USS Lexington CV-16 moored in Corpus Christi Bay

Today, the clouds parted, the sun appeared and  Patti and Dwayne visited the USS Lexington CV-16 moored in Corpus Christi Bay.  The Lexington, an Essex-class aircraft carrier built during World War II is the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name.  Each were named in honor of the Revolutionary War Battle fought at Lexington in what was then the Province of Massachusetts.  The Lexington was commissioned in early 1943 and later arrived in Pearl Harbor in August of 1943.  She participated in various battles that same year and would engage in almost every major operation in the Pacific Theater and spent a total of 21 months in combat.

Her blue-gray color scheme resulted in her being nicknamed “The Blue Ghost”.  How she received this name may be a result of the Japanese radio propagandist Tokyo Rose making reference to that name as the Japanese reported LEXINGTON sunk no less than four times.  However each time “The Blue Ghost” returned to fight again.

After the war, 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, LEXINGTON kept an offshore vigil during tensions in Formosa, Laos, and Cuba.

In 1962, she sailed into Pensacola, Florida, and began training operations, eventually being officially designated CVT-16, Navy Training Carrier.  She was finally decommissioned in 1991.  Corpus Christi is now the permanent home to this national treasure. More information can be found at http://www.usslexington.com




USS Lexington CV-16