USS Lexington ( CV - 16 ) USS " Lexington " ( CV / CVA / CVS / CVT / AVT - 16 ) , nicknamed " The Blue Ghost " , is an built during World War II for the United States Navy . Originally intended to be named " Cabot " , word arrived during construction that the had been lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea . She was renamed while under construction to commemorate the earlier ship . This ship was the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name in honor of the Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington . Background . " Lexington " was commissioned in February 1943 and saw extensive service through the Pacific War . For much of her service she acted as the flagship for Admiral Marc Mitscher , and led the Fast Carrier Task Force through their battles across the Pacific . She was the recipient of 11 battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation . Following the war " Lexington " was decommissioned , but was modernized and reactivated in the early 1950s , being reclassified as an attack carrier ( CVA ) . Later she was reclassified as an antisubmarine carrier ( CVS ) . In her second career , she operated both in the Atlantic / Mediterranean and the Pacific , but spent most of her time , nearly 30 years , on the east coast as a training carrier ( CVT ) . " Lexington " was decommissioned in 1991 , with an active service life longer than any other ship . Following her decommissioning she was donated for use as a museum ship in Corpus Christi , Texas . In 2003 , " Lexington " was designated a National Historic Landmark . Though her surviving sisterships " Yorktown " , " Intrepid " , and " Hornet " carry lower hull numbers , " Lexington " was laid down and commissioned earlier , making " Lexington " the oldest remaining aircraft carrier in the world . Construction and commissioning . The ship was laid down as " Cabot " on 15 July 1941 by Bethlehem Steel Co . , Quincy , Mass . In May 1942 , , which had been built in the same shipyard two decades earlier , was sunk at the Battle of the Coral Sea . In June , workers at the shipyard submitted a request to Navy Secretary Frank Knox to change the name of a carrier currently under construction there to " Lexington " . Knox agreed to the proposal and " Cabot " was renamed as the fifth USS " Lexington " on 16 June 1942 . She was launched on 23 September 1942 , sponsored by Mrs . Theodore Douglas Robinson . " Lexington " was commissioned on 17 February 1943 , with Captain Felix Stump USN in command . " The Blue Ghost " . The Japanese referred to " Lexington " as a " ghost " ship for her tendency to reappear after reportedly being sunk . This , coupled with the ship ' s dark blue camouflage scheme , led the crew to refer to her as " The Blue Ghost " . There were rumors during the war that the ship was so badly damaged it had to be scuttled at one point , but a newly built aircraft carrier was immediately deployed with the same name , in an effort to demoralize the Japanese . Service history . World War II . After a shakedown cruise in the Caribbean , " Lexington " sailed via the Panama Canal to join the Pacific fleet . One of the carrier ' s first casualties was 1939 Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick . During the ship ' s initial voyage ( to the Caribbean ) in 1943 , Kinnick and other naval fliers were conducting training flights off her deck . The F4F Wildcat flown by Kinnick developed a serious oil leak while airborne . The mechanical problem was so severe that Kinnick was unable to make it back to the Lexington and crashed into the sea four miles from the ship . Kinnick and his plane were never recovered . She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 9 August 1943 . She participated in a raid on the air bases on Tarawa in late September , followed by a Wake Island raid in October , then returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for the Gilbert Islands operation . From 19 to 24 November she made searches and flew sorties in the Marshalls , covering the landings in the Gilberts . Her aviators downed 29 enemy aircraft on 23 and 24 November . Kwajalein raid . " Lexington " sailed to raid Kwajalein on December 4 . Her morning strike destroyed the , damaged two cruisers , and accounted for 30 enemy aircraft . Her gunners splashed two of the enemy torpedo planes that attacked at midday , but were ordered not to open fire at night as the Admiral then in command believed it would give their position away ( He was later replaced ) . At 1920 that night , a major air attack began while the task force was under way off Kwajalein . At 2322 , parachute flares from Japanese planes silhouetted the carrier , and 10 minutes later she was hit by a torpedo on the starboard side , knocking out her steering gear . Nine people were killed , two on the fantail and seven in the Chief Petty Officers mess room , which was a repair party station during general quarters . Four members of the affected repair party survived because they were sitting on a couch that apparently absorbed the shock of the explosion . Settling by the stern , the carrier began circling to port amidst dense clouds of smoke pouring from ruptured tanks aft . To maintain water tight integrity , damage control crews were ordered to seal the damaged compartments and welded them shut applying heavy steel plates where needed . An emergency hand - operated steering unit was quickly devised , and Lexington made Pearl Harbor for emergency repairs , arriving on 9 December . She reached Bremerton , Washington on December 22 for full repairs , completed on February 20 , 1944 . The error in judgment concerning opening fire at night was never repeated again , as gun crews were then ordered to open fire anytime the ship came under attack . Following this attack the ship was reported sunk by Japan ' s Tokyo Rose , the first of several such assertions . Battle of the Philippine Sea . " Lexington " returned to Majuro in time to be present when Rear Admiral Marc Mitscher took command of the newly formed Task Force 58 ( TF 58 ) on 8 March . Mitscher took " Lexington " as his flagship , and after a warm - up strike against Mille , the Fast Carrier Task Force began a series of operations against the Japanese positions in the Central Pacific . She supported Army landings at Hollandia ( currently known as Jayapura ) on 13 April , and then raided the strongpoint of Truk on 28 April . Heavy counterattacks left " Lexington " untouched , her planes splashing 17 enemy fighters ; but , for the second time , Japanese propaganda announced her sunk . A surprise fighter strike on Saipan on 11 June virtually eliminated all air opposition over the island , then battered it from the air for the next 5 days . On 16 June , " Lexington " fought off a fierce attack by Japanese torpedo planes based on Guam , once again emerging unhurt but ' sunk ' a third time by propaganda pronouncements . As Japanese opposition to the Marianas operation provoked the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19 and 20 June , " Lexington " played a major role in TF 58 ' s great victory in what was later called the " Great Marianas Turkey Shoot " . With over 300 enemy aircraft destroyed the first day , and a carrier , a tanker , and a destroyer sunk the second day , American aviators virtually knocked Japanese naval aviation out of the war ; for with the planes went the trained and experienced pilots without whom Japan could not continue air warfare at sea . Using Eniwetok as her base , " Lexington " sent aircraft on sorties over Guam and against the Palaus and Bonins into August . She arrived in the Carolinas on 7 September for three days of strikes against Yap and Ulithi , then began attacks on Mindanao , the Visayas , the Manila area , and shipping along the west coast of Luzon , preparing for the coming assault on Leyte . Her task force then blasted Okinawa on 10 October and Formosa two days later to destroy bases from which opposition to the Philippines campaign might be launched . She was again unscathed through the air battle fought after the Formosa assault . Battle of Leyte Gulf . Now covering the Leyte landings , " Lexington " s planes scored importantly in the Battle of Leyte Gulf , the climactic American naval victory over Japan . While the carrier came under constant enemy attack in the engagement , her planes joined in sinking and scored hits on three cruisers on 24 October . Next day , with aircraft , they sank , and alone sank . Later in the day , they aided in sinking . As the retiring Japanese were pursued , her planes sank with four torpedo hits on 5 November off Luzon . Later that day , " Lexington " was introduced to the " kamikaze " as a flaming Japanese plane crashed near her island , destroying most of the island structure and spraying fire in all directions . Within 20 minutes , major blazes were under control , and she was able to continue normal flight actions , as well as shooting down a " kamikaze " heading for . On 9 November , " Lexington " arrived in Ulithi to repair battle damage while hearing that Tokyo once again claimed her sunk . Casualties were considered light despite the island structures destruction . Chosen as the flagship for Task Group 58 . 2 ( TG 58 . 2 ) on 11 December , she struck at the airfields of Luzon and Formosa during the first 9 days of January 1945 , encountering little enemy opposition . The task force then entered the South China Sea to strike enemy shipping and air installations . Strikes were flown against Saipan , Camranh Bay in then Indochina , Hong Kong , the Pescadores , and Formosa . Task force planes sank four merchant ships and four escorts in one convoy and destroyed at least 12 in another , at Camranh Bay on 12 January . Leaving the China Sea on 20 January , " Lexington " sailed north to strike Formosa again on 21 January and Okinawa again on 22 January . After replenishing at Ulithi , TG 58 . 2 sailed on 10 February to hit airfields near Tokyo on 16 February 1945 , and on 17 February to minimize opposition to the Iwo Jima landings on 19 February . " Lexington " flew close support for the assaulting troops from 19 – 22 February , then sailed for further strikes against the Japanese home islands and the Nansei Shoto before heading for overhaul at Puget Sound . Rear Admiral Sprague ' s Task Force . " Lexington " was combat bound again on 22 May , sailing via Alameda and Pearl Harbor for San Pedro Bay , Leyte where she joined Rear Admiral Thomas L . Sprague ' s task force for the final round of air strikes which battered the Japanese home islands from July - 15 August , when the last strike was ordered to jettison its bombs and return to " Lexington " on receiving word of Japanese surrender . During this period she had launched attacks on Honshū and Hokkaidō airfields , and Yokosuka and Kure naval bases to destroy the remnants of the Japanese fleet . She had also flown bombing attacks on industrial targets in the Tokyo area . After hostilities ended , her aircraft continued to fly air patrols over Japan , and dropped supplies to prisoner of war camps on Honshū . In December she was used to ferry home servicemen in what was known as Operation Magic Carpet , arriving in San Francisco on 16 December . Post - War . The " Lexington " was decommissioned at Bremerton , Washington on 23 April 1947 and entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet . While in reserve , she was designated attack carrier CVA - 16 on 1 October 1952 . In September 1953 , " Lexington " entered the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard . She received the " Essex " - class SCB - 27C and SCB - 125 conversions in one refit , being then able to operate the most modern jet aircraft . The most visible distinguishing features were an angled flight deck , steam catapults , a new island , and the hurricane bow . " Lexington " was recommissioned on 15 August 1955 , Captain A . S . Heyward , Jr . , in command . Assigned San Diego as her home port , she operated off California until May 1956 , sailing then for a six - month deployment with the 7th Fleet . She based on Yokosuka for exercises , maneuvers , and search and rescue missions off the coast of China , and called at major Far Eastern ports until returning San Diego on 20 December . She next trained Air Group 12 , which deployed with her on the next 7th Fleet deployment . Arriving Yokosuka on 1 June 1957 , " Lexington " embarked Rear Admiral H . D . Riley , Commander Carrier Division 1 , and sailed as his flagship until returning San Diego on 17 October . 1958 Taiwan Strait crisis . Following overhaul at Bremerton , her refresher training was interrupted by the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis ; on 14 July 1958 , she was ordered to embark Air Group 21 at San Francisco and sail to reinforce the 7th Fleet off Taiwan , arriving on station on 7 August and returning San Diego on 19 December . Now the first carrier whose planes were armed with AGM - 12 Bullpup guided missile , " Lexington " left San Francisco on 26 April 1959 for another tour of duty with the 7th Fleet . She was on standby alert during the Laotian crisis of late August and September . Following this she exercised with British naval forces before returning to San Diego , arriving on 2 December . In early 1960 she underwent an overhaul at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard . Far East . " Lexington " s next Far Eastern tour began late in 1960 , and was extended well into 1961 by renewed tension in Laos . Returning to west coast operations , she was ordered in January 1962 to prepare to relieve as aviation training carrier in the Gulf of Mexico , and she was redesignated CVS - 16 on 1 October 1962 . However , during the Cuban missile crisis , she resumed duty as an attack carrier , and it was not until 29 December 1962 that she relieved " Antietam " at Pensacola , Florida . Training carrier . Into 1969 , " Lexington " operated out of her home port , Pensacola , as well as Corpus Christi and New Orleans , qualifying student aviators and maintaining the high state of training of both active duty and reserve naval aviators . Her work became of increasing significance as she prepared the men vital to the Navy and Marine Corps operations over Vietnam , where naval aviation played a major role . Lexington marked her 200 , 000th arrested landing on 17 October 1967 , and was redesignated CVT - 16 on 1 January 1969 . She continued as a training carrier for the next 22 years until decommissioned and struck on 8 November 1991 . On 29 October 1989 , a student Naval Aviator lost control of his T - 2 training aircraft after an aborted attempt to land on " Lexington ' s " flight deck . The aircraft impacted the island with its right wing , killing 5 crew members ( including the pilot of the plane ) , and another 15 were injured . The island suffered no major damage , and fires from the burning fuel were extinguished within 15 minutes . " Lexington " was the final " Essex " - class carrier in commission , after had been decommissioned in 1976 . Awards . The crew of " Lexington " received the Presidential Unit Citation for heroism in action against enemy Japanese forces , 11 battle star s for major engagements during World War II service , and the other awards . USS Lexington Museum . On 15 June 1992 , the ship was donated as a museum and now operates as the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay at 27°48 ' 53 N , 97°23 ' 19 , 2914 North Shoreline Blvd , Corpus Christi , Texas . A MEGAtheater ( similar to IMAX ) was added in the forward aircraft elevator space . " Lexington " was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003 . The ship is carefully maintained , and areas of the ship previously off - limits are becoming open to the public every few years . One of the most recent examples is the catapult room . The ship ' s World War II - era gun battery is also being partially restored using guns salvaged from scrapped ships . Most notable among these are 5 " / 38 DP gun turrets saved from the scrapping of the heavy cruiser . They have been mounted in the approximate locations where similar mounts once existed as part of the ship ' s original World War II - era fit . On 5 February 2010 , the USS " Lexington " hosted their 17th annual " Stagedoor Canteen " . The National Naval Aviation Museum , at Naval Air Station Pensacola , has a small carrier deck mock - up , whose flight deck is constructed from deck boards salvaged from the " Lexington " . Popular culture . In 1975 and 1987 , " Lexington " , with the blessing and cooperation of the Navy , served as a filming location at sea . The films were the feature movie " Midway " and the TV miniseries " War and Remembrance " . In both cases the ship was altered to the extent possible to resemble other vessels , the ( for " War and Remembrance " ) and ( for " Midway " ) by adding anti - aircraft cannons and operating World War II vintage Navy aircraft . " Lexington " was also used ( though tied up to her pier ) for filming of the 2001 film " Pearl Harbor " , where she was altered to resemble a Japanese carrier . In July 2007 the popular TV show Ghost Hunters filmed aboard the USS Lexington looking for evidence of ghosts , and in December 2009 was the subject of an episode of " Ghost Lab " , on the Discovery Channel .