AHOY OLD FRIEND

WW2 ship Lexington is found

The wreckage of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington, which was hit by the Japanese during World War II, has been discovered in the Coral Sea by an expedition funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Affectionately dubbed “Lady Lex,” the flat-top was crippled by the enemy during the Battle of the Coral Sea and then scuttled by another US warship on May 8, 1942.

The expedition team research vessel R/V Petrel located the wreckage Sunday on the seabed in waters about 2 miles deep, more than 500 miles off Australia’s east coast.

“To pay tribute to the USS Lexington and the brave men that served on her is an honor,” Allen said.

The team released images and video of the Lexington, one of the first ever US carriers, and some of the remarkably preserved planes that went down with the ship.

The Lexington and another US aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown, battled three Japanese carriers from May 4-8, 1942, in the Battle of the Coral Sea — the first naval campaign in which opposing ships did not come in sight of each other.

The battle helped stop a Japanese advance that could have cut off Australia and New Guinea from Allied sea supply routes. It crippled two Japanese carriers, leading to a more conclusive American naval victory at the Battle of Midway a month later.

More than 200 crew members died in the battle, but 2,770 others were rescued by other American ships before the Lexington went down.