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USS Lexington (CV 16 / CVA 16 / CVS 16 / CVT
16 / AVT 16):
USS Lexington (CV/CVA/CVS/CVT/AVT-16), nicknamed
"The Blue Ghost", is an Essex-class aircraft carrier built during
World War II for the United States Navy. Originally intended to be named
Cabot, word arrived during construction that the USS Lexington (CV-2) had
been lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea. She was renamed while under
construction to commemorate the earlier ship. She was the fifth US Navy ship
to bear the name in honor of the Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington.
Lexington was commissioned in February 1943 and saw extensive service through
the Pacific War. For much of her service, she acted as the flagship for
Admiral Marc Mitscher, and led the Fast Carrier Task Force through their
battles across the Pacific. She was the recipient of 11 battle stars and the
Presidential Unit Citation. Following the war, Lexington was decommissioned,
but was modernized and reactivated in the early 1950s, being reclassified as
an attack carrier (CVA). Later, she was reclassified as an anti-submarine
carrier (CVS). In her second career, she operated both in the
Atlantic/Mediterranean and the Pacific, but spent most of her time, nearly 30
years, on the east coast as a training carrier (CVT).
Lexington was decommissioned in 1991, with an active service life longer than
any other Essex-class ship. Following her decommissioning, she was donated
for use as a museum ship in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 2003, Lexington was
designated a National Historic Landmark. Though her surviving sister ships
Yorktown, Intrepid, and Hornet carry lower hull numbers, Lexington was laid
down and commissioned earlier, making Lexington the oldest remaining aircraft
carrier in the world.
History:
The ship was laid down as Cabot on 15 July 1941 by Bethlehem Steel Co.,
Quincy, Massachusetts. In May 1942, USS Lexington (CV-2), which had been
built in the same shipyard two decades earlier, was sunk at the Battle of the
Coral Sea. In June, workers at the shipyard submitted a request to Navy
Secretary Frank Knox to change the name of a carrier currently under
construction there to Lexington. Knox agreed to the proposal and Cabot was
renamed as the fifth USS Lexington on 16 June 1942. She was launched on 23
September 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Theodore Douglas Robinson. Lexington was
commissioned on 17 February 1943, with Captain Felix Stump USN in command.
"The Blue Ghost"
The Japanese referred to Lexington as a "ghost" ship for her
tendency to reappear after reportedly being sunk. This, coupled with the
ship's dark blue camouflage scheme, led the crew to refer to her as "The
Blue Ghost". There were rumors during the war that the ship was so badly
damaged it had to be scuttled at one point, but a newly built aircraft
carrier was immediately deployed with the same name, in an effort to
demoralize the Japanese.
World War II
After a shakedown cruise in the Caribbean, Lexington sailed via the Panama
Canal to join the Pacific fleet.
One of the carrier's first casualties was 1939 Heisman Trophy winner Nile
Kinnick. During the ship's initial voyage (to the Caribbean)in 1943, Kinnick
and other naval fliers were conducting training flights off her deck. The F4F
Wildcat flown by Kinnick developed a serious oil leak while airborne. The
mechanical problem was so severe that Kinnick was unable to make it back to
the Lexington and crashed into the sea four miles from the ship. Neither Kinnick
nor his plane was ever recovered.
She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 9 August 1943. She participated in a raid on
the air bases on Tarawa in late September, followed by a Wake Island raid in
October, then returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for the Gilbert Islands
operation. From 19–24 November, she made searches and flew sorties in the
Marshalls, covering the landings in the Gilberts. Her aviators downed 29
enemy aircraft on 23 and 24 November.
Kwajalein raid
Lexington sailed to raid Kwajalein on 4 December. Her morning strike
destroyed the SS Kembu Maru, damaged two cruisers, and accounted for 30 enemy
aircraft. Her gunners splashed two of the enemy torpedo planes that attacked
at midday, but were ordered not to open fire at night as Admiral Charles
Pownall then in command believed it would give their position away (he was
later replaced).
