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11 result(s) to your search. (Pioneer)

David
Fri December 13, 2002 10:48am

Maoris of the New Zealand

Maoris of the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion performing ritual Haka dance before battle.

David
Fri December 20, 2002 8:01am

An AN/SLQ-48 Mine Neutral

An AN/SLQ-48 Mine Neutralizing System (MNS) is hoisted over the side of the mine countermeasures ship USS Pioneer (MCM 9) for a mine sweeping exercise off San Clemente Island, Calif. The MNS is a tethered remotely-operated unmanned minehunting submersible vehicle installed onboard both the MCM and MHC classes of ships. Once an object has been classified as mine-like by the ship using ship's sonar the MNS is deployed by the ship's crew to examine the object. Using the vehicle's high definition sonar and/or low-light level television camera, the object is identified as a mine or not. If a mine, the MNS can use neutralization devices to render the object harmless by either cutting the mooring cable or placing a device that detonates and destroys the mine. Two consoles in the ship's Combat Information Center are used to pilot and navigate the vehicle. Pioneer is homeported in Ingleside, Texas and is operating near San Diego. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer?s Mate 3rd Class Ramon Preciado.

David
Fri December 20, 2002 4:58pm

An AN/SLQ-48 Mine Neutral

An AN/SLQ-48 Mine Neutralizer is hoisted over the side of Pioneer for a planned mine sweeping exercise off San Clemente Island. Pioneer is homeported in Ingleside, Texas and is currently conducting exercises near San Diego, Calif. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer?s Mate 3rd Class Ramon Preciado.

David
Thu January 16, 2003 10:39am

RAH-66 Comanche

Function: Fire support and security for forward and rear area forces, point target/anti-armor, anti-helicopter, armed escort, supporting arms control and coordination, point and limited area air defense from enemy fixed-wing aircraft, armed and visual reconnaissance.

Description: The Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche is the Army's next generation armed reconnaissance helicopter. It also is the first helicopter developed specifically for this role. The Comanche will provide Army Aviation the opportunity to move into the 21st century with a weapon system of unsurpassed warfighting capabilities crucial to the Army's future strategic vision. The Comanche is intended to replace the current fleet of AH-1 and OH-58 helicopters in all air cavalry troops and light division attack helicopter battalions, and supplement the AH-64 Apache in heavy division/corps attack helicopter battalions.

The first Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche prototype was rolled-out at Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford, Connecticut, May 25, 1995. The prototype's first flight was made on 04 January 1996. The second prototype is scheduled to fly in late March 1999. Six early operational capability aircraft are scheduled to be delivered 2002 to participate in an Army field exercise in 2002-2003, or possibly later in "Corps 04." The Comanche is powered by two Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Co. (LHTEC) T800-801 engines. These advanced engines and a streamlined airframe will be enable the Comanche to fly significantly faster than the larger AH-64 Apache.

The RAH-66 Comanche helicopter's primary role will be to seek out enemy forces and designate targets for the AH-64 Apache Attack helicopter at night, in adverse weather, and in battlefield obscurants, using advanced infrared sensors. The helmet has FLIR images and overlaid symbology that can be used as a headup display in nape-of-the-earth (NOE) flight.

The aircraft has been designed to emit a low-radar signature (stealth features). The Comanche will perform the attack mission itself for the Army's light divisions. The RAH-66 will be used as a scout and attack helicopter to include an air-to-ground and air-to-air combat capability. The Comanche is slated to replace the AH-1 Series Cobra light attack helicopter, the OH-6A Cayuse, and the OH-58A/OH-58C Kiowa light observation helicopters.

The Comanche mission equipment package consists of a turret-mounted cannon, night-vision pilotage system, helmet-mounted display, electro-optical target acquisition and designation system, aided target recognition, and integrated communication/navigation/identification avionics system. Targeting includes a second generation forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, a low-light-level television, a laser range finder and designator, and the Apache Longbow millimeter wave radar system. Digital sensors, computers and software will enable the aircraft to track and recognize advesarys long before they are aware of the Comanche's presence, a key advantage in both the reconnaissance and attack roles.

