CV-2 USS Lexington Wreck Discvoered

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Vanguard
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CV-2 USS Lexington Wreck Discvoered

Post by Vanguard » Tue Mar 06, 2018 4:27 am

Two days ago, the wreck of USS Lexington (CV-2) was discovered resting below the Coral Sea.

She was scuttled after suffering fatal damage during the first 'carrier only' battle, the Battle of the Coral Sea on the 8th of May, 1942 which was fought to control the lines of communication between the United States and Australia/New Zealand during the opening stages of the Pacific War. Of note located near the wreckage were the remains of seven TBD Devastators, three SBD Dauntlesses and a single F4F-3 Wildcat of the notable VF-3 'Felix the Cat' Squadron of which John Thach and Edward O'Hare were members of.

All credit to the expedition and crew put together by Paul G. Allen on his Research Vessel (R/V) Petrel.

https://www.paulallen.com/uss-lexington ... rv-petrel/



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Last edited by Vanguard on Tue Mar 06, 2018 6:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Spectre
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Re: CV-2 USS Lexington Wreck Discvoered

Post by Spectre » Tue Mar 06, 2018 6:06 am

Amazing how intact the Wildcat is, its rare to see the original colour and such clear definition. It must be pretty deep and cold for it to preserve itself.
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"On the edge of destiny, you must test your strength"
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Double
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Re: CV-2 USS Lexington Wreck Discvoered

Post by Double » Tue Mar 06, 2018 7:11 am

What a find! The WWII PTO is for me what BoB is for a lot of you chaps across the pond. What a great piece of history we get to rest our eyes on again. I need to see more. Thanks for posting this Vanguard.



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Bunny
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Re: CV-2 USS Lexington Wreck Discvoered

Post by Bunny » Tue Mar 06, 2018 10:53 am

That Wildcat is beautiful, even in that condition. I'm assuming it's a designated war grave, but would that extend to the old aircraft I wonder? Would be great to see the Wildcat brought to the surface as a reminder to all.

“It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes I-16s.” - Douglas Adams


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Jammy
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Re: CV-2 USS Lexington Wreck Discvoered

Post by Jammy » Tue Mar 06, 2018 11:08 am

Snapper even the logo of the boxing bird is still intact. Nice find Vanguard :nice:
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Rudi
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Re: CV-2 USS Lexington Wreck Discvoered

Post by Rudi » Wed Mar 07, 2018 4:41 am

It's not a boxing bird, that was a F4F-3 Wildcat of VF-3 and it is Felix the Cat carrying a bomb.

Ros
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Re: CV-2 USS Lexington Wreck Discvoered

Post by Ros » Wed Mar 07, 2018 5:46 am

Isn't the the colour on that Wildcat remarkable after all these years! A while back I was visiting Chicago and had the chance on my flight out from Midway to spend my wait looking at the Dauntless on display there. A fantastic piece of history!
Last edited by Ros on Wed Mar 07, 2018 4:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Bunny
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Re: CV-2 USS Lexington Wreck Discvoered

Post by Bunny » Wed Mar 07, 2018 10:14 am

It'd be interesting to see the colours as they really are - underwater will naturally favour blues and greens anyway, at the sort of distance that image was taken, so we're probably seeing an unintentionally 'enhanced' image anyway. Only way to tell is if they're allowed to pull her up, which would be awesome.

“It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes I-16s.” - Douglas Adams


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Larry
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Re: CV-2 USS Lexington Wreck Discvoered

Post by Larry » Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:24 pm

Incredible, indeed. :shock: when is she sunk? Last week?

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Spectre
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Re: CV-2 USS Lexington Wreck Discvoered

Post by Spectre » Wed Mar 07, 2018 3:55 pm

I read somewhere its being made a designated "War Grave" and I think that means they aren't allowed to bring anything to the surface unfortunately.
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"On the edge of destiny, you must test your strength"
- Air Marshal Billy Bishop

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