USS Lexington (CV-2) - Palm Springs Air Museum
N 33° 49.930 W 116° 30.265
11S E 545856 N 3743657
This exact replica is one of many within the Palm Springs Air Museum.
Waymark Code: WMGW93
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/15/2013
Views: 4
The Palm Springs Air Museum contains many WWII aircraft inside two hangers as well as a number of aircraft on display outside on the tarmac. The SE hanger contains aircraft and displays from the Asian Pacific Theater of the war. In the back part of the hanger are many small-scale replicas of WWII naval ships on display. This particular model replica is of the USS Lexington (CV-2), an aircraft carrier and nicknamed 'Lady Lex', Queen of the Flattops.
There's a writeup underneath this replica that reads:
USS Lexington served proudly in the Pacific from the first day of the war. On February 20, 1942 while approaching Rabul, New Britain, "Lady Lex" was attached by two waves of Japanese aircraft, nine planes to each wave. 17 of the enemy were shot down by Lexington pilots and antiaircraft. Lt. E. H. "Butch" O'Hare destroyed five of the enemy. He bacame the Navy's first World War II Ace and was credited with saving the Lexington. For his action of this day, O'Hare was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
On May 8, 1942, at the Battle of the Coral Sea, Lexington suffered severe damage from torpedo and dive bomber attack. Skilled damage control had Lexington operating normally by late afternoon when she was rocked by a tremendous explosion. A seam in a fuel bunker had separated causing aviation fuel to leak, leading to the explosion, the resulting fire could not be controlled and her crew was ordered to "abandon ship". With all hands off the ship, she was ordered sunk by the destroyer USS Phelps. Lexington sank before 8PM on May 8, 1942.
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The Palm Springs Air Museum is definitely worth the price of admission and visitors should leave with a new appreciation for those men and women who fought in WWII for preservation of democracy and against those who tried to destroy it (Germany, Japan and Italy).
*NOTE* I was told by volunteer staff that many planes and historical items often move around inside the hangers and outside on the tarmac, BUT they always stay within the museum, unless they are part of a visiting exhibition. Waymarkers should keep this in mind when searching for a particular waymark that I or someone else has posted on Waymarking.com. If, by chance, you cannot locate a particular waymark within the museum, please let me know and I'll contact the staff and inquire to its whereabouts. Thanks.