Aided target detection and classification software will automatically scan the battlefield, identifying and prioritizing targets. The target acquisition and communications system will allow burst transmissions of data to other aircraft and command and control systems. Digital communications links will enable the crew unparalleled situational awareness, making the Comanche an integral component of the digital battlefield. The armament subsystems consist of the XM301 20mm cannon, and up to 14 Hellfire anti-tank missiles, 28 Air-to-Air Stinger (ATAS) anti-aircraft missiles, or 56 2.75 inch Hydra 70 air-to-ground rockets carried internally and externally. Up to four Hellfire and two Air-to-Air Stinger (ATAS) missiles can be stowed in fully-retractable weapons bays and the gun can be rotated to a stowed position when not in use. This design feature reduces both drag and radar signature.

Mission management, status, and control information is provided over the MIL-STD-1553B databus between the mission equipment packages and the Turreted Gun System. The Comanche will have enhanced maintainability through it's modular electronics architecture and built-in diagnostics.

Features:

Sensors and avionics. In the reconnaissance role, the Comanche will be equipped with a new generation of passive sensors and a fully integrated suite of displays and communications. Advance infrared (IR) sensors will have twice the range of OH-58D Kiowa Warrior and AH-64 Apache sensors. The Comanche will be equipped with the Apache Longbow fire control radar and the Helmet Integrated Display and Sight System (HIDSS). The fully integrated avionics system will allow tactical data to be overlaid onto a digital map, allowing the crew to devote more time for target detection and classification. A triple-redundant fly-by-wire system can automatically hold the helicopter in hover or in almost any other maneuver, reducing workload, allowing the pilot to concentrate on navigation and threat avoidance. A hand-on grip permits one-handed operation.

Stealth characteristics. The Comanche incorporates more low-observable stealth features than any aircraft in Army history. The Comanche radar cross-section (RCS) is less than that of a Hellfire missile. To reduce radar cross-section, weapons can be carried internally, the gun can be rotated aft and stowed within a fairing behind the turret when not in use, and the landing gear are fully-retractable. The all-composite fuselage sides are flat and canted and rounded surfaces are avoided by use of faceted turret and engine covers. The Comanche's head-on RCS is 360 times smaller than the AH-64 Apache, 250 times less than the smaller OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, and 32 times smaller than the OH-58D's mast-mounted sight. This means the Comanche will be able to approach five times closer to an enemy radar than an Apache, or four times closer than an OH-58D, without being detected.

Noise suppression. The Comanche only radiates one-half the rotor noise of current helicopters. Noise is reduced by use of a five-bladed rotor, pioneered by the successful Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) MD-500 Defender series of light utility helicopters. The fantail eliminates interaction between main rotor and tail rotor wakes. The advanced rotor design permits operation at low speed, allowing the Comanche to sneak 40% closer to a target than an Apache, without being detected by an acoustical system.

Infrared (IR) suppression. The Comanche only radiates 25% of the engine heat of current helicopters, a critical survivability design concern in a low-flying tactical scout helicopter. The Comanche is the first helicopter in which the infrared (IR) suppression system is integrated into the airframe. This innovative Sikorsky design feature provides IR suppressors that are built into the tail-boom, providing ample length for complete and efficient mixing of engine exhaust and cooling air flowing through inlets above the tail. The mixed exhaust is discharged through slots built into an inverted shelf on the sides of the tail-boom. The gases are cooled so thoroughly that a heat-seeking missile cannot find and lock-on to the Comanche.

Crew Protection. The Comanche features a crew compartment sealed for protection against chemical or biological threats, an airframe resilient against ballistic damage, enhanced crash-worthiness, and reduced susceptibility to electromagnetic interference.

