Outer Hull Damage
Bomb damage to Enterprise's outer hull, near compartment D-521-A. This damage was caused by the first bomb to hit the Big E during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, 24 August 1942. Visible are the wire mesh and bedding used to form a cofferdam and control flooding, and wooden dowels pounded through smaller holes in the hull. Note how thin (5/8") the hull plates are.