser, with a 'N' for nuclear - don't get me started on the correct pronunciation .

So, fixed wing squadrons inherited the 'V' and the second letter indicates Fighter (VF), Attack (VA) Fighter/Attack (VFA), Patrol (VP); except for marine squadrons which are always 'VMx...'. Helicopter squadrons start with a 'H' and lighter-than-air (blimps) used to start with 'Z'.

Since I'm not allowed to post links , have a look at the wikipedia articles on USN hull classification codes and the list of USN flying squadrons.

Hope this answers the question

[Three Wire]

V is for fixed wing and H is foe helicopter.

Hence HU is Helicopter Utility squadron VF is for Fixed-wing Fighter.

[Jetex_Jim]

It's interesting that Low Background Steel seems to be of interest to the scrap metal merchants.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-background_steel

Low-background steel is any steel produced prior to the detonation of the first atomic bombs in the 1940s and 1950s. With the Trinity test and the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, and then subsequent nuclear weapons testing during the early years of the Cold War, background radiation levels increased across the world. Modern steel is contaminated with radionuclides because its production uses atmospheric air. Low background steel is so called because it does not suffer from such nuclear contamination. This steel is used in devices that require the highest sensitivity for detecting radionuclides.

The primary source of low-background steel is ships that were constructed before the Trinity test, most famously the scuttled German World War I battleships in Scapa Flow.[3]

Is the Lexington considered too deep to be salvaged?

[grunticus]

Originally Posted by cargosales

Slight thread drift but a genuine question, if any one knows the answer? I've googled loads and can't find it...

Why are US Navy squadrons known as VFx, be that VFA, VFN or whatever? Genuinely curious here.

CS

The "V" stood for "heavier than air" originally.

[pasta]

Originally Posted by Jetex_Jim

Is the Lexington considered too deep to be salvaged?

From a technical perspective, no - it could be accessed using giant grabbers, a bit like the ones you get in arcades. From a legal/moral perspective, it's a complete non-starter; as others have said it's a war grave.

I can't find details now, but I read a while ago that there have been issues with illegal salvage operators in certain parts of the far East recently, with entire wrecks disappearing. I don't know whether Lexington is in the area of concern, but if it is I hope they're not revealing the precise location.

[EXFIN]

I always thought V meant heavier than air, this related to the fact that when the designation came into use there were no helicopters, just airships ‘lighter than air’ and fixed wing ‘heavier than air’. Could be a complete red herring though!

[KenV]

Originally Posted by pasta

I can't find details now, but I read a while ago that there have been issues with illegal salvage operators in certain parts of the far East recently, with entire wrecks disappearing. I don't know whether Lexington is in the area of concern, but if it is I hope they're not revealing the precise location.

The USS Houston (The Battling Ghost of the Java Coast) was recently discovered (2014) and she had been heavily ravaged by salvagers. They're working hard to protect her now. But she is in relatively shallow waters unlike the Lady Lex which is nearly 2 miles down.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...S-Houston.html

[b1lanc]

Paul Allen does it again - USS Juneau found

Near the Solomon Islands. Famous for the 5 Sullivan brothers that died as a result of the torpedo attack. A bit of irony that they found it on St. Patricks Day. Lexington, Indianpolis - all of major importance in WWII. Good work Paul Allen!

[NutLoose]

Paul Allen finds another one -- USS Juneau, lost with 600 aboard in 1942

[BluSdUp]

Narobs

A cold and hostile place the Barents Sea. Generally 230m deep and dropping to 600m to the west in a line from Svalbard via Bjørnøya to Norway.

And very much a nightmare for sailors from 1941 to 1945.
My Grand Uncle Olav had multiple trips on a Nortraship, a Knudsen tanker no less.
6 years he sailed, including a few trips to Arkangelsk. We owe them everything.

I think current, oxygen and general marine life has wore down a lot in the Barent Sea. Regardless , wrecks inside Norwegian territory here are classified as War Graves and off limits.

[jimjim1]

MH370

Originally Posted by Traffic_Is_Er_Was

There's a B777 waiting to be found a fair bit to the west.

Mmmmm.

I was thinking that too.

MH370 might be a better use of the resources.

Interesting though.

[eltonioni]

Originally Posted by jimjim1

Mmmmm.

I was thinking that too.

MH370 might be a better use of the resources.

Interesting though.

The wonderful thing about living in a free society is that people get to spend what they earn on whatever they like. If Paul Allan wants to invest his own money in deep sea historic wreck / war grave discovery then I say good luck to him. No doubt the arising increase in knowledge and technical expertise will add to the suite of tools that the Malaysia Airlines and the Malaysian / Australian governments and their agents can use in their own search for MH370.

It's fascinating to know that there are good examples of rare aeroplanes awaiting the day that somebody is ready to recover them responsibly. It would also be nice to know that some kind of open water policing could protect them from random pilfering but that seems to be pretty ineffective at the moment.