USS Lexington (CV-2): From Battlecruiser Conversion to the Battle of Coral Sea

Before the aircraft carrier became the centerpiece of American naval power, the U.S. Navy had to discover what carrier warfare actually required. That transformation was tested at sea through doctrine, engineering, aviation, fleet exercises, operational mistakes, and the work of thousands of sailors and aviators-and few ships reveal that process as clearly as USS Lexington.USS Lexington (CV-2) - From Battlecruiser Conversion to the Battle of the Coral Sea follows the extraordinary evolution of one of America's earliest fleet carriers, from her origins as a battlecruiser hull to the interwar experiments that helped shape U.S. carrier doctrine and the Pacific operations that ended at the Battle of the Coral Sea.Drawing together strategy, design, aviation, crew experience, fleet exercises, wartime operations, and documented technical realities, Robert Herrington places Lexington within the larger development of American naval air power. The result is a focused historical monograph designed to leave the reader with a much deeper understanding of how an experimental concept became an operational system.Inside, readers will discover: - How Lexington's battlecruiser origins shaped her speed, machinery, flight deck, armament, and operational possibilities- What Fleet Problems and interwar exercises actually taught the U.S. Navy about carrier surprise, scouting, fighter defense, fuel consumption, and independent carrier operations- How Lexington's air group, deck crews, maintenance system, and shipboard organization turned theoretical aircraft capacity into usable combat power- How the early Pacific War, Lae and Salamaua raids, and the Battle of the Coral Sea tested the carrier-and why damage initially brought under control ultimately became fatalAlong the way, the book explores lesser-known episodes such as Lexington supplying electrical power to Tacoma, the continued presence of her unusual 8-inch gun battery, the practical limitations behind published aircraft capacities, and the sequence of gasoline-vapor explosions that transformed the aftermath of Coral Sea.Aircraft Carrier Monographs combines serious research, clear historical analysis, carefully selected technical detail, and the human realities of carrier operations in a collectible series devoted to the ships that shaped naval aviation.For readers of naval history, aircraft carrier history, World War II, U.S. Navy history, military aviation, and Pacific War operations, USS Lexington offers a detailed journey into the formative years of American carrier warfare.