Maintainability. Comanche will be easily sustained, will require fewer personnel and support equipment, and will provide a decisive battlefield capability in day, night and adverse weather operations. Comanche has been designed to be exceptionally maintainable and easily transportable. Through its keel-beam construction, numerous access panels, easily accessible line-replaceable units/modules and advanced diagnostics, the RAH-66 possesses "designed-in" maintainability. Comanche aircraft will be able to be rapidly loaded into or unloaded from any Air Force transport aircraft.

General Characteristics, RAH-66 Comanche

Manufacturer:
Boeing Sikorsky

Power Plant:
Two T800 1,440 SHP gas turbine engines

Thrust:
1,052 shaft horsepower

Length:
47.84 feet (14.58 feet)

Width:
7.58 feet (2.31 meters)

Height:
11 feet (3.35 meters)

Rotor Diameter:
39.04 feet (11.90 meters)

Weight:
9,300 pounds empty

Primary mission:
12,349 pounds w/o radar
12,784 pounds with radar

Speed:
172 knots (330 kph) dash speed

161 knots (310 kph) cruise speed

Range:
1,200 nautical miles w/o radar
860 nautical miles with radar

Crew:
Two

Armament:
Three-barrel 20 mm Gatling gun

Stinger, Starstreak or Mistral air-to-air missiles

TOW II, Hot II or Longbow Hellfire air-to-ground missiles

Sura D 81 mm, Snora 81 mm, or Hydra 70 rockets

Army Counter Air Weapon System

Date of First Flight:
1996

David
Thu January 16, 2003 6:40pm

RQ-2 Pioneer Tactical UAV

Function: A Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) with a long history of service with USN/USMC forces.

History: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are either remotely or autonomous pilotless drones typically used for reconnaissance. UAVs can trace their roots back to the AQM-34N Firebee. Derived from the Ryan Aeronautical Company Firebee sub-sonic target drone, the AQM-34N had a range of more than 2,400 miles, could fly above 65,000 feet, and had a top speed of 420 miles per hour. During the Vietnam war the Firebee recon drones were made more maneuverable and equipped with electronic countermeasures and jamming equipment to defend them from surface to air missiles and air interception.

UAVs are generally equipped with a payload bay which can house a variety of sensor packages, allowing mission planners to tailor the UAV's sensors for a specific mission requirement.

UAVs are generally divided into two categories: Tactical and Endurance. Tactical UAVs typically have a range of at least 200km while Endurance UAVs have a range beyond 200km.

Background: Pioneer was delivered to the Navy in 1986 and the Marine Corps in 1987. It operates from land sites and ships pre-equipped for UAVs. Pioneer systems are currently maintained in a contingency status.

?General Characteristics, RQ-2 Pioneer UAV

Prime Contractor:
Pioneer UAV, Inc.

Mission:
Pre-programmed, manual; manual launch and recovery

Wingspan:
17 feet

Length:
14 feet

Speed:
Maximum: 96 mph

Endurance:
6 hours on station at maximum range

Range:
115 miles

Weight:
Empty: 450 lbs.

Payloads:
EO, IR

Date Deployed:
1986 (Navy)
1987 (Marines)

David
Thu January 16, 2003 10:55pm
Rating: 10

M1A2

Function: Main battle tank (MBT).

Description: The M1A2 is externally very similar in appearance to the M1A1 with the exception of the redesigned Commander's Weapon Station (CWS) and the Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV.) The powered cupola has been replaced with a manually operated anti aircraft pintle mount, which cannot be fired while the commander is "buttoned up." In addition, the hatch has been enlarged and the vision blocks have been enlarged, improving visibility. The CITV is mounted in an armored rotating cylinder on the turret access plate forward of the Loader's station. The CITV is tall enough to limit the effectiveness of the loader's M240 machine gun through its forward arc of fire.

