Summary: The USS Lexington (CV-16), an Essex-class aircraft carrier, played a pivotal role in the Pacific theater of World War II after being commissioned in 1943. Named in honor of an earlier carrier lost at the Battle of the Coral Sea, Lexington quickly made its mark by participating in key operations, including raids on Tarawa, Wake Island, and in the Marshall Islands. Despite suffering damage from a torpedo strike, Lexington was swiftly repaired and contributed significantly to the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Leyte Gulf, decimating Japanese naval and air power. Post-war, Lexington was modernized and served until 1991, now resting as a museum in Corpus Christi, Texas.

USS Lexington: Bridging History from WWII to Vietnam and Beyond

The USS Lexington (CV-16) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier that served a vital role in America’s most dramatic international conflict: World War II. First commissioned in 1943, Lexington mobilized immediately to help America advance across the Pacific and into the heart of Japan’s empire.

Introducing Lexington

Lexington was initially laid down as the Cabot in July 1941 at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. However, the name was changed after the May 1942 sinking of the USS Lexington (CV-2) at the Battle of the Coral Sea. Following CV-2’s sinking, workers at the Fore River Shipyard submitted a request to Navy Secretary Frank Knox to change Cabot to Lexington. Knox agreed, and Lexington became the fifth U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name of the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Lexington.

Mrs. Theodore Douglas Robinson sponsored Lexington as the vessel was launched in September 1942. Lexington was commissioned in February 1943, with Captain Felix Stump in command. The Navy’s brand-new carrier was initiated with a shakedown cruise in the Caribbean before cutting through the Panama Canal to join the Pacific fleet. But before Lexington ever reached the Pacific, she suffered one of her first (and highest profile) casualties.

Nile Kinnick was the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner and a naval aviator training aboard Lexington during the ship’s shakedown cruise. Kinnick’s Grumman F4F Wildcat developed an oil leak and could not land safely aboard Lexington, crashing four miles away. Neither Kinnick nor his Wildcat were ever recovered.

Entering the Second World War

Lexington arrived in Pearl Harbor on August 9, 1943, and soon thereafter began participating in the ongoing war. The first actions Lexington engaged in were a raid on Tarawa air bases and a raid against Wake Island. The vessel also flew sorties in the Marshall Island chain and covered landings in the Gilbert Islands. Lexington-based aviators shot down 29 Japanese aircraft on November 23 and 24 alone.

In December 1943, Lexington participated in the raid upon Kwajalein. Aviators from Lexington destroyed the SS Kembu Maru, damaged two Japanese cruisers, and shot down thirty aircraft.

A torpedo struck Lexington at Kwajalein. The starboard impact disabled the vessel’s steering gear and killed nine sailors. Damage control crews scrambled to weld shut damaged compartments, and a hand-controlled steering method was devised, allowing Lexington to limp back to Pearl Harbor for emergency repairs and, finally, to Bremerton, Washington, where she underwent complete repairs.

Making a difference

Returning to action, Lexington participated in multiple high-profile engagements. In the Battle of the Philippine Sea and what has come to be referred to as the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot,” U.S. naval aviators destroyed over 300 enemy aircraft, one carrier, one tanker, and one destroyer. The loss was catastrophic to the Japanese in that not only were 300 aircraft destroyed, but so too were 300 aviators lost, hindering Japan’s aerial capabilities for the rest of the war.

Lexington also participated in the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, considered the climactic naval victory over Japan. Aircraft from Lexington performed admirably, sinking the Musashi, Chitose, Zuikaku, and Zuiho.

The final involvement for Lexington during World War II was joining Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague’s task force. The task force hammered the Japanese home islands with airstrikes from July to August 1945, towards the final days of the war. Lexington launched strikes against Honshu and Hokkaido airfields and Yokosuka and Kure naval bases, helping to destroy the remnants of the Japanese fleet. During the raid, Lexington-based aircraft sank the Ise.

As the war concluded, aircraft from Lexington continued to fly air patrols over the Japanese island.

After the war

Lexington was decommissioned in 1947, but that would not end her service. In 1955, Lexington was recommissioned after being retrofitted with an angled flight deck, steam catapults, a new island, and a hurricane bow. The retrofits allowed Lexington to operate modern aircraft, which had progressed significantly in the decade since the end of World War II.

Remarkably, Lexington would serve for another three and a half decades. The already storied Lexington added to her legacy, launching air operations over Vietnam and helping train another generation’s worth of naval aviators. Decommissioned for good in 1991, Lexington still floats today as a museum in Corpus Christi, Texas.

About the Author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the U.S. Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.