Memorial Ships
Muster

USS Lexington

Identification

• United States WW II aircraft carrier, Essex class
• Pennant No.: AVT 16 (formerly CV 16, CVA 16, CVS 16, CVT 16)
• Nickname: "Blue Ghost", due to paint color and wishful enemy reports of her sinking
• Photo page

Significance

• Longest serving aircraft carrier in aviation history, 1943-1991.
• Holds record for the most arrested landings in history (493,248).
• 21 months WW II combat duty in the Pacific; Presidential Unit Citation and 11 battle stars.
• Destroyed 370 enemy aircraft in the air, 475 on the ground.
• Sank or destroyed 300,000 tons of enemy shipping.
• Navy's training carrier for 3 decades, 1962-1991.

Location and Current Status

• Location
  USS Lexington Museum On The Bay
  2914 North Shoreline Blvd.
  Corpus Christi, Texas 78403-3076
  512-888-4873
  1-800-LADYLEX, ext 218

• Status: Open to the public

• L's Assessment
  L visited Lexington several months after her dedication as a memorial. Open spaces include flight deck, hangar deck, island structure (pilot house, chart room), gallery deck (admiral's cabin, captain's cabin, air ops ready room), second deck (medical spaces, post office), third deck (crew's mess and galley, machine shop). These spaces represent a small fraction of a very large ship, most of which cannot be seen due to being underwater.

  The ship has been securely positioned offshore by completely flooding most tanks and some compartments and dredging the hull into the mud. This was done to ensure the ship would not move during a hurricane (an inevitable occurrence in the Gulf of Mexico). It also ensures the hull will decay to rust within 40 years or so (approx. 2030) and finish the ship, as nearly happened to Texas. The latter was barely saved from rusty destruction by a timely $13 million drydocking and repair effort and, as a result, she is now floating -- not bottom-buried. It will cost prohibitively more to save the "Blue Ghost" when the Rusty Reaper arrives.

  Lexington is an enormously impressive ship with an equally impressive combat history. See her while you still have the chance.

Ship Characteristics

• As Completed, 1943
  • Dimensions: 872'(lwl), 885'10"(loa) x 93'(b) x 29'(t)
  • Displacement: 27,100 tons (std), 36,380 tons (full load)
  • Payload
    • Aircraft: 107, 3 elevators
    • Guns: 12-5"/38, 17 or 18-40mm quad, 52-20mm
    • Armor: 2.5"-4" side belt, 1.5" flight deck, 1.5" main deck, 2.5"-3" hangar deck
  • Propulsion
    • Boilers: 8 Babcock & Wilcox
    • Engines: 4 Westinghouse geared turbines, 150,000 hp
    • Screws: 4
    • Speed: 32.7 kts
  • Endurance: ???
  • Complement: 2900

• As Training Carrier, 1991
  • Dimensions: 889'(oa) x 192'(deck) x 31'2"(t)
  • Displacement: 29,783 tons (light), 42,113 tons (full load)
  • Payload
    • Aircraft: none assigned, two C-11 steam catapults, 3 elevators
    • Guns: ???
    • Radar: Westinghouse SPS 40 air search, Raytheon SPS 10 surface search, Raytheon SPS 64 navigation, URN 25 Tacan, SPN 43, SPN 35
    • Armor: same as completed
  • Propulsion
    • Boilers: 8 Babcock & Wilcox
    • Engines: 4 Westinghouse geared turbines, 150,000 hp
    • Screws: 4
    • Speed: 30+ kts
  • Endurance: 18,000 nm (12 kts)
  • Complement: 74 officers + 1382 enlisted = 1456

