06-03-2018, 12:30 PM
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USS Lexington: Lost WW2 aircraft carrier found after 76 years
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-43296489
The USS Lexington, along with 11 of its 35 aircraft, was located at a depth of about 3km (2 miles) in the Coral Sea, about 800km off Australia's east coast.
The ship was lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea from 4-8 May 1942. More than 200 crew members died in the fighting.
Pictures showed the wreck to be well preserved.
The Battle of the Coral Sea is considered a key moment in halting Japan's advance in the Pacific during the war.
The Lexington was scuttled by US forces after being struck by several Japanese torpedoes and bombs during the battle.
More than 2,000 survivors were rescued.
They proved extremely successful and were the largest aircraft carriers in the USN until the Midway-class aircraft carriers were completed beginning in 1945.
Both ships served in World War II, seeing action in many battles. Although Lexington was sunk in the first carrier battle in history (the Battle of the Coral Sea) in 1942, Saratoga served throughout the war.
Lexington is an official war grave, so its location is, of course, profoundly important to surviving relatives.
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