USS Lexington (CV/CVA-16): From World War II to Present-Day
Museum Ship (Legends of Warfare: Naval)

Originally named the Wild Duck, Abraham van Bibber purchased her for the Maryland Committee of Safety, at St. Eustatius in the Dutch West Indies in February 1776. She soon got underway for the Delaware Capes and reached Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 9 March with a cargo of sorely needed gunpowder for the patriot forces.[1] Four days later the Marine Committee purchased Wild Duck, renamed her Lexington after the Battle of Lexington (the first battle of the war), and turned her over to Wharton and Humphry for fitting out
Throughout the history of the United States Navy there have been six Ships honored with the Lexington name
- USS Lexington (1776), a brigantine acquired in 1776
- USS Lexington (1825), a sloop-of-war in commission from 1826–1830 and 1831–1855. This ship sailed the Atlantic the Mediterranean and with Perry as part of the expedition to Japan.
- USS Lexington (1861), The Civil War era gunboat commissioned in 1861 for the Union
- USS Lexington II (SP-705), later USS SP-705, a patrol vessel commissioned in 1917 Assigned to the 4th based at Philadelphia, Lexington II served on patrol duties for the rest of World War I. She guarded the submarine nets in the Delaware River and patroled around Philadelphia, the Delaware River to the Delaware Bay, and through the Chesapeake Bay . She was renamed USS SP-705 sometime in 1918
- USS Lexington (CV-2), a Lexington-class aircraft carrier converted from a battle-cruiser and commissioned in 1927 and sunk in the battle of the Coral Sea in 1942
USS Lexington (CV/CVA-16): From World War II to Present-Day Museum Ship
About the Author
David Doyle’s earliest published works appeared in periodicals aimed at the hobby of historic military vehicle restoration. By 1999, this included regular features in leading hobby publications, appearing regularly in US, English, and Polish magazines. Since 2003, over 125 of his books have been published. Broadening his horizons from his initial efforts concerning vehicles, he soon added aircraft and warships to his research topics
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Edna Williams
The United States has a very rich history, and this is one fine example of that! Thanks for sharing!