Published in the October 1942 issue of All Hands, this four-page feature announces the launching of a new USS Lexington to carry on the proud name of the carrier lost at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942. The original USS Lexington (CV-2), nicknamed “Lady Lex,” was the Navy’s second fleet carrier and one of the most celebrated ships in the prewar fleet. When she was lost in the Coral Sea action, the Navy moved quickly to assign her name to a new Essex-class carrier then under construction at Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. The new Lexington (CV-16) was commissioned on 17 February 1943 and went on to serve with distinction throughout the Pacific War. The accompanying pages — “A Ship with a Reputation” — recount the combat legacy of the Lexington name.
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