The USS Lexington: The Oldest Working Carrier in the Navy

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My family and I had gone to visit my aunt and uncle in South Carolina. My uncle had retired from the Navy and was working at Patriots Point, where there are a number of U.S. naval vessels that are now museums. He took us up onto the flight deck of the USS Yorktown.

This would be the Yorktown not that was sunk at Midway, but the one that was named after it that served at the end of World War II. And I just recall standing on that enormous flight deck and just being in awe and kind of fascinated by these huge ships that were just so unique. As an adult moving to the Pacific Northwest, I ended up with the opportunity to see a few more aircraft carriers, though the ones I've seen out here are not museums.

They're still sailing, which is even more impressive. They're just really interesting ships. As I was doing some reading in history recently, though, about some of the very first aircraft carriers in the United States Navy, I was impressed not so much by size or uniqueness, but by their versatility, especially when I got into the story of the USS Lexington. The USS Lexington was the fourth U.S. ship to bear that name, the name of the place where the American Revolution started, Lexington. It was also the second aircraft carrier produced by the United States. However, at first it wasn't supposed to be an aircraft carrier. The Lexington was laid down in 1921 in Quincy, Massachusetts as a battle cruiser. In 1922, they switched gears and converted her into an aircraft carrier, the second one, as I said, following the Langley, which was also converted from a different type of ship. The Lady Lex was launched in 25 and commissioned in 27, and along with the Saratoga, which was the following aircraft carrier, the third one, the Lexington was sent to operate in the Pacific Ocean.

Now, while the Lexington was a ship with capabilities for war, Lady Lex also served in some unique ways during peacetime. She started out as a battle cruiser, changed to an aircraft carrier, and then, when need arose, became a temporary power plant. In 1929, the U.S. stock market crashed and the Great Depression began, and on top of the economic disaster, the city of Tacoma, Washington, faced a serious power shortage. The city depended on hydroelectric power from Lake Cushman and the Nisqually River, but, unfortunately, on top of all the other troubles in the world, unusual cold weather and a drought the previous fall meant that there simply wasn't enough buildup of water behind the dams to power the city. So, as they sought for a solution, they found it in the Lexington.

They brought in an aircraft carrier, of all things. On December 15, 1921, the Lexington was hooked up at Tacoma's Baker Dock to the city's electrical grid. And, for 12 hours each day, the Lexington generated and transmitted about 20,000 kilowatts of power.

And this went on for quite some time. The calendar page turned, and the Lexington was still there until January. But, by January 16, 1930, enough water had built up behind the dams to serve Tacoma's needs again, and the crisis was averted. The Lexington was able to return to her regular duties. Now, the following year, the Lexington was actually called upon for another mission of mercy, transporting disaster relief supplies and personnel to the aftermath of a terrible earthquake and fire in Managua, Nicaragua. Of course, peacetime missions weren't the only missions that the Lexington had to be involved in. On December 7, 1941, fortunately, the Lexington was not in Pearl Harbor. Along with other aircraft, she was out to sea. At this time, the Lexington was busy transporting marine planes to Midway Island. But, once America entered World War II, the Lexington became involved as well.

In 1942, Admiral Nimitz sent the aircraft carriers, USS Yorktown and USS Lexington, along with several American and Australian cruisers, to meet a Japanese fleet, including three aircraft carriers in the Coral Sea. Now, the Lexington suffered multiple hits in the ensuing battle. The crew worked furiously to repair the Lady Lex and put out the fires burning within her.

For a while, it appeared they were succeeding. But, 12 minutes after the ship's log reported that all of the fires below decks were put out, the following entry was logged, and I quote, Heavy explosion felt, which vented up forward bomb elevator, lost communication with central station. More explosions ended up shaking the Lexington and the systems failed and new fires blazed.

In spite of all of the crew's efforts, in the end, the Lexington was abandoned and scuttled there. There, she rested undisturbed until remains were rediscovered in 2018. A power plant for the city of Tacoma and also providing relief to the people of Nicaragua after a natural disaster. Luckily for Lady Lex, she was not in Pearl Harbor in 1941.

She was busily transporting planes to Midway Island. The story of Lady Lex, here on Our American Stories. Dave Beeb here, the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country. Stories from our big cities and small towns, but we truly can't do this show without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make. If you love what you hear, go to OurAmericanStories.com and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot.

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