Historical Summary

World War II Service

• 1941 Jul 15 Laid down as USS Cabot at Bethlehem Steel Company, Quincy, MA.
• 1942 Jun 16 Renamed in honor of USS Lexington, CV 2 due to yard worker petition.
• 1942 Sep 26 Launched, sponsored by Mrs. Theodore D. Robinson.
• 1943 Feb 17 Commissioned, Capt. Felix B. Stump commanding.
• 1943 Aug 09 Arrived Pearl Harbor after Caribbean shakedown.
• 1943 Sep 18 Tarawa raid, to Sep 19.
• 1943 Oct 05 Wake raid, to Oct 06.
• 1943 Nov 19 Flew sorties in the Marshalls, to Nov 24.
• 1943 Nov 23 Air wing shot down 29 enemy aircraft, to Nov 24.
• 1943 Dec 04 Kwajalein strike: aviators sunk cargo ship and destroyed 30 aircraft off Roi in morning, AA downed 3 torpedo planes at midday, hit by torpedo starboard aft at 2332 hrs, 9 killed, 35 wounded; declared sunk by Tokyo Rose.
• 1943 Dec 09 Arrived Pearl Harbor for emergency repairs.
• 1943 Dec 22 Arrived Bremerton, WA for full repairs.
• 1944 Feb 20 Repairs completed.
• 1944 Mar 08 Arrived Majuro (Gilbert Islands).
• 1944 Mar 18 Mili (Caroline Islands) raid.
• 1944 Mar 22 Departed Majuro as flagship of Rear Adm. Marc Mitscher.
• 1944 Mar 30 Palaus raid: assisted in first mining of harbor passages using torpedo planes.
• 1944 Apr 13 Departed Majuro to support landing at Hollandia, New Guinea.
• 1944 Apr 21 Attacked enemy bases in New Guinea, to Apr 24.
• 1944 Apr 28 Truk raid: combat air patrol (CAP) downed 17 fighters during counterattack; declared sunk by Tokyo Rose.
• 1944 Jun 06 Departed Majuro for Marianas.
• 1944 Jun 11 Saipan (Mariana Islands) strike, to Jun 15.
• 1944 Jun 15 Saipan strike: counterattacked and declared sunk by Tokyo Rose.
• 1944 Jun 19 Battle of the Philippine Sea: helped destroy enemy naval aviation, to Jun 20; Lt. (jg) Charles A. Sims translates Japanese attack coordinator transmissions for re-broadcast to US fighters.
• 1944 Jul 25 Palaus raid, to Jul 28.
• 1944 Sep 06 Palaus raid, to Sep 08.
• 1944 Sep 09 Mindanao, Philippines strike, to Sep 10.
• 1944 Sep 12 Central Philippines strikes, to Sep 13.
• 1944 Sep 21 Luzon, Philippines strikes, to Sep 22.
• 1944 Oct 10 Okinawa strike.
• 1944 Oct 12 Formosa strike: counterattacked but not damaged.
• 1944 Oct 24 Battle of Leyte Gulf: air wing helped sink BB Musashi, damage 3 cruisers.
• 1944 Oct 25 Battle of Leyte Gulf: helped Essex planes sink CV Chitose, independently sank CV Zuikaku, helped sink CVL Zuiho.
• 1944 Nov 03 Luzon strikes in support of Leyte landing, to Nov 06.
• 1944 Nov 05 Air wing sank CA Nachi; during counterattack island damaged by kamikaze, 50 killed, 132 wounded; AA downed 1 plane; declared sunk by Tokyo Rose.
• 1944 Nov 09 Arrived Ulithi to repair damage.
• 1944 Dec 11 Became flagship of Task Group 58.2, Rear Adm. G. F. Bogan.
• 1945 Dec 14 Luzon raid, to Dec 16.
• 1945 Dec 18 Weathered typhoon with no major damage.
• 1945 Jan 03 Formosa strikes, to Jan 04.
• 1945 Jan 06 Luzon strikes, to Jan 07.
• 1945 Jan 09 Enters South China Sea with Task Force 58.
• 1945 Jan 12 Indochina coast raids, including Camranh Bay.
• 1945 Jan 15 Formosa raid.
• 1945 Jan 16 Hong Kong raid.
• 1945 Jan 20 Leaves South China Sea with Task Force 58.
• 1945 Jan 21 Formosa raid.
• 1945 Jan 22 Okinawa raid.
• 1945 Jan 23 Departed combat zone for Ulithi.
• 1945 Feb 10 Left Ulithi after replenishment.
• 1945 Feb 17 Tokyo airfields raid, to Feb 18.
• 1945 Feb 19 Iwo Jima invasion: flew close support for troops, to Feb 22.
• 1945 Feb 25 Japan airfields raid.
• 1945 Mar 01 Okinawa strike.
• 1945 Mar 04 Arrived Ulithi.
• 1945 Mar .. Overhauled at Puget Sound, to May.
• 1945 May 22 Sailed for Leyte via Alameda and Pearl Harbor.
• 1945 Jul 01 Departed Leyte Gulf for Japanese waters as part of Task Group 38.1.
• 1945 Jul 10 Tokyo area raid.
• 1945 Jul 14 Honshu and Hokkaido raids, to Jul 15.
• 1945 Jul 16 Joined by 4 British carriers.
• 1945 Jul 17 Tokyo and Yokosuka raids, to Jul 18.
• 1945 Jul 24 Kure, Kobe, Inland Sea raids, to Jul 28.
• 1945 Jul 29 Honshu north coast raids, to Jul 30.
• 1945 Aug 09 North Honshu and Hokkaido raids, to Aug 10.
• 1945 Aug 13 Tokyo raid broken off due to Japanese surrender.
• 1945 Dec 03 Left Tokyo Bay with homebound troops.
• 1945 Dec 15 Arrived San Francisco.

