About the Lexington - The Blue Ghost

The USS Lexington, CV-16, is a vintage wartime aircraft carrier. Commissioned in 1943, she served the United States longer and set more records than any other carrier in the history of naval aviation.

The ship was the oldest working carrier in the United States Navy when decommissioned in 1991. The Lexington, an Essex-class carrier, was originally named the USS Cabot. During World War II, the final work on it was being completed at Massachusetts' Fore River Shipyard when word was received that the original carrier named Lexington, CV-2, had been sunk in the Coral Sea. A campaign was launched to change the new carrier's name to Lexington, and the rest is history. The USS Lexington was commissioned on February 17, 1943.

After training maneuvers and a shakedown cruise, the Lexington joined the Fifth Fleet at Pearl Harbor. During World War 11, the Lexington participated in nearly every major operation in the Pacific Theater and spent a total of 21 months in combat. Her planes destroyed 372 enemy aircraft in the air and 475 more on the ground. She sank or destroyed 300,000 tons of enemy cargo and damaged an additional 600,000 tons. The ship's guns shot down 15 planes and assisted in downing five more.

The Japanese reported the Lexington sunk no less than four times! Yet, each time she returned to fight again, leading the propagandist Tokyo Rose to nickname her "The Blue Ghost." The name is a tribute to the ship and the crew and air groups that served aboard her.

After the war, the Lexington was briefly decommissioned (1947-1955). When reactivated, she operated primarily with the Seventh Fleet out of San Diego, California. Although not involved in actual combat, the Lexington kept an offshore vigil during tensions in Formosa, Laos, and Cuba. In 1962, the Lexington sailed into Pensacola, Florida, and began training operations, eventually being officially designated CVT-16, Navy Training Carrier.

The USS Lexington was decommissioned on November 26, 1991. Corpus Christi is privileged to be selected as the permanent home to this national treasure.

Museum hours of operation: Monday-Sunday 9:00a.m. - 6:00p.m.

Phone Number: 361-888-4873

USS Lexington Vital Statistics

Crew:1,550 Men and Women

Length of the Flight Deck: 910 Feet

Length at the Water Line: 880 Feet

Height (Water Line to Flight Deck): 52 Feet

Maximum Width: 196 Feet

Draft (Keel to Water Line): 30 Feet

Displacement: 42,000 Tons

Speed: 30+ Knots

Range at Maximum Speed: 4,131 Miles

Engines: 4 Westinghouse Steam Turbines Developing 150,000 Horsepower

Screws/Propellers: Four, Sixteen Feet in Diameter

Decks: Sixteen from Top of Pilot House to Double Bottom

Steam: 600 PSI, 850 Degrees Boilers: 8 Babcock & Wilcox (M-Type 619 PSI)

Generators: Four - 1,250 Kilowatts

Fresh Water Production: 180,000 Gallons per Day

Fuel Storage: Ship's Fuel-1,500,000 Gallons. Aviation Fuel - 440,000 Gallons

Medical Facilities: Surgical Facilities with 20 bed capacity. 2 Doctors/14 Corpsmen

Dental Facilities: 2 Dentists/7 Technicians

Library: Over 40,000 Books

Catapults: Two Steam-Powered C-ll Catapults

Catapult Launching Area: 211 Feet

Flight Deck Landing Area: 90,000 Square Feet

Hangar Bays: Three, Totaling Over 40,000 Square Feet

Anchors: 15 Tons, 50 Pounds

Food Service: Crew daily consumed 660 pounds of meat, 164 gallons of milk and 97 dozen eggs.

Information taken from USS Lexington museum on the bay's website: http://www.usslexington.com