USS Lexington

[67Cougar]

Work schedule allowed me to visit the USS Lexington in Corpus over the weekend. First time I had seen the old girl since the early '80s, when we toured it in Pensacola while still active.

Considering the ship has been stuck in the mud there for almost 20 years, the ship itself looks pretty good. At least in the publicly accessible areas. There are areas outside, particularly in the gun tubs along the flight deck, where the metal has just about rotted away. However, given 20 years in the salt with no heavy maintenance/repair, she's still presentable.

The aircraft, however ...

Below decks are an SNJ-5, TBM-3S, N3N-3, and a lake recovery SBD-3 (still undergoing a very lengthy restoration). The TBM was getting a respray. The SBD fuselage looks pretty good from the outside, up to the cowling. One of the wings was sitting nearby, looking to be in pretty good shape. I don't know how often it gets worked on, but from the layers of dust on it ... These 4 aircraft are protected from rain and sun, but the hangar deck is not sealed. They spend 24/7 exposed to salt air.

Above decks - F-14A, F-18A, F-4A, F2H-2, TA-4J, A-4B, T-2C, KA-3B, A-6E A-7B, T-28B, T-34B, TF-9J, and an ex- Army AH-1S. The condition of these aircraft ranges from not very good to downright bad.

The F-4A, a very rare beast, is pretty much just a pile of rust. It is literally disintegrating where it sits, several pieces of the aircraft were laying on the deck underneath where they had fallen off. The corrosion is so bad and so thorough, that I believe if they try to move the aircraft it may fall apart. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it if they lifted it with a crane!!

The KA-3B isn't in much better shape. The port main mount brake assembly was laying on the deck. It had been removed, I guess because the wheel was locked up. The rust was so bad the brake assembly had broken down into about a dozen pieces.

The F-14 is a mess. It is rotting from the inside with rust, and many areas are delaminating.

It looks to me that restoration/maintenance consists of bondo, fiberglass patches, and some paint spray.

I know there are numerous discussions about paint schemes on historic aircraft, so I won't bother you with details. Suffice it to say there have been some imaginative attempts at painting these machines. The KA-3 is an overall bright blue, with a white tail and a silly sharksmouth on it. The A-4B carries an aggressor style camo - a scheme no A-4B ever carried. The AH-1 has some kind of sand and sea blue camoflage pattern on it - just very strange. The A-4B on a pole on the beach is a nice presentation, but the Blues never flew that model of aircraft.

Please - I am not berrating the staff or volunteers there. I know what tight budgets and dwindling pools of volunteers means. However, it is just sad to see them in this condition. I would hope that better locations for the rare aircraft, the WWII birds at least, could be found - locations where they wouldn't rot in place.

[JOHN MILLER]

[The Inspector]

All it takes is a steady, and stiff injection of intaglio prints of dead Presidents to make things better, and these days people have more pressing uses for the scant spare change they have.

[Cherrybomber13]

A few gallons of Corrosion X or a similar Mil Spec preservative will go a very long way if applied properly, and I know the Navy has tons of it...

[JohnCFord]

I visited the Lexington back in 2004 and even back then the planes on deck did not look to good to my untrained eyes. I did enjoy the tour though and later, after some research, I am glad I was on her deck and will visit again when I'm back in good o'l Port Aransas...

~J~

[ACarey]

Well, my wife has a convention dinner on the Lex. Now, I don't know if I want to go.

[67Cougar]

I wouldn't back out of your dinner because of this, if it was me. The facilities in the hangar deck look like it would be an interesting event - as long as it isn't too cold. Like I said, the hangar deck isn't sealed against the elements. Besides, income generated by visitors and events like the one you are referring to help keep the ship open. It is worth supporting - I just wish it got more support, and had a better funded/run restoration/maintenance effort on the aircraft.

[67Cougar]

Here are a few pics from my little point and shoot digital. I didn't take my 'real' camera gear. Sorry, the batts died before I got to the Phantom.

[hahnej]

We visited last year and did the self guided tours throughout the ship. We really enjoyed it. Could the aircraft be better, sure. But overall I thought it was a very well done museum, my 10 and 12-year old boys still talk about it and want to do it again. That's what it's all about. The interior tours and all the displays were very nice.

It amazed me when you think about how big the Lexington is, how small she is on the inside. Both in the working areas and the machinery areas.

I have a lot of respect for the organization that maintains the ship and museum, it must take a tremendous amount of money, hard work, and planning to keep everything going as well as they do.

[the330thbg]

A little research goes a LOOOOONG way!

Last edited by the330thbg on Fri Jan 13, 2012 1:36 pm, edited 3 times in total.

[oldman]

Juzz cuzz a wale is not very well known doesn't mean they need to paint it whatever markings. F*CK them!

[cooper9411]

Thanks for the post and the pictures and I'll agree with earlier posts, what the F**k! Someone needs to have a talk with the restoration department.

[67Cougar]

I think the A-3 was an attempt to paint it in the dark overall blue the early A-3s were delivered in. Obviously the wrong shade ...

The Cobra defies explanation.

There are two aircraft on deck, A-6E and T-34B, that could be said to be accurate. The rest of them have wrong colors, wrong markings, wrong lettering, etc. On the Blues marked F-18, they got the Number 1 on the tail by painting the formation light yellow. As an aviation fan, it is puzzling.

[cooper9411]

Lets get a group together and inform whoever is in charge to supply materials and we will paint the aircraft correctly

[Ztex]

Here's the F-4A ...10 years ago...dang has it been that long since I've been there?



And the Whale looked much better then...