LEXINGTON AVT 16

Ship Name and Designation History

This section lists the names and designations that the ship had during its lifetime. The list is in chronological order.

Essex Class Aircraft Carrier Keel Laid July 15 1941 as CABOT Named changed 16 June 1942 Launched 26 September 1942 USS LEXINGTON CV-16 Commissioned 17 February 1943 - Decommissioned 23 April 1947 Reclassified Attack Aircraft Carrier (CVA) 1 October 1952 While in reserve USS LEXINGTON CVA-16 Recommissioned 15 August 1955 USS LEXINGTON CVS-16 Reclassified Anti-Submarine Support Aircraft Carrier (CVS) 1 October 1962 USS LEXINGTON CVT-16 Reclassified Training Carrier (CVT) 1 January 1969 USS LEXINGTON AVT-16 Reclassified Auxiliary Aircraft Landing Training Ship (AVT) 1 July 1978 Decommissioned 26 November 1991 Struck from Naval Register 30 November 1991 Transferred 23 January 1992 to the city of Corpus Christi, TX as a memorial

Naval Covers

This section lists active links to the pages displaying covers associated with the ship. There should be a separate set of pages for each incarnation of the ship (ie, for each entry in the "Ship Name and Designation History" section). Covers should be presented in chronological order (or as best as can be determined).

Since a ship may have many covers, they may be split among many pages so it doesn't take forever for the pages to load. Each page link should be accompanied by a date range for covers on that page.

1. USS Lexington CV-16 Covers Page 1    (1944-91)
2. USS Lexington CVA-16 Covers Page 1     (DATE RANGE)
3. USS Lexington CVS-16 Covers Page 1     (DATE RANGE)
4. USS Lexington CVT-16 Covers Page 1     (DATE RANGE)
5. USS Lexington AVT-16 Covers Page 1     (DATE RANGE)

 

Postmarks

This section lists examples of the postmarks used by the ship. There should be a separate set of postmarks for each incarnation of the ship (ie, for each entry in the "Ship Name and Designation History" section). Within each set, the postmarks should be listed in order of their classification type. If more than one postmark has the same classification, then they should be further sorted by date of earliest known usage.

A postmark should not be included unless accompanied by a close-up image and/or an image of a cover showing that postmark. Date ranges MUST be based ONLY ON COVERS IN THE MUSEUM and are expected to change as more covers are added.
 
>>> If you have a better example for any of the postmarks, please feel free to replace the existing example.

 

Postmark Type --- Killer Bar Text	Postmark Date	Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image	Thumbnail Link To Cover Image

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Post Office Established 15 March 1943 - Disestablished 8 June 1946

 

Locy Type 2(n)

1946-02-10

As CV-16. Cachet by Walter G. Crosby

 

Locy Type 2# (Br. #16094)

1945-12-25

As CV-16

 

Locy Type 2z

1945-09-28

As CV-16

 

Locy Type 7z*

1944-08-22

As CV-16. Censored.

 

Locy Type 9efsu

1945-05-28

As CV-16. Mark from back of cover

 

Locy Type F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. L-33

1945-09-06

As CV-16

 

Locy Type F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. L-33b

1945-09-06

As CV-16

 

Locy Type F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. L-33c

1945-09-06

As CV-16

 

Locy Type F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. L-33i

1945-09-06

As CV-16

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Post Office Reestablished 15 August 1955 - Disestablished 26 November 1991

 

Locy Type 2

1956-08-04

As CVA-16

 

Locy Type 2(n) (CVA)

1961-05-14

As CVA-16

 

Locy Type 2(n) (CVS,USS)

1956-08-04

As CVS-16

 

Locy Type 2t(n+u) (CVT,USS)

1970-07-20

As CVT-16

 

Locy Type 2-1(n+) USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. L-33d

1978-11-21

As AVT-16
First Day of Use - New Cachet. Cover by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type 2-1(n+) USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. L-33d

1978-11-25

As AVT-16
Cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type 2-1(n+) USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. L-33e

1983-12-20

As AVT-16. Cachet by Duane Rosendale

 

Locy Type 2-1(n+) (A,D1,USS)

1991-04-15

As AVT-16

 

Locy Type 7dit(n+u) (POW/MIA)

1972-06-12

As CVT-16

 

Locy Type 7n (C+,CVA)

1961-01-19

As CVA-16

 

Locy Type 7qt(n+u) (CVA,USS)

1963-02-12

As CVA-16

 

Locy Type 7qt(n+u) (CVS,USS)

1968-10-25

As CVS-16

 

Locy Type 7qt(n+u) (CVT,USS)

1973-02-17

As CVT-16

 

Locy Type 9efu

1956-08-04

As CVA-16

 

Locy Type 9-1(n+u) USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. L-33f

1978-11-21

As AVT-16. First Day of Use - New Cachet. Cover by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type 9-1(n+u) USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. L-33g

1984-11-15

As AVT-16

 

Locy Type LDC 2-1(n+)

1991-11-26

AVT-16. Last Day in Commission

 

Locy Type LDC 9-1(n+u)

1991-11-26

AVT-16. Last Day in Commission

 

Other Information

LEXINGTON earned the Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2 awards), the Navy Expeditionary Service Medal, the China Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (w/ 11 Battle stars), the World War II Victory Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal (w/ "Asia" clasp), the National Defense Service Medal (2 awards), the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (3 awards), the Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon, the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon and the Philippine Liberation Medal (2 stars) during her Naval career.

NAMESAKE - Initially named CABOT after the first European explorer to reach the North American mainland. Renamed 16 June 1942, to honor USS LEXINGTON CV-2 (lost one month earlier at the Battle of the Coral Sea), thus becoming the fifth U.S. warship to bear the name of the town in Massachusetts where Minutemen fought a detachment of British troops 19 April 1775, opening the Revolutionary War with the "shot heard round the world."

 

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