Cold War Service

• 1947 Apr 23 Decommissioned and placed in reserve.
• 1952 Oct 01 Reclassified as CVA 16 (attack carrier).
• 1953 Sep 01 Started SCB 27C reconstruction (steam catapults, gun reduction, etc.) and SCB 125 modernization (angled deck) at Bremerton Navy Yard.
• 1955 Aug 15 Recommissioned, Capt. A. S. Heyward, Jr. commanding.
• 1956 May .. Sailed for duty with 7th Fleet at Yokosuka, to 1956 Nov.
• 1956 Dec 20 Arrived San Diego.
• 1957 Jun 01 Arrived Yokosuka and became flagship of Carrier Div. 1, Rear Adm. H. D. Riley, to Oct.
• 1957 Oct 17 Arrived San Diego.
• 1958 Jul 14 Lebanon crisis: sailed to reinforce 7th Fleet.
• 1958 Aug 07 Joined 7th Fleet off Taiwan.
• 1958 Dec 19 Arrived San Diego.
• 1959 Apr 26 Departed San Francisco for duty with 7th Fleet; first overseas deployment of Bullpup missile.
• 1959 Nov 16 Departed Yokosuka for home.
• 1959 Dec 02 Arrived San Diego.
• 1960 - 1961 Duty with 7th Fleet.
• 1962 Oct 01 Reclassified as CVS 16 (ASW support carrier).
• 1962 Dec 29 Replaced USS Antietam (CVS 36) as training aircraft carrier at Pensacola.
• 1969 Jan 01 Reclassified as CVT 16 (training carrier).
• 1978 Jul 01 Reclassified as AVT 16 (auxiliary aircraft landing training ship).
• 1991 Nov 26 Decommissioned.
• 1991 Nov 30 Stricken for disposal.
• 1992 ... .. Preserved as memorial at Corpus Christi, TX.

See Also

• Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships -- USS Lexington (CV-16)

Sister Ships

• USS Essex, CV 9 -- stricken 1973 Jun 1; scrapped at Kearny, NJ.
• USS Yorktown, CV 10 -- stricken 1973 Jun 1; preserved as memorial at Charleston, SC.
• USS Intrepid, CV 11 -- stricken 1981 Apr 27; preserved as memorial at New York, NY.
• USS Hornet, CV 12 -- stricken 1989 Jul 25; sold for scrap 1993 Apr 14 but repossessed after buyer defaulted; preserved as memorial at Alameda, CA.
• USS Franklin, CV 13 -- stricken 1964 Oct 1; scrapped at Norfolk VA 1966-1968.
• USS Ticonderoga, CV 14 -- stricken 1973 Nov 16; sold for scrap 1974 Aug 15; scrapped.
• USS Randolph, CV 15 -- stricken 1973 Jun 1; scrapped.
• USS Bunker Hill, CV 17 -- stricken 1966 Nov 1; sold for scrap 1973 Nov.
• USS Wasp, CV 18 -- stricken 1972 Jul 1; scrapped at Kearny NJ 1973.
• USS Hancock, CV 19 -- stricken 1976 Jan 31; scrapped.
• USS Bennington, CV 20 -- stricken 1989 Sep 20; sold for scrap 1994 Jan 12; scrapped in India.
• USS Boxer, CV 21 -- stricken 1969 Dec 1; sold for scrap 1971 Feb; scrapped at Kearny, NJ.
• USS Bon Homme Richard, CV 31 -- stricken 1989 Sep 20; scrapped at San Pedro, 1992.
• USS Leyte, CV 32 -- stricken 1969 Jun 1; scrapped.
• USS Kearsarge, CV 33 -- stricken 1973 May 1; sold for scrap 1974 Jan 18; scrapped.
• USS Oriskany, CV 34 -- stricken 1989 Jul 25; sold for scrap 1993 Jan 26 (defaulted) and 1995 Sep 29; scrap contract revoked 1997 Jul 1; at Mare Island pending disposal.
• USS Reprisal, CV 35 -- canceled 1945 Aug 11 (52.3% complete); sold for scrap 1949 Aug 2; scrapped at Baltimore, MD 1949 Nov.
• USS Antietam, CV 36 -- stricken 1973 May 1; sold for scrap 1974 Feb 28; scrapped at Kearny, NJ.
• USS Princeton, CV 37 -- stricken 1970 Jan 30; scrapped 1973 Sep.
• USS Shangri-La, CV 38 -- stricken 1982 Jul 15; sold for scrap 1988 Aug 9; scrapped in Taiwan.
• USS Lake Champlain, CV 39 -- stricken 1969 Dec 1;scrapped at Kearny, NJ 1972.
• USS Tarawa, CV 40 -- stricken 1967 Jun 1; sold 1968 Oct 3; scrapped at Baltimore, MD.
• USS Valley Forge, CV 45 -- stricken 1970 Jan 15; sold 1971 Oct 29; scrapped.
• USS Iwo Jima, CV 46 -- canceled 1945 Aug 11; scrapped on building slip.
• USS Philippine Sea, CV 47 -- stricken 1969 Dec 1; sold 1971 Mar 23; scrapped.
• (unnamed) CV 50 to CV 55 -- canceled 1945 Mar 28; never laid down.

Copyright (C) 1998 LDJ Trust