The fifth Lexington (CV-18) was laid down as Cabot 15 July 1941 by BethlehemSteel Co., Quincy, Mass.; renamed Lexington 16 June 1942; launched 28 September1942; sponsored by Mrs. Theodore D. Robinson, and commissioned 17 February1943, Capt. Felix B. Stump in command.

After Caribbean shakedown and yard work at Boston, Lexington sailed forPacific action via the Panama Canal, arriving Pearl Harbor 9 August 1943.She raided Tarawa in late September and Wake in October, then returned PearlHarbor to prepare for the Gilbert Islands operation. From 19 to 24 Novembershe made searches and flew sorties in the Marshalls. covering the landingsin the Gilberts. Her aviators downed 29 enemy aircraft on 23 and 24 November.

Lexington sailed to mid Kwajalein 4 December. Her morning strike destroyeda cargo ship, damaged two cruisers, and accounted for 30 enemy aircraft.Her gunners splashed two of! the enemy torpedo planes that attacked at midday,and opened fire again at 1925 that night when a major air attack began.At 2322 parachute flares silhouetted the carrier, and 10 minutes later shewas hit by a torpedo to starboard, knocking out her steering gear. Settling5 feet by the stern, the carrier began circling to port amidst dense cloudsof smoke pouring from ruptured tanks aft. An emergency hand-operated steeringunit was quickly devised, and Lexington made Pearl Harbor for emergency repairs, arriving 9 December. She reached Bremerton, Wash.,22 December for full repairs completed 20 February 1944.

Lexington sailed via Alameda, Calif., and Pearl Harbor for Majuro, whereRear Adm. Marc Mitscher commanding TF 58 broke his flag in her 8 March.After a warmup strike against Mille, TF 58 operated against the mayor centersof resistance in Japan's outer empire, supporting the Army landing at Hollandia13 April, and hitting supposedly invulnerable Truk 28 April. Heavy counterattack left Lexington untouched, her planes splashing 17 enemy fighters; but, forthe second time, Japanese propaganda announced her sunk.

A surprise fighter strike on Saipan 11 June virtually eliminated allair opposition over the island, then battered from the air for the next5 days. On 15 June Lexington fought off: a fierce attack by Japanese torpedoplanes based on Guam, once again to emerge unhurt, but sunk a third timeby propaganda pronouncements. As Japanese opposition to the Mariannas operationprovoked the Battle of the Philippine Sea 19 and 20 June, Lexington playeda mayor role in TF 58's great victory. With over 300 enemy aircraft destroyedthe first day, and a carrier, a tanker, and a destroyer sunk the secondday, American aviators virtually knocked Japanese naval aviation out ofthe war; for with the planes went the trained and experienced pilots withoutwhom Japan could not continue air warfare at sea.

Using Eniwetok as her base, Lexington flew sorties over Guam and againstthe Palaus and Bonins into August. She arrived in the Carolinas6 Septemberfor 3 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 Okinawa10 October and Formosa 2 days later to destroy bases from which oppositionto the Philippines campaign might be launched. She was again unscathed throughthe air battle fought after the Formosa assault.

Now covering the Leyte landings, Lexington's planes scored importantlyin the Battle for Leyte Gulf, the climactic American naval victory overJapan. While the carrier came under constant enemy atttack in the engagementin which Princeton was sunk, her planes Joined in sinking Japan's superbattleshipMuea~hi and scored hits on three cruisers 24 October. Next day, with Essexaircraft they sank carrier Chitose, and alone sank Zuikoko. Later in theday, they aided in sinking a third carrier, Zutho. As the retiring Japanesewere pursued, her planes sank heavy cruiser Nachi with four torpedo hits5 November off Luzon.

But in the same action, she was introduced to the kamikaze as a flamingJapanese plane crashed near her island, destroying most of the island structureand spraying fire in all directions. Within 20 minutes major blazes wereunder control, and she was able to continue normal flight actions, her gunsknocking down a would-be kamikaze heading for carrier Ticonderoga as well.On 9 November Lexington arrived Ulithi to repair battle damage and learnthat Tokyo once again claimed her destroyed.

