The Miracle before the Battle
In May 1942 the USS Yorktown represented one-third of American combat power in the Pacific. Unfortunately, she was severely damaged early in May at the Battle of the Coral Sea. Two bombs had ruptured fuel tanks and damaged the hull. Worse still, an eight-hundred-pound bomb had penetrated three decks and exploded deep within the ship. In addition to massive casualties, whole compartments were wiped out, bulkheads were warped, and large areas were charred by fire. Many of the casualties were incurred fighting the widespread fires and keeping the ship afloat.
On May 27 the crippled Yorktown arrived in Pearl Harbor and slid into Dry Dock Number 1. One admiral estimated the time needed for repairs as ninety days. The Navy Yard inspectors thought it possible to get her back to sea in two weeks. Admiral Nimitz, aware of the impending showdown at Midway, had the final say. He wanted the Yorktown ready to fight in three days! One historian notes:
Overnight, more than 1400 workers swarmed aboard the stricken ship. Civilian contractors and Navy technicians dragged miles of electrical cable. Other men on scaffolds patched the hull. Steel plates were dropped over the holes in the deck…acetylene torches burned everywhere. The work on the Yorktown had become one of the most intensive repair jobs the Navy had undertaken. The requirement for electricity alone became so great that districts in Honolulu endured shortages so that the yard could get the extra power it needed.69
Over the next three days the “impossible” was accomplished. The Yorktown put to sea on May 30 to play her vital role in the Battle of Midway. This story inspires us to raise our expectations of what dedicated people with a mission can accomplish. We can expect the “impossible” in God’s service. The saying goes, “God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies those he calls.” All we need are willing hearts and unlimited expectations.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
—Matthew 28:18–20
