Corpus Christi And The USS Lexington (photo rich)

"The Blue Ghost"

USS Lexington - Essex Class - Aircraft Carrier

Martha and I have been in Southern Texas since the 15th of December. I appologize to our readers for not being more active with our blog but we needed some time off to just sit in once place for a while and get to know it. Toward that goal we ventured into Corpus Christi and the "North Beach" area to see the USS Lexington.

A History Lesson

Commissioned in 1943, she set more records than any other Essex Class carrier in the history of naval aviation.The ship was the oldest working carrier in the United States Navy when decommissioned in 1991. An Essex-class carrier, LEXINGTON was originally named the USS CABOT. During World War II, final construction was being completed at Massachusetts’ Fall River Shipyard when word was received that the original carrier named USS LEXINGTON, CV-2, had been sunk in the Coral Sea. The new carrier’s name was changed to LEXINGTON.

During World War II, the carrier participated in nearly every major operation in the Pacific Theater and spent a total of 21 months in active combat. Her planes destroyed 372 enemy aircraft in the air and more on the ground. She sank or destroyed 300,000 tons of enemy cargo and damaged an additional 600,000 tons. The ships guns shot down 15 planes and assisted in downing five more.
The Japanese reported LEXINGTON sunk no less than four times! Yet, each time she returned to fight again. Leading the propaganda as to her demise was the Pacific Theater and Japanese propagandist "Tokyo Rose" She nicknamed her “The Blue Ghost.” The name is a tribute to the ship and the crew and air groups that served aboard her.

Though not big by today's standards, she is still immense. During WWII she crewed between 1500 and 3300 men and women depending on the operations she was assigned to.  Source: Wikipedia

Hanger Deck - Lexington

(Click on any Photo to enlarge them)

The Lexington vs The Ford - Statistics in Comparison

                                                                                           Source: Wikipedia

                              Essex Class - Lexington                                  

                              Flight Deck Length - 910 feet                                

                           Length at water line - 880 feet                             

                                              Beam - 196 feet                                                    

Speed - 30+ Knots     

Range - 4,131 Nautical Miles

Aircraft - 78

Hanger Deck - Ford

Source: Google.com

 Ford Class (newest) - USS Gerald Ford

Flight Deck Length - 1,106 feet

Length at Water Line - 990 feet

Beam - 256 feet

Speed - 35+ Knots or more (classified)

Range - Unlimited (20-25 years)

Range - Unlimited (20-25 years)

Aircraft - In excess of 75 (classified)

Why Should You Tour the USS Lexington?

First, it is part of American History and the "Greatest Generation."  It truly is something to behold. It is an old ship but it is an excellent example of the kind of technology that helped America and it's allies win WWII.  It is at once, fearsome and awe inspiring.

If you have never been aboard a large war ship then you should visit "Lady Lex" (her nickname) if you are in the area. 

As we toured the ship we took many photos. As we moved through the ship we negotiated many steep stairs. If you have trouble with stairs you may want to not go.

As always, we like to hear from our readers, please feel free to make a comment in the comment box at the bottom of this blog entry.

There were many displays aboard the ship. Some came complete with manikins to make it feel more realistic and in the moment. So, follow our tour as we went through the ship.

The Pier to the Ship

Hanger Deck

(Click on any Photo to enlarge them)

As you know Aircraft Carriers are a City Unto Them Selves

(Click on any Photo to enlarge them)

Dentist Office

Post Office

Machine Shop

Flight Deck

Navigation Bridge

Bridge

Use these signs to see which piece is used for what in the photo below

Offensive Fire Power

Affectionately Known as Pom-Pom Guns

When Airplanes Land They Need to Stop - The Arresting Gear

Training and Boredom

As I said above this is something that is worth seeing. Even if you don't like the Military or hate war, it's worth going to visit just to understand how much those that are in the military are responsible for and what they have personally given up to serve on behalf of our nation.