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Entrance to
the USS Lexington Museum in Corpus Christi
Photo by Murray
Montgomery, August 2018 |
Corpus
Christie, Texas
Resting
peacefully in Corpus Christi Bay, the USS Lexington is an impressive
tribute to all those brave men who served aboard her in times of war.
Probably the greatest tribute should go to those men who took this
great ship to fight against the Japanese in World
War II. It was those men who would later become known as "The
Greatest Generation."
I had the opportunity to visit the Navy carrier recently and I came
away from that experience very impressed. There is no way that I can
include, in this limited space, all the things that this proud ship
has accomplished - so, I will just try to hit the highlights and then
encourage folks to go tour this massive instrument of war and see
for themselves. |
An F-14 Tomcat
fighter plane displayed on the flight deck
Photo by Murray
Montgomery, August 2018 |
USS Lexington
(CV-16) is the second carrier to be so named. The first one was
sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea while this ship was being
built. When the shipyard workers learned that the first Lexington
had been lost, they petitioned the Navy to allow them to use that
name on the new ship; that request was granted.
The new Lexington was launched on Sept. 23, 1942, and it would not
be long before she would see a lot of combat and would also acquire
a nickname from the Japanese along the way. It seems that the ship
was the only carrier in the Navy that was painted a blue-gray color;
because she had been reported sunk four times and reappeared, the
Japanese begin to call her "The Blue Ghost."
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Blue Ghost sign
displayed onboard USS Lexington
Photo by Murray
Montgomery, August 2018 |
The Blue Ghost
saw action at Kwajalein, Wake Island, Battle of the Philippine Sea,
and the Battle of Leyte Gulf, just to name a few. The ship was torpedoed
and also hit by kamikaze aircraft. Sailors died in these attacks
but the ship continued to return to the fight.
You could very well call the USS Lexington (Lex) a floating city
because that is exactly what she is - below decks you will find
a mess hall, barbershop, hospital, optometrist, boiler room, and
crew quarters to sleep over 1,500.
USS Lexington's flight deck is more than two acres, her electrical
power plant could light a city of 150,000 people. The Lex can sail
30,000 miles without refueling, and she has 5,000 telephones onboard.
Lex was the first aircraft carrier to have women stationed onboard
(1980); first to establish a sea-going high school (1967); first
foreign carrier to enter Tokyo Bay; first U.S. Navy carrier to deploy
surface-to-air missiles.
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As I mentioned
before, there is so much more to learn about the USS Lexington that
folks need go check it out. This ship is a historic treasure and the
people of Texas should be proud that we have it based here. This floating
museum receives no federal or state funding. It exists solely on grants,
donations, and ticket sales. Maintaining and running the day-to-day
operations is on an all-volunteer basis.
The USS Lexington maintains a very informative web site and I encourage
you to check it out. There is so much more to learn. Go to: https://usslexington.com/
© Murray
Montgomery September 1, 2018 Column
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