At 19:20 that night, a major air attack began while the task force was under
way off Kwajalein. At 23:22, parachute flares from Japanese planes
silhouetted the carrier, and 10 minutes later she was hit by a torpedo on the
starboard side, knocking out her steering gear. Nine people were killed, two
on the fantail and seven in the Chief Petty Officers mess room, which was a
repair party station during general quarters. Four members of the affected
repair party survived because they were sitting on a couch that apparently
absorbed the shock of the explosion. Settling 5 feet (2 m) by the stern, the
carrier began circling to port amidst dense clouds of smoke pouring from
ruptured tanks aft. To maintain water tight integrity, damage control crews
were ordered to seal the damaged compartments and welded them shut applying
heavy steel plates where needed. An emergency hand-operated steering unit was
quickly devised, and Lexington made Pearl Harbor for emergency repairs,
arriving on 9 December. She reached Bremerton, Washington on December 22 for
full repairs, completed on February 20, 1944. The error in judgment
concerning opening fire at night was never repeated, as thereafter gun crews
were ordered to open fire anytime the ship came under attack. Following this
attack, the ship was reported sunk by Japan's Tokyo Rose, the first of
several such assertions.
Battle of the Philippine Sea
Lexington returned to Majuro in time to be present when Rear Admiral Marc
Mitscher took command of the newly formed Task Force 58 (TF 58) on 8 March.
Mitscher took Lexington as his flagship, and after a warm-up strike against
Mille, the Fast Carrier Task Force began a series of operations against the
Japanese positions in the Central Pacific. She supported Army landings at
Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura) on 13 April, and then raided the
strongpoint of Truk on 28 April. Heavy counterattacks left Lexington
untouched, her planes splashing 17 enemy fighters; but, for the second time,
Japanese propaganda announced her sunk.
A surprise fighter strike on Saipan on 11 June virtually eliminated all air
opposition over the island, then battered it from the air for the next five
days. On 16 June, Lexington fought off a fierce attack by Japanese torpedo
planes based on Guam, once again emerging unhurt but 'sunk' a third time by
propaganda pronouncements. As Japanese opposition to the Marianas operation
provoked the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19–20 June, Lexington played a
major role in TF 58's great victory in what was later called the "Great
Marianas Turkey Shoot". With over 300 enemy aircraft destroyed the first
day, and a carrier, a tanker, and a destroyer sunk the second day, American
aviators virtually knocked Japanese naval aviation out of the war; for with
the planes went the trained and experienced pilots without whom Japan could
not continue air warfare at sea.
Using Eniwetok as her base, Lexington sent aircraft on sorties over Guam and
against the Palaus and Bonins into August. She arrived in the Carolinas on 7
September for three days of strikes against Yap and Ulithi, then began
attacks on Mindanao, the Visayas, the Manila area, and shipping along the
west coast of Luzon, preparing for the coming assault on Leyte. Her task
force then blasted Okinawa on 10 October and Formosa two days later to
destroy bases from which opposition to the Philippines campaign might be
launched. She was again unscathed through the air battle fought after the
Formosa assault.
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Now covering the Leyte landings, Lexington 's planes
scored importantly in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the climactic American naval
victory over Japan. While the carrier came under constant enemy attack in the
engagement, her planes joined in sinking Musashi and scored hits on three
cruisers on 24 October. Next day, with Essex aircraft, they sank Chitose, and
alone sank Zuikaku. Later in the day, they aided in sinking Zuihō. As
the retiring Japanese were pursued, her planes sank Nachi with four torpedo
hits on 5 November off Luzon.
Later that day, Lexington was introduced to the kamikaze as a flaming
Japanese plane crashed near her island, destroying most of the island
structure and spraying fire in all directions. Within 20 minutes, major
blazes were under control, and she was able to continue normal flight
actions,as well as shooting down a kamikaze heading for Ticonderoga. On 9
November, Lexington arrived in Ulithi to repair battle damage while hearing
that Tokyo once again claimed her sunk. Casualties were considered light
despite the island structure's destruction.
Chosen as the flagship for Task Group 58.2 (TG 58.2) on 11 December, she
struck at the airfields of Luzon and Formosa during the first nine days of
January 1945, encountering little enemy opposition. The task force then
entered the South China Sea to strike enemy shipping and air installations.
Strikes were flown against Saipan, Camranh Bay in then Indochina, Hong Kong,
the Pescadores, and Formosa. Task force planes sank four merchant ships and
four escorts in one convoy and destroyed at least 12 in another, at Camranh
Bay on 12 January. Leaving the China Sea on 20 January, Lexington sailed
north to strike Formosa again on 21 January and Okinawa again on 22 January.
After replenishing at Ulithi, TG 58.2 sailed on 10 February to hit airfields
near Tokyo on 16 February 1945, and on 17 February to minimize opposition to
the Iwo Jima landings on 19 February. Lexington flew close support for the
assaulting troops from 19–22 February, then sailed for further strikes
against the Japanese home islands and the Nansei Shoto before heading for
overhaul at Puget Sound.
