USS Lexington - Corpus Christi, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 27° 48.911 W 097° 23.352
14R E 658659 N 3077771
The U.S.S. Lexington was launched in 1942 as a welded, steel hull, Essex-class aircraft carrier with an overall length of 872 ft and a length along the waterline of 820 ft. The flight deck ran 862 ft. She carried a crew of 2,486.
Waymark Code: WMYEB6
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 06/05/2018
Views: 3
Texas Historic Site Atlas
Her 8 boilers drove 4 steam turbines that delivered a speed of 32.7 knots. Armament included 12 five-inch 38 caliber dual-purpose guns. When launched she had a total of 8 MK-2 quadruple 40-mm anti-aircraft platforms.
Her flight deck arrangements included three aircraft elevators and three bomb lifts. The hangar deck included large openings along the port and starboard side that could be closed with roller doors. These side openings provided ventilation which allowed starting aircraft on the hangar deck to warm up prior to their positioning on the flight deck.
Aircraft recovery was accomplished with a sixteen wire MK 4 arresting gear cable system later modified so that the wires were spaced from the stem to just aft of the island. The arresting wire system was augmented by a set of four wire cable barriers. Each barrier wire was suspended several feet above the deck to snag aircraft that missed the arresting system cables.
In 1953 Lexington entered dry dock to undergo conversions. The purpose of these conversions was to adapt the carriers to the requirements of jet-age aircraft.
The conversions, completed in 1955, altered the outward appearance of Lexington but left the World War II interior spaces largely intact. Lexington went from a carrier with a straight deck, open bow and a low rat's nest of radar antenna, to an angled deck carrier with an enclosed hurricane bow and a single pole antenna mast. The angled deck was a significant change, adding additional flight deck space and catapults.
Despite these changes in her outward appearance, Lexington retains a strong sense of her World War II Essex-class heritage. Intemal crew and machinery spaces are 90% unchanged from the original. Fixtures such as wall lockers, lighting, ventilation and passageway features date mostly from 1943. The machinery spaces (engines and boilers) date from 1943 as do the majority of the lesser machinery such as generators and pumps. The current owners of the ship have kept her in good repair, and have incorporated a minimum of changes to her historic structure. In 1997, Lexington received two sets of quad 40-mm anti-aircraft guns, partially restoring her World War II armament.
Lexington is significant for her association with events of World War II, having participated in almost every major naval campaign in the Pacific from 1943 to 1945. She was a highly decorated warship, receiving numerous citations acknowledging her exemplary service. As an Essex-class carrier, Lexington is also important for illustrating the development of aircraft carrier design, the refinement of multi-carrier operations, and the integration of aviation as a primary strike weapon in naval strategy