|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

USS Lexington CV-16 (WWII)

The USS Lexington CV-16 is an Essex class aircraft carrier. She is the fifth ship in the history of the American Navy to bear the Name Lexington and was named in honor of another ship that had sunk shortly before her completion. Originally, she was to be called Cabot. Her launch occurred in September of 1942 from Quincy, Massachusetts where she had been built by the Bethlehem Steel Company.

She weighed in at 27,100 tons when she was built and, fully loaded, weighed 36,380 tons. Overall, she was 872 foot long and 147 feet and six inches wide. The Lexington had a capacity of 110 planes and used three elevators to move the airplanes from the storage deck to the flight deck. Her crew consisted of 2,600 enlisted men and officers. She was driven by steam from eight boilers, which were attached to four propellers. Her top speed was about 33 knots and, at fifteen knots, she could travel over 20,000 nautical miles. When she was attacked she could defend herself with four twin five inch 38 caliber guns, four single five inch 38 caliber guns, eight quadruple 40mm 56 caliber guns and 46 single 20mm 78 caliber guns.

After training in the Caribbean, she entered Pearl Harbor in August of 1943. She almost immediately set sail for her first missions which consisted of a raid against Tarawa in September and then Wake in October. In November, her attack planes were involved in several raids and helped with some successful landings of American forces. In just two days towards the end of November, her airplanes shot down a total of 29 enemy planes. At the beginning of December, she began a raid against Kwajelein and the bases there. During the day, she damaged two cruisers, sank a cargo ship and managed to bring down another 30 of the enemy's aircraft. When night fell, however, the Admiral in charge ordered that her gunner crews not fire for fear that her position would be pinpointed by the enemy. Parachute flares from the Japanese made the Lexington an easy target and she was soon hit by a torpedo on her starboard side. Everyone in the section was killed and the other sailors were forced to weld shut many of the doors so the entire ship wouldn't flood. This hit also took out her steering capabilities, but her crew was quickly able to devise a method to control her course. She made it to Pearl Harbor, where repairs were made. The gunner crews were ordered to open fire any time the ship was under attack and the Admiral was replaced.

As part of the Fifth Fleet, the Lexington took part in almost every major attack and operation in the Pacific. Her scorecard for World War II is very impressive. Her aircraft destroyed 475 of the enemy planes still sitting on the ground and an astounding 372 Japanese planes in the air. Her shipboard guns also brought down, or assisted in bringing down, twenty other planes. She sank and destroyed over 300,000 tons of enemy cargo and severely damaged another 600,000 tons. She was instrumental in sinking several enemy cruisers, destroyers and tankers. Her attack planes assisted with sinking the Japanese superbattleship, Musashi, the carriers Chitose and Zuiho and were singly responsible for sinking the Zuikako and the Nachi.

The Japanese pronounced her sunk a total of four times. Every time, though, she would appear on the horizon the next morning. This ability to withstand everything the Japanese could throw at her earned her the nickname "The Blue Ghost". The second time she received damage occurred on November 5, 1944. A Kamikaze pilot managed to bring his flaming plane down on the deck near her control island. Several fires broke out as flaming fuel sprayed across the deck, but the crew was able to put out the flames within twenty minutes and the carrier returned to action. After repairs, she returned to battle and was named the flagship for Task Group 58.2. Her aircraft continued to pound on and weaken enemy forces throughout the rest of the wart. She and her crew spent a total of 21 months in combat, received the Presidential Unit Citation for actions against Japanese forces and were honored with eleven Battle Stars for engagements during World War II.

After the Japanese surrendered, her aircraft continued to patrol the skies over the island and dropped supplies to prisoner of war camps. She finally arrived in San Francisco in December of 1945 loaded with veterans returning home. After the end of World War II, the Lexington joined the reserve fleet and then was reactivated for missions during the Vietnam War. In 1969, she became a training ship for carrier operations. When she was finally decommissioned in 1991, she was the oldest working carrier to still be serving the Navy. Today, she can be found in Corpus Christi, Texas as a museum ship.

Throughout her entire service, there was a danger aboard ship that had nothing to do with enemy forces. During her construction, as well as the construction of most ships serving in the Navy at that time, asbestos had been used liberally as an insulator. Asbestos dust floating through the holds and corridors of the ship was constantly inhaled and swallowed by the sailors, officers and pilots serving on board. Asbestosis and Mesothelioma are only two of the possible results of asbestos exposure.

If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Lexington CV-16 (WWII), or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, Asbestos.com offers a free packet with more information. Enter your contact information in the form in the right column and we'll send a copy immediately.

Aircraft Carriers Index

USS America USS Antietam CV 36 K USS Antietam CV 36 USS Badoeng Strait CVE 116 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Belleau wood CVL 24 USS Bennington CV 20 USS Bon Homme Richard CVa USS Boxer CV USS Bunker CV USS Cabot CVL 28 USS Constellation CV USS Coral Sea CV USS Corregidor CVE 58 USS Sable ix USS San jacinto CVL USS Saratoga CV USS Saratoga CV3 USS Shangri La

USS Cowpens CVL 25 USS Enterprise CV 6 USS Enterprise CVN USS Essex CV 9 USS Forrestal CV USS Franklin CV 13 USS Hancock CV 19 USS Hornet CV 12 USS Hornet CV 8 USS Independence C1 USS Independence CVL 22 USS Intrepid CV 11 USS Kearsage CV 33 USS Kearsage CV USS Kitty Hawk USS Sicily CVe USS Sitkoh bay USS Tarawa CV USS Ticonderoga CV USS Valley forge CV

USS Lake Champlain CV 39 USS Langley CV 1 USS Langley CVL 27 USS Lexington CV 16 USS Lexington CV 2 USS Leyte CV 32 USS Midway CV USS Oriskany CV USS Phillipine Sea CV USS Point cruz CVE USS Princeton CV USS Princeton CVL USS Randolph CV USS Ranger CV USS Rendova USS Wasp CV 18 USS Wasp CV 7 USS Wolverine IX 64 USS Yorktown CV 10 USS Yorktown CV 5

Name:

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Phone Number:

Email:

Diagnosis:

Select... Mesothelioma Lung Cancer Asbestosis Severe Asbestosis Unknown

Comments:

Show Your Support

Free Wristbands
Get an Asbestos Awareness Wristband. Read More

VA Claim Help

Support Book

Cancer Support Book
Get a Free Copy of Lean on Me - Cancer Through a Carer's Eyes. Read More

In Your Area

Asbestos Exposure
Learn about asbestos exposure and legal options in your area. Read More

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: Verify Here.