Rear Admiral Sprague's Task Force
Lexington was combat bound again on 22 May, sailing via Alameda and Pearl
Harbor for San Pedro Bay, Leyte where she joined Rear Admiral Thomas L.
Sprague's task force for the final round of air strikes which battered the
Japanese home islands from July-15 August, when the last strike was ordered
to jettison its bombs and return to Lexington on receiving word of Japanese
surrender. During this period she had launched attacks on Honshū and
Hokkaidō airfields, and Yokosuka and Kure naval bases to destroy the
remnants of the Japanese fleet. She had also flown bombing attacks on
industrial targets in the Tokyo area.
After hostilities ended, her aircraft continued to fly air patrols over
Japan, and dropped supplies to prisoner of war camps on Honshū. In
December, she was used to ferry home servicemen in what was known as
Operation Magic Carpet, arriving in San Francisco on 16 December.
Post-war
Lexington was decommissioned at Bremerton, Washington on 23 April 1947 and
entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet. While in reserve, she was
designated attack carrier CVA-16 on 1 October 1952. In September 1953,
Lexington entered the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. She received the
Essex-class SCB-27C and SCB-125 conversions in one refit, being then able to
operate the most modern jet aircraft. The most visible distinguishing features
were an angled flight deck, steam catapults, a new island, and the hurricane
bow.
Lexington was recommissioned on 15 August 1955, Captain A. S. Heyward, Jr.,
in command. Assigned San Diego as her home port, she operated off California
until May 1956, sailing then for a six-month deployment with the 7th Fleet.
She based on Yokosuka for exercises, maneuvers, and search and rescue
missions off the coast of China, and called at major Far Eastern ports until
returning San Diego on 20 December. She next trained Air Group 12, which
deployed with her on the next 7th Fleet deployment. Arriving Yokosuka on 1
June 1957, Lexington embarked Rear Admiral H. D. Riley, Commander Carrier
Division 1, and sailed as his flagship until returning San Diego on 17
October.
1958 Taiwan Strait crisis
Following overhaul at Bremerton, her refresher training was interrupted by
the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis; on 14 July 1958, she was ordered to embark
Air Group 21 at San Francisco and sail to reinforce the 7th Fleet off Taiwan,
arriving on station on 7 August and returning San Diego on 19 December. Now
the first carrier whose planes were armed with AGM-12 Bullpup guided missile,
Lexington left San Francisco on 26 April 1959 for another tour of duty with
the 7th Fleet. She was on standby alert during the Laotian crisis of late
August and September. Following this, she exercised with British naval forces
before returning to San Diego, arriving on 2 December. In early 1960, she
underwent an overhaul at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
Far East
Lexington 's next Far Eastern tour began late in 1960,
and was extended well into 1961 by renewed tension in Laos. Returning to west
coast operations, she was ordered in January 1962 to prepare to relieve
Antietam as aviation training carrier in the Gulf of Mexico, and she was
redesignated CVS-16 on 1 October 1962. However, during the Cuban missile
crisis, she resumed duty as an attack carrier, and it was not until 29
December 1962 that she relieved Antietam at Pensacola, Florida.
Training carrier
Into 1969, Lexington operated out of her home port, Pensacola, as well as
Corpus Christi and New Orleans, qualifying student aviators and maintaining
the high state of training of both active duty and reserve naval aviators.
Her work became of increasing significance as she prepared the men vital to
the Navy and Marine Corps operations over Vietnam, where naval aviation
played a major role. Lexington marked her 200,000th arrested landing on 17
October 1967, and was redesignated CVT-16 on 1 January 1969. She continued as
a training carrier for the next 22 years until decommissioned and struck on 8
November 1991.
In 1980, the USS Lexington became the first aircraft carrier in US Naval
history to have women stationed aboard as crew members (18 Aug. 1980).
On 29 October 1989, a student Naval Aviator lost control of his T-2 training
aircraft after an aborted attempt to land on Lexington 's
flight deck. The aircraft impacted the island with its right wing, killing
five crew members (including the pilot of the plane), and another 15 were
injured. The island suffered no major damage, and fires from the burning fuel
were extinguished within 15 minutes.
