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USS LEXINGTON MODEL
USS Lexington (CV-2) was
the name ship of her class of two aircraft carriers
built for the United States Navy during the 1920s.
Originally designed as a Lexington-class battlecruiser,
she was converted into one of the Navy's first aircraft
carriers during construction to comply with the terms of
the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. The ship entered
service in 1928 and was assigned to the Pacific Fleet
for her entire career. The carrier
was launched on October 3, 1925 and commissioned
December 14, 1927.
USS Lexington and her
sister ship, Saratoga, were used to develop and refine
carrier tactics in a series of annual exercises before
World War II. By mid-April 1942, US naval planners had
determined that the Japanese planned to continue their
expansion south. To counter that move, the US
established Task Force 17 centered on the
USS Yorktown and the USS Lexington. Rear Admiral
Aubrey W. Fitch commanded carrier operations from the Lexington.
In March and April, from intelligence, admiral
Chester Nimitz deployed the aircraft carrier USS
Lexington and Yorktown
to the South Pacific in order to stop the Japanese advance. The
result was the Battle of Coral Sea, the first
aircraft carrier
battle in history.
On the morning of May 7, planes from USS Lexington the
other aircraft carrier destroyed Shoho, making it the
first Japanese carrier sunk. On May
8, aircraft from the main bodies of the two opposing fleets
found each other. American aircraft inflicted
severe damage on Shokaku. In return, the Japanese hit
the Lexington with two torpedoes and two bombs.
Although USS Lexington’s flight deck was restored to
service, a series of explosions ripped through the ship
soon after. When the fires became uncontrollable, the
aircraft carrier was declared a total loss. Five
torpedoes from an US escorting destroyer sent
USS Lexington to the bottom. She lost 200 crew members and 35 aircraft.
The Battle of the Coral
Sea was a strategic victory for the US and its allies;
Japan did not capture Port Moresby and never again
pushed that far south. The battle was the first major
setback of the war for Imperial Japanese Navy. It halted
Japan's relentless advancement in the Pacific. Aside from the tactical
and strategic results, the battle in the Coral Sea is
notable because it was the first naval engagement in
history where opposing ships never came within sight of
each other. The battle ushered in a new form of
naval warfare in which big-gun ships had no role, with
all action taking place at long range via
airplanes.
The USN learned much from
the sinking of the USS Lexington, in particular regarding damage
control practices and the dangers of flammable fumes
spreading through a damaged ship. These lessons would
help save carriers in future battles, such as
USS Enterprise on several occasions, and USS Franklin in
1945.
At 3,000 meters, USS Lexington was too deep for the wreck salvagers. When
Paul Allen's team found her on March 4, 2018, she
was well preserved, with gun mounts and many aircraft in good condition.
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This primarily wood
USS Lexington model is 30" long x
9" tall x 5.5" wide (1/350
scale)
$3,170
Shipping and insurance in
the contiguous USA included.
Other places: $300 flat rate. This model is in stock and
can be shipped within five business days.
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Learn more about the
USS Lexington aircraft carrier here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Lexington_(CV-2)
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