Chosen flagship for TG 58.2 on 11 December, she struck at the airfieldsof Luzon and Formosa during the first 9 days of January 1945, encounteringlittle enemy opposition. The task force then entered the China Sea to strikeenemy shipping and air installations. Strikes were flown against Saipan,Camranh Bay in then Indochina, Hong Kong. the Pescadores, and Formosa. Taskforce planes sank four merchant ships and four escorts in one convoy, anddestroyed at least 12 in another, at Camranh Bay 12 January. Leaving theChina Sea 20 January, Lexington sailed north to strike Formosa again 21January and Okinawa again 22 January.

After replenishing at Ulithi, TG 58.2 sailed 10 February to hit airfieldsnear Tokyo 18 and 17 February to minimize opposition to the Iwo Jima landings19 February. Lexington flew close support for the assaulting troops 19 to22 February, then sailed for further strikes against the Japanese home islandsand the Nansei Shoto before heading for overhaul at Puget Sound.

Lexington was combat bound again 22 May, sailing via Alameda and PearlHarbor for San Pedro Bay, Leyte, where she joined Rear Adm. T. L. Sprague'stask force for the final round of air strikes which battered the Japanesehome islands through July until 15 August, when the last strike was orderedto jettison its bombs and return to Lexington on receiving word of Japanesesurrender. During this period she had launched attacks on Honshu and Hokkaidoairfields, and Yokosuka and Kure naval bases to destroy the remnants ofthe Japanese fleet. She had also flown bombing attacks on industrial targetsin the Tokyo area.

After hostilities ended, she continued to fly precautionary patrols overJapan, and dropped supplies to prisoner of war camps on Honshu. She supportedthe occupation of Japan until leaving Tokyo Bay 3 December with homewardbound veterans for transportation to San Francisco, where she arrived 15December.

After west coast operations, Lexington decommissioned at Bremerton, Wash.,23 April 1947 and entered the Reserve Fleet there. Designated attack carrierCVA-16 on 1 October 1952, she began conversion and modernization in PugetSound Naval Shipyard 1 September 1953. receiving the new angled flight deck.

Lexington recommissioned 15 August 1955, Capt. A. S. Heyward, Jr., incommand. Assigned San Diego as her home port, she operated off Californiauntil May 1956, sailing then for a 6-month deployment with the 7th Fleet.She based on Yokosuka for exercises, maneuvers, and search and rescue missionsoff the coast of China, and called at major Far Eastern ports until returningSan Diego 20 December. She next trained Air Group 12, which deployed withher on the next 7th Fleet deployment. Arriving Yokosuka 1 June 1957, Lexingtonembarked Rear Adm. H. D. Riley, Commander Carrier Division 1 and sailedas his flagship until returning San Diego 17 October.

Following overhaul at Bremerton, her refresher training was interruptedby the Lebanon crisis; on 14 July 1958 she was ordered to embark Air Group21 at San Francisco and Pail to reinforce the 7th Fleet off Taiwan, arrivingon station 7 August. With another peacekeeping mission of the U.S. Navysuccessfully accomplished, she returned San Diego 19 December. Now the firstcarrier whose planes were armed with air-to-surface Bullpup guided missile,Lexington left San Francisco 26 April 1959 for another tour of duty withthe 7th Fleet. She v.as on standby alert during the Laotian crisis of lateAugust and September, then exercised with British forces before sailingfrom Yokosuka 16 November for San Diego, arriving 2 December. Through early1960 she overhauled at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

Lexington's next Far Eastern tour began late in 1960 and was extendedwell into 1961 by renewed tension in Laos. Returning to west coast operations,she was ordered in January 1962 to prepare to relieve Antietam (CV-16) asaviation training carrier in the Gulf of Mexico, and she was redesignatedCVS-16 on 1 October 1962. However, during the Cuban missile crisis, sheresumed duty as an attack carrier, and it was not until 29 December 1963that she relieved Antietam at Pensacola.

Into 1963, Lexington has operated out of her home port Pensacola, aswell as Corpus Christi and New Orleans, qualifying student aviators andmaintaining the high state of training of both active duty and reserve navalaviators. Her work has been of increasing significance as she has preparedthe men vital to the continuing Navy and Marine Corps operations over Vietnam,where naval aviation has played a major role in defending the cause of freedom.Lexington marked her 200,000th arrested landing 17 October 1967, and wasredesignated CVT-16 on 1 January 1969.

Lexington received the Presidential Unit Citation and 11 battle stars for World War II service

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