Lexington was the final Essex-class carrier in commission, after Oriskany had
been decommissioned in 1976.
source: wikipedia
- - -
another history:
The fifth Lexington (CV-16) was laid down as
Cabot 15 July 1941 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass.; renamed Lexington
16June 1942; launched 26 September 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Theodore D.
Robinson; and commissioned 17 February 1943, Capt. Felix B. Stump in command.
After Caribbean shakedown and yard work at Boston, Lexington sailed for
Pacific action via the Panama Canal, arriving Pearl Harbor 9 August 1943. She
raided Tarawa in late September and Wake in October, then returned Pearl
Harbor to prepare for the Gilbert Islands operation. From 19 to 24 November
she made searches and flew sorties in the Marshalls, covering the landings in
the Gilberts. Her aviators downed 29 enemy aircraft on 23 and 24 November.
Lexington sailed to raid Kwajalein 4 December. Her morning strike destroyed a
cargo ship, damaged two cruisers, and accounted for 30 enemy aircraft. Her
gunners splashed two of the enemy torpedo planes that attacked at midday, and
opened fire again at 1925 that night when a major air attack began. At 2322
parachute flares silhouetted the carrier, and 10 minutes later she was hit by
a torpedo to starboard, knocking out her steering gear. Settling 5 feet by
the stern, the carrier began circling to port amidst dense clouds of smoke
pouring from ruptured tanks aft. An emergency hand-operated steering unit was
quickly devised, and Lexington made Pearl Harbor for emergency repairs,
arriving 9 December. She reached Bremerton, Wash., 22 December for full repairs
completed 20 February 1944.
Lexington sailed via Alameda, Calif., and Pearl Harbor for Majuro, where Rear
Adm. Marc Mitscher commanding TF 58 broke his flag in her 8 March. After a
warmup strike against Mille, TF 58 operated against the major centers of
resistance in Japan-s outer empire, supporting the Army landing at Hollandia
13 April, and hitting supposedly invulnerable Truk 28 April. Heavy
counterattack left Lexington untouched, her planes splashing 17 enemy
fighters; but, for the second time, Japanese propaganda announced her sunk.
A surprise fighter strike on Saipan 11 June virtually eliminated all air
opposition over the island, then battered from the air for the next 5 days.
On 15 June Lexington fought off a fierce attack by Japanese torpedo planes
based on Guam, once again to emerge unhurt, but sunk a third time by
propaganda pronouncements. As Japanese opposition to the Mariannas operation
provoked the Battle of the Philippine Sea 19 and 20 June, Lexington played a
major role in TF 58-s great victory. With over 300 enemy aircraft destroyed
the first day, and a carrier, a tanker, and a destroyer sunk the second day,
American aviators virtually knocked Japanese naval aviation out of the war;
for with the planes went the trained and experienced pilots without whom
Japan could not continue air warfare at sea.
Using Eniwetok as her base, Lexington flew sorties over Guam and against the
Palaus and Bonins into August. She arrived in the Carolinas 6 September for 3
days of strikes against Yap and Ulithi, then began attacks on Mindanao, the
Visayas, the Manila area, and shipping along the west coast of Luzon,
preparing for the coming assault on Leyte. Her task force then blasted
Okinawa 10 October and Formosa 2 days later to destroy bases from which opposition
to the Philippines campaign might be launched. She was again unscathed
through the air battle fought after the Formosa assault.
Now covering the Leyte landings, Lexington-s planes scored importantly in the
Battle for Leyte Gulf, the climactic American naval victory over Japan. While
the carrier came under constant enemy attack in the engagement in which
Princeton was sunk, her planes joined in sinking Japan-s superbattleship
Musashi and scored hits on three cruisers 24 October. Next day, with Essex aircraft,
they sank carrier Chitose, and alone sank Zuikako. Later in the day, they
aided in sinking a third carrier, Zuiho. As the retiring Japanese were
pursued, her planes sank heavy cruiser Nachi with four torpedo hits 5
November off Luzon.
But in the same action, she was introduced to the kamikaze as a flaming
Japanese plane crashed near her island, destroying most of the island
structure and spraying flre in all directions. Within 20 minutes major blazes
were under control, and she was able to continue normal flight actions, her
guns knocking down a would-be kamikaze heading for carrier Ticonderoga as
well. On 9 November Lexington arrived Ulithi to repair battle damage and
learn that Tokyo once again claimed her destroyed.
