The Lexington-class battlecruisers were officially the only class of battlecruiser to ever be ordered by the United States Navy. While these six vessels were requested in 1911 as a reaction to the bui
A 1922 painting by Louise Larned depicting the definitive design of the Lexington class, with eight 16-inch (406 mm)/50 cal guns and two funnels
IJN battlecruiser Kongō, for which the Lexington class was to be a response
A painting of the Lexington class' original planned configuration
A painting that depicts the Lexington class' definitive design, 1919
USS Lexington (CV-2)
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USS Lexington, nicknamed "Lady Lex", was the name ship of her class of two aircraft carriers built for the United States Navy during the 1920s. Originally designed as a Lexington-class battlecruiser,
Lexington-class battlecruiser
…ships. While four of the ships were eventually canceled and scrapped on their building ways in 1922 to comply with the Washington Naval Treaty, two (Lexington and Saratoga) were converted into the United States' first fleet carriers. Both saw extensive action in World War II, with Lexington conducting a number…
An aerial view of Lexington on 14 October 1941
Lexington on the slipway, 1925
Lexington beginning the transit from her builder at Quincy to Boston Navy Yard in January 1928
Curtiss F6C fighters and Martin T3M torpedo bombers, 1928