Item: ONACST2248
Original U.S. WWII U.S.S. Enterprise (CV-6) Personal Photo Album of Coxswain Everett Theodore Lee
 Personal Photo Album of Coxswain Everett Theodore Lee)
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Original Item: Only One Available. The Yorktown class aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CV-6) was commissioned at Newport News, Virginia, on May 12, 1938. Relocating to the Pacific, she was at sea during the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Three days later, she became the first U.S. Navy warship to sink a Japanese warship, submarine I-70, and later that month participated in the Wake Island expedition. In April, Enterprise covered the Doolittle Raid on Japan and participated in the Battle of Midway that June, where her planes helped sink three Japanese aircraft carriers and a cruiser. During the Guadalcanal Campaign, she covered the landings and participated in the battles of Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz Islands. Despite being damaged in both battles, she launched aircraft to assist the ships involved in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. In late 1943 and early 1944, Enterprise took part in the Gilberts and Marshall invasions and air attacks on the Japanese in the Central and Southern Pacific. In the summer of 1944, she participated in the Marianas operation and the Battle of the Philippine Sea, followed by the largest naval battle in history, the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October. In February 1945, Enterprise took part in the Iwo Jima invasion, then raids on the Japanese home islands and the Okinawa campaign in April. Due to damage received by two kamikaze attacks in April and May, she returned to the United States with the distinction of being the most decorated U.S. Navy warship during the war. Following Japan's surrender, she helped transport U.S. servicemen back to the United States. Decommissioned in February 1947, Enterprise was redesignated (CVA-6) in October 1952 and then to (CVS-6) in August 1953. Despite efforts to turn her into a museum ship, she was sold for scrapping in July 1958.
Everett Theodore Lee was a Coxswain with the United States Navy and was stationed aboard the USS Enterprise for the majority of WW2. He enlisted out of San Diego, California on September 25, 1941, less than 3 months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The first ship he was seen to muster on was the USS Henderson (AP-1) on November 23,, 1941. He was present on the ship when the whole crew was feared dead or missing at sea during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. Henderson was berthed beside Battleship row and had both troops and women and children on board. On December 6, Marines from the USS Oklahoma volunteered to escort the women and children back to California. When the attack happened on 7 December 1941, the Henderson was outbound from Pearl Harbor. The Henderson cleared Pearl Harbor at the end of the attack. The captain feared that the Japanese flotilla would continue on to California, having eliminated any opposition from Hawaii. Henderson would be a slow, conspicuous, and solitary target in their path. He set course for Alaska to avoid being overcome, maintaining strict radio silence even in the face of repeated attempts by the Navy to contact the ship and verify its survival. Henderson then hugged the Pacific Northwest coast down to San Francisco Bay, arriving several days after it had been presumed missing in action.
Ten days after the attack at Pearl, Cox. Lee mustered aboard the USS Enterprise on December 12, 1941, as a Seaman 2nd Class. It appears that Lee served the duration of the war on the Enterprise.
There are almost 100 or more personal photographs, some still in their original corner tabs secured to pages, but most are loose inside the album. A majority of the pictures are of life in the Navy, mostly while on land. There are pictures of Lee and his closest friends, as well as just photographs of his friends, family and other sailors. Some of the pictures appear to be taken while on shore leave in Hawaii and some are labeled as being in Hawaii. A Lot of the loose photographs have writing on the back, as well as some writing present on the actual pages of the album. The first few pages are designated to “Autographs of my Friends” and about 3 pages worth are filled out with various sailors names, addresses, remarks and some with dates, ranging from 1942 to 1945. The cover of the album is in great condition still retaining very beautiful colors used in the painting of the USS Enterprise. There also appears to be personalized writing on the face of the cover, but is too faded to read, however, in the upper righthand corner there appears to be the mailing address designated for the ship, which is something rarely seen.
This is a wonderful collection of pictures from one of the most famous ships of WWII. Comes ready to display in your USN collections!
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