Navy | The US Navy |
Type | Aircraft Carrier |
Class | Essex |
Pennant | CV 16 |
Built by | Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. (Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) |
Ordered | 9 Sep 1940 |
Laid down | 15 Jul 1941 |
Launched | 23 Sep 1942 |
Commissioned | 17 Feb 1943 |
End service | 26 Nov 1991 |
History | Originally named Cabot but renamed Lexington on 16 June 1942. Lexington served as the flagship of Fast Carrier Task Force 58 under the command of Admiral Marc Mitscher. Mitscher is credited with making the aircraft carrier task force the predominant naval weapon system of the 20th century while aboard Lexington in the western Pacific. Lexington participated in every major naval campaign from Tarawa to Tokyo and was hit twice by the enemy. Lexington was nicknamed "The Blue Ghost" by the Japanese propagandist Tokyo Rose because she never wore the typical camouflage paint of all the other U.S. aircraft carriers. After World War II, Lexington was modernized and recommissioned in 1955 for Cold War service in the western Pacific. In 1962, she was assigned to serve as the Navy's training aircraft carrier, a duty which she performed until her decommissioning on November 26, 1991. With a half century of service, Lexington holds the record for the longest service, the most aircraft launched and recovered of any of the world's aircraft carriers, and was first Navy ship to embark female crewmembers. USS Lexington offers Science- Aboard-Ship education programs for students and conducts youth overnight encampments. |
Former name | Cabot |
Commands listed for USS Lexington (ii) (CV 16)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
Commander | From | To | |
1 | Capt. Felix Budwell Stump, USN | 17 Feb 1943 | 10 Apr 1944 |
2 | T/Rear-Admiral Ernest Wheeler Litch, USN | 10 Apr 1944 | 30 Jan 1945 (1) |
3 | T/Capt. Thomas Hinckley Robbins, Jr., USN | 30 Jan 1945 | 18 Nov 1945 (1) |
4 | T/Capt. Bradford Ellsworth Grow, USN | 18 Nov 1945 | 11 Oct 1946 (1) |
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Notable events involving Lexington (ii) include:
17 Mar 1944
USS Iowa (Capt. J.L. McCrea, USN) departed Majoro Atoll as part of Task Group 50.10 which was to bombard Milli Island. The other ships of the task force were battleship USS New Jersey (Capt. C.F. Holden, USN) and destroyers USS Dewey (Lt.Cdr. R.G. Copeland, USN), USS Hull (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Consolvo, USN), USS MacDonough (Cdr. J.W. Ramey, USN) and USS Phelps (Lt.Cdr. D.L. Martineau, USN). Air cover was provided by fleet carrier USS Lexington (Capt. F.B. Stump, USN) escorted by destroyers USS Bancoft (Cdr. R.M. Pitts, USN), USS Meade (Cdr. J. Munholland, USN) and USS Edwards (Cdr. P.G. Osler, USN).
For the daily positions of USS Iowa during this operation see the map below.
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