 |
USS Lexington (CVS-16)
...Underway
on 15 July 1963, with
twenty-six T-28
training planes parked forward and amidships. At this time, Naval
Academy midshipmen were riding the ship to observe carrier
qualifications.
... |
|
USS Lexington (CVS-16)
...Underway
on 15 July 1963, with
twenty-six T-28
training planes parked forward and amidships. At this time, Naval
Academy midshipmen were riding the ship to observe carrier
qualifications.
... |
|
Ere
History:
Following overhaul at
Bremerton,
her refresher training was interrupted
by the Lebanon crisis; on 14 July 1958 she was ordered to embark Air
Group 21 at San Francisco and sail to reinforce the 7th Fleet off
Taiwan, arriving on station 7 August. With an other peacekeeping
mission of the U.S. Navy successfully accomplished, she returned San
Diego 19 December. Now the first carrier whose planes were armed with
air-to-surface Bullpup guided missile,
Lexington left San
Francisco 26 April 1959 for anot her tour of duty with the 7th Fleet.
She was on standby alert during the Laotian crisis of late August and
September, then exercised with British forces before sailing from
Yokosuka 16 November for San Diego, arriving 2 December. Through
early
1960 she ov erhauled at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Lexington's next
Far Eastern tour began late in 1960 and
was
extended well into 1961 by renewed tension in Laos. Returning to west
coast operations, she was ordered in January 1962 to prepare to relieve
Antietam (CVS-36) as aviation train ing carrier in the
Gulf of
Mexico, and she was redesignated CVS-16 on 1 October 1962. However,
during the Cuban missile crisis, she resumed duty as an attack carrier,
and it was not until 29 December 1963 that she relieved Antietam at
Pensacola.
|
|
Off
Hawaii in 1959, USS Kawishiwi, AO-146 had a collision with USS
Lexington CV16. Kawishiwi was
trying to set some type of zig-zag record while refueling Lexington. The day was clear and
warm and off our fantail a Destroyer was there to record the
event. The fuel lines had been sent over and we were more or less
settled in for a normal run. The night before, the 3.50" ammo
magazines for #3 mount had flooded , port side. The Ammo had been set
on the deck to dry, which is not supposed to happen, in case of
fire cause by a fueling or collision accident.
We noticed the ships were slowly drifting
apart, so far that our cables were snapping, Both captains were
on the bullhorns calling out "WHERE YOU RUDDER AT", then
our ships started moving towards each other, closer and closer
then bang, we lock up. We bounced off each other for what seems
eternity. The 3.50" Ammo stack on the 2th deck, broke lose
and were rolling all over the place, the Lexington hull was bouncing off the
3.50 mount adding potential danger
for fire or explosion.
We finally broken loose, the Destroyer
filmed it all, I guess for training purposes, on what not to
do. Kawishiwi went back
to safe harbor, I think we were in port about two weeks for
repairs, it's been a lone time ago. ...................................................Ronald Gust S.N. 58-59, 2nd Div
|
|
The
following photos were provided by Robert Cooper CS2 1959 - 1963 He
had just
got out of boot camp,
his recruit haircut hadn't grown out yet. Here we are playing with big ships. Bob was on deck with a fire hose
watering down a hatch wondering what the next three
years were going to bring.
Lexington and Kawishiwi came together amidship on K's port side.   
 Looking aft at Twin Mount #36 and King Post  
 |