Chosen flagship for TG 58.2 on 11 December, she struck at the airfields of
Luzon and Formosa during the first 9 days of January 1945, encountering
little enemy opposition. The task force then entered the China Sea to strike
enemy shipping and air installations. Strikes were flown against Saipan,
Camranh Bay in then Indochina, Hong Kong, the Pescadores, and Formosa. Task
force planes sank four merchant ships and four escorts in one convoy, and
destroyed at least 12 in another, at Camranh Bay 12 January. Leaving the
China Sea 20 January, Lexington sailed north to strike Formosa again 21
January and Okinawa again 22 January.
After replenishing at Ulithi, TG 58.2 sailed 10 February to hit airfields
near Tokyo 16 and 17 February to minimize opposition to the Iwo Jima landings
19 February. Lexington flew close support for the assaulting troops 19 to 22
February, then sailed for further strikes against the Japanese home islands
and the Nansei Shoto before heading for overhaul at Puget Sound.
Lexington was combat bound again 22 May, sailing via Alameda and Pearl Harbor
for San Pedro Bay, Leyte, where she joined Rear Adm. T. L. Sprague-s task
force for the final round of airstrikes which battered the Japanese home
islands through July until 15 August, when the last strike was ordered to
jettison its bombs and return to Lexington on receiving word of Japanese
surrender. During this period she had launched attacks on Honshu and Hokkaido
airfields, and Yokosuka and Kure naval bases to destroy the remnants of the
Japanese fleet. She had also flown bombing attacks on industrial targets in
the Tokyo area.
After hostilities ended, she continued to fly precautionary patrols over
Japan, and dropped supplies to prisoner of war camps on Honshu. She supported
the occupation of Japan until leaving Tokyo Bay 3 December with homeward
bound veterans for transportation to San Francisco, where she arrived 15
December.
After west coast operations, Lexington decommissioned at Bremerton, Wash., 23
April 1947 and entered the Reserve Fleet there. Designated attack carrier
CVA-16 on 1 October 1952, she began conversion and modernization in Puget
Sound Naval Shipyard 1 September 1953, receiving the new angled flight deck.
Lexington recommissioned 15 August 1955, Capt. A. S. Heyward, Jr., in
command. Assigned San Diego as her home port, she operated off California
until May 1956, sailing then for a 6-month deployment with the 7th Fleet. She
based on Yokosuka for exercises, maneuvers, and search and rescue missions
off the coast of China, and called at major Far Eastern ports until returning
San Diego 20 December. She next trained Air Group 12, which deployed with her
on the next 7th Fleet deployment. Arriving Yokosuka 1 June 1957, Lexington
embarked Rear Adm. H. D. Riley, Commander Carrier Division 1, and sailed as
his flagship until returning San Diego 17 October.
Following overhaul at Bremerton, her refresher training was interrupted by
the Lebanon crisis; on 14 July 1958 she was ordered to embark Air Group 21 at
San Francisco and sail to reinforce the 7th Fleet off Taiwan, arriving on
station 7 August. With another peacekeeping mission of the U.S. Navy
successfully accomplished, she returned San Diego 19 December. Now the first
carrier whose planes were armed with air-to-surface Bullpup guided missile,
Lexington left San Francisco 26 April 1959 for another tour of duty with the
7th Fleet. She was on standby alert during the Laotian crisis of late August
and September, then exercised with British forces before sailing from
Yokosuka 16 November for San Diego, arriving 2 December. Through early 1960
she overhauled at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
Lexington’s next Far Eastern tour began late in 1960 and was extended well
into 1961 by renewed tension in Laos. Returning to west coast operations, she
was ordered in January 1962 to prepare to relieve Antietam (CVS-36) as
aviation training carrier in the Gulf of Mexico, and she was redesignated
CVS-16 on 1 October 1962. However, during the Cuban missile crisis, she
resumed duty as an attack carrier, and it was not until 29 December 1963 that
she relieved Antietam at Pensacola.
Into 1969, Lexington has operated out of her home port, Pensacola, as well as
Corpus Christi and New Orleans, qualifying student aviators and maintaining
the high state of training of both active duty and reserve naval aviators.
Her work has been of increasing significance as she has prepared the men
vital to the continuing Navy and Marine Corps operations over Vietnam, where
naval aviation has played a major role in defending the cause of freedom.
Lexington marked her 200,000th arrested landing 17 October 1967, and was
redesignated CVT-16 on 1 January 1969.
Lexington received the Presidential Unit Citation and 11 battle stars for
World War II service.
source: US Naval History & Heritage Command
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