History: Approved for production in 1990, the M1A2 represents a technological improvement of the basic M1A1 design. Outwardly similar in appearance to the M1A1, the most notable exterior changes on the M1A2 are the redesigned Commander's Weapon Station (CWS) and the addition of a Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer) on the left side of the turret forward of the loader's hatch. Internally, however, the M1A2 has been radically redesigned to take advantage of newer technology. Most notable of these improvements is the addition of the Inter-Vehicle Information System (IVIS.) The IVIS system allows for the automatic and continual exchange of information between vehicles. By incorporating information provided by an on board Position/Navigation (POSNAV) system, unit commander's can track the location and progress of subordinate elements automatically, without tasking vehicle crews. In addition enemy positions can be identified, plotted and disseminated, while reports and artillery requests can be automatically formatted, transmitted, and processed. Lastly, map graphic control measures and operational orders can be rapidly distributed via the IVIS system. To ensure information security, all IVIS data transmissions are routed through the M1A2's SINCGARS radio system. Improving on the "hunter-killer" tank commander-gunner target hand off method pioneered on the German Leopard II, the M1A2 takes this a step further by providing the Tank Commander with an independent thermal sight. This CITV sight allows the commander to independently scan for targets in all weather conditions and through battlefield obscurants. In addition to IVIS and the CITV, the M1A2 incorporates a number of additional electronic upgrades. Power distribution throughout the tank has been improved, relying on multiple bus paths so that in the event one conduit is damaged, power may still be delivered to a component via an alternate path. The driver's instrument display has been upgraded to a more detailed digital display and the Gunner's Primary Sight has been stabilized in two axes for increased accuracy.

Approved for implementation in 1995, the M1A2 SEP (System Enhancement Package) is a technology upgrade and standardization program, whereby the Army's fleet of M1s and M1A2s will all be brought to a common standard. Most notable among the modifications will be the introduction of a standard under armor auxiliary power unit and the addition a crew compartment air conditioning and cooling unit. Other modifications within the vehicle will include upgrades to the IVIS system (color display, full size keyboard, digital mapping and graphics generation capability, and voice recognition capabilities), upgrades to the Gunner's Primary Sight assembly, and improvement in the tank's intercom and radio communications systems. Production of the M1A2 was halted after the initial run of 627 vehicles. As part of the fleet upgrade program, 547 of the Army's current inventory of M1s are being upgraded to M1A2 SEP standards, which will require the complete remanufacturing of the turret, while the current fleet of M1A2s will undergo a retrofit to bring them up to SEP standards.
The M1A2 is currently available for export, albeit with a different armor composition and communications package. Saudi Arabia has purchased 312 M1A2s, equipped with British Jaguar radios, and Kuwait has purchased 218 similarly equipped M1A2s.

David
Tue February 11, 2003 12:53pm

Atlas II

Function: Launch vehicle.

Description: Atlas II is a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles which evolved from the successful Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program. It is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit.

Atlas IIA is a two-and-a-half stage vehicle, primarily used to support the Defense Satellite Communications System III program. The Atlas IIA is capable of lifting approximately 14,500 pounds (6,577 kilograms) into low earth orbit and 6,100 pounds (2,767 kilograms) to a geosynchronous orbit (22,000 miles-plus).

The Atlas II provides higher performance than the earlier Atlas I by using engines with greater thrust and longer fuel tanks for both stages. All three engines provide 494,500 pounds of total thrust capability. This series uses an improved Centaur upper stage - the world's first high-energy propellant stage - to increase its payload capability. Centaur propulsion is provided by a Pratt and Whitney liquid rocket engine set consisting of two engines that provide 41,000 pounds of thrust.

Atlas II also has lower-cost electronics, an improved flight computer and longer propellant tanks than its predecessor, Atlas I.

Atlas IIs are launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, by the 45th Space Wing and, in the future, will be launched by the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA.

History: The Atlas IIA launch vehicle program is managed by the Launch Programs System Program Office at Air Force Materiel Command's Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, CA.

