Out To Sea On The Lady Lex

Before I tell this story I want to say I am just an ordinary man, stationed on the USS Lexington in the early eighties, I happened on find this site fooling around on the Lex's website. This is the one and only story I have about paranormal activity, and frankly it is one to many for me.

Stationed on the Lex as a Hull Tech working in the ship fitter shop, my duties included sound and security watches. This consists of checking levels of fluid in voids deep in the ships belly. Watches of course were 24-7.

One night on the dog watch I was checking voids down deep, four ladders down next to old artillery compartments, now empty due to our job as an aviation trainer, we needed no artillery. Well, middle of the night, half asleep, I worked my down the ladders, it wasn't uncommon to feel different temperatures, the old tub was quite drafty, but I got hit with a crazy chill. I have heard "funny noises" before but paid attention to my job, and got out of there without much thought. I honestly cannot remember the date, but heard scuttlebutt of an anniversary of a big battle. It was a long time ago and don't remember dates, and can count on one hand how many times I told anyone this story.

Well as I descended down the ladder I felt, I don't how to relay the feeling, I guess an ominous feeling, I was overwhelmed with thinking of my mom, I really wasn't even real close to my mom, but all I could see was her face, she was talking real urgent like, I shook it off and went about my duty. It only takes a few seconds to drop the sounding tape down a tube, read the fluid level, write it down and leave. By the time I was done I could here men screaming through the bulkhead, my nose literally locked up from a horrible smell. I know the smell of burnt flesh, and that was it. My head was swimming and I was doing my best to think straight, confusion was like forcing its way into my head, as I headed up the ladder something was stopping my left leg from taking the next rung, I looked down and out of the hatch an arm, black with soot, rolled up sleeve was grabbing my leg. I yanked my leg so hard and ran up that ladder faster than humanly possible. My hair tingled and I had to look to make sure I didn't pee. On that ladder, I saw my pant leg move as if someone was holding it. I had a buddy do the rest of my watch that night; I think I paid him twenty bucks. I told him I was sick. To prevent hassle, I never told anyone the truth. The rest of my time on that ship I heard noises but nothing like that.

Thanks for reading my story and I promise it's true to the word.