Class: Essex Aircraft Carrier Launched: September 23, 1942 Commissioned: February 17, 1943 Displacement: 33,000 tons Armament: (original): 90 aircraft, twelve 5-inch/38 caliber guns, 40mm and 20mm anti-aircraft guns Decommissioned: 1991"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 also first Navy ship to embark female crew members.
When Adam was younger he got to spend the night on this ship as part of High Adventure (scouting). I am jealous.
I don't think much about this ship has changed not even for tourists. We were climbing ladders, going down holes, and stepping over doorways. If you are in a wheelchair, you will miss most of it. I can see how someone could get claustrophobic too. And lost.
The Blue angels (jets) now perform air shows. I enjoyed seeing one of the them close up. I've only ever seen them as streak across the sky.
One of my faves . . .the AH-1 Cobra. I'm sure you've seen this in many movies. It's amazing to me how thin it is. It is an "efficient, tank-killing, weapons platform. The basic design was created in 1965. It was widely used in Vietnam."Gross Weight: 10,000 lbs. Cruise Speed: 141 mph Range: 315 miles
With its wings up, this jet reminds me of Star Wars. It is called the F2H-2 Banshee. "It first flew in 1947. During the Korea War, Banshees served with the Navy aboard carriers and with Marine bases ashore. In addition to its day escort fighter role, the plane served as a ground support bomber, photo-reconnaissance platform, and radar-equipped night-flighter. The Banshee was phased out in 1965."Max Speed: 575 mph Climb Rate: 3,910 Combat Range: 620
The entrance to the restroom.
One of the larger hallways.
Below: a Kamikaze flag. I know I have at least one reader who can translate this. Leave a comment on this post if you can. I'm sure we are all curious to know what's written here.Kamikaze=Divine Wind. "It was the name of a wind god who was said to have sent a typhoon that repulsed a Mongol invasion fleet heading for Japan in 1281. Nearly seven centuries later, the divine wind again became the curse of an invading Armada.
What the US Navy did not know was that Japan had no other weapons or tactics. The air battles from the Coral Sea to the Marianas had stripped the nation of its best pilots, and American submarines had sunk so many oil tankers that training flights had to be curtailed. Many student pilots had no time to learn conventional bombing and torpedo tactics."
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Not knowing what to expect, I was surprised the ship was also equipped with the latest medical equipment. Below is a dentist chair. The dentist offices were said to be one of the most busiest places on the ship.Along with dentistry, the ship also had sight labs, surgery, x-ray, hearing lab, post office, isolation room (at one time 5 men were kept in isolation due to an outbreak), chapel, a machine shop (to replace and repair damaged items) and the list goes on. It had to be it's very own community.
Regular sleeping areas vs. one of the captain's quarters (near the helm). The larger quarters were found closer to the belly of the ship, still near the front.
An office area near the helm.
Knots. Wow. I can hardly remember the three knots we had to teach our scouts. Next to this display was a sign warning against substituting certain knots for others.
Damage control: Each doorway and portal had a letter above it. It wasn't until we were almost finished with the tour that we ran across this sign with an explanation of each letter. I have posted just two of the nine.
The ship was one of my favorite attractions of the weekend. I think I found it interesting mostly because my Grandpa served on a ship as a machinists mate I that serviced big ships like this. It helped to make his past a little more real to me. (Thanks Sally for clearing that up for me.)Now can you kind of see how all the symbols in the post below fit in? Some were part of propaganda, some were found on jets, and others were symbols found around the ship.
Most graphic designers say they would love to brand an airline. It's considered one of the most challenging yet fun projects a designer could take on. I was inclined to agree until now. Wouldn't branding a ship/the navy be a blast? Wow.
The end.
More detailed history of the USS Lexington can be found by clicking here.
