USS Lexington (CV-16)

USS Lexington underway on 16 August 1958
History
United States
NameLexington
Namesake
Ordered9 September 1940[1]
BuilderFore River Shipyard
Laid down15 July 1941
Launched23 September 1942
Commissioned17 February 1943
Decommissioned23 April 1947
Recommissioned15 August 1955
Decommissioned8 November 1991
Reclassified
  • CVA-16, 1 October 1952
  • CVS-16, 1 October 1962
  • CVT-16, 1 January 1969
  • AVT-16, 1 July 1978
Stricken8 November 1991
StatusMuseum ship
General characteristics
Class and typeEssex-class aircraft carrier
Displacement
Length
  • 820 feet (249.9 m) (wl)
  • 872 feet (265.8 m) (o/a)
Beam93 ft (28.3 m)
Draft34 ft 2 in (10.41 m)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Range14,100 nmi (26,100 km; 16,200 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement2,600 officers and enlisted men
Armament
Armor
Aircraft carried
  • 36 × Grumman F6F Hellcat
  • 36 × Douglas SBD Dauntless
  • 18 × Grumman TBF Avenger
USS Lexington Museum on the Bay
USS Lexington is located in Texas
USS Lexington
USS Lexington
USS Lexington is located in the United States
USS Lexington
USS Lexington
Coordinates27°48′54″N 97°23′19″W / 27.81500°N 97.38861°W / 27.81500; -97.38861
Built1942
NRHP reference No.03001043[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP31 July 2003
Designated NHL31 July 2003[3]

USS Lexington (CV/CVA/CVS/CVT/AVT-16) is an Essex-class aircraft carrier built during World War II for the United States Navy. Originally intended to be named Cabot, the new aircraft carrier was renamed while under construction to commemorate the recently-lost USS Lexington (CV-2), becoming the sixth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name in honor of the Battle of Lexington.

Lexington was commissioned in February 1943 and saw extensive service through the Pacific War. For much of her service, she acted as the flagship for Admiral Marc Mitscher, and led the Fast Carrier Task Force through their battles across the Pacific. She was the recipient of 11 battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation. Following the war, Lexington was decommissioned, but was modernized and reactivated in the early 1950s, being reclassified as an attack carrier (CVA). Later, she was reclassified as an antisubmarine carrier (CVS). In her second career, she operated both in the Atlantic/Mediterranean and the Pacific, but spent most of her time, nearly 30 years, in Pensacola, Florida, as a training carrier (CVT).

Lexington was decommissioned in 1991, with an active service life longer than any other Essex-class ship. Following her decommissioning, she was donated for use as a museum ship in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 2003, Lexington was designated a National Historic Landmark. Though her surviving sister ships Yorktown, Intrepid, and Hornet carry lower hull numbers, Lexington was laid down and commissioned earlier, making Lexington the oldest remaining fleet carrier in the world.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Navsource was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "National Register Information System – (#03001043)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 9 July 2010.
  3. ^ "Lexington, USS (Aircraft Carrier)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.