In May 1988, the Air Force chose General Dynamics (now Lockheed-Martin) to develop the Atlas II vehicle. The Atlas was originally fielded as an ICBM in the early 1960s. The Air Force replaced the Atlas ICBMs with Minuteman missiles and converted them into space launch vehicles in the late 1960s. NASA used the Atlas as a space launch vehicle as early as 1958. Atlas served as the launch vehicle for Project SCORE, the world's first communications satellite that broadcast President Eisenhower's pre-recorded Christmas message around the world.

An Atlas booster carried U.S. astronaut John Glenn into orbit under Project Mercury, the first U.S. manned space program. Atlas space launch vehicles were used in all three unmanned lunar exploration programs. Atlas Centaur vehicles also launched Mariner and Pioneer planetary probes.

General Characteristics, Atlas II

Primary Contractor:
Lockheed Martin Astronautics: airframe, assembly, test and systems integration

Principal Subcontractors:
Rocketdyne (Atlas engine); Pratt & Whitney (Centaur engine ) and Honeywell and Marconi (avionics)

Power Plant:
Three MA-5A Rocketdyne engines, two Pratt & Whitney RL10A-4 Centaur engines

Thrust:
494,500 pounds (Rocketdyne engines); 41,000 pounds (Centaur engines)

Length:
Up to 156 feet (47.54 meters); 16-foot-high engine cluster (4.87 meters)

Gross Liftoff Weight:
414,000 pounds (204,343 kilograms)

Core Diameter:
10 feet (3.04 meters)

First Launch:
Feb. 10, 1992

Launch Site:
Cape Canaveral Air Station, FL

Inventory:
Unavailable

David
Fri March 28, 2003 4:07pm

Medical attention

Col, Dunken Robertson of British 4 General Support Regiment Medics gives medical attention to an Iraqi child as British troops of 187 Squadron, 23 Pioneer Regiment, hand out food and fresh water to residents of a village south of Basra in southern Iraq on Thursday.

David
Sun January 4, 2004 12:31am

SSBN726 - Ohio Class Flee

Function: America's current Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine.

Description: Since the first Poseidon submarines took to the seas in 1960, the sole purpose of the Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine has been strategic deterrence. Given their wide operational area (70% of the world's surface is covered by water) the SSBN represents the most survivable and unreachable "leg" of America's land, sea, and air nuclear deterrence tripod. Built to accommodate the Improved Trident I ballistic missile and relying on advances pioneered by the Narwhal's natural circulation reactor as well as the advanced sensor capabilities of the Los Angeles class fast attack submarines, the Ohio class SSBNs are the most advanced ballistic missile submarines in the world. Virtually undetectable at operating speed and depth, the Ohio class SSBN can maneuver with impunity through the world's oceans and given the submarine's sensory capabilities an Ohio class boat will detect and maneuver around any threat long before the threat can acquire the SSBN. Of the eighteen Ohio class SSBNs currently in service, the first eight were designed to fire 24 Trident I Submarine Launched Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (SLICBM) each of which carries 10 Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) warheads. The remaining ten were designed to carry the more powerful Trident II SLICBM each of which carries 12 MIRVs. Current Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) conditions limit the number of MIRVs to eight per missile. In 1992 the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II) was signed, limiting member nations to 14 SSBNs each. As a result, only four of the original eight will be backfitted with the Trident II missile, while the rest will either be converted to SSGN cruise missile boats, Special Operations support ships (similar to the SSN640 class) or decommissioned.

General Characteristics, Ohio Class

Builders:
General Dynamics Electric Boat Division

Power Plant:
One S8G nuclear reactor, two geared steam turbines, one shaft, 60,000 shaft horsepower

Date Deployed:
November 11, 1981 (USS Ohio)

Length, Overall:
560 feet (170.69 meters)

Beam:
42 feet (12.80 meters)

Displacement:
18,750 long tons (19,000.1 metric tons) submerged

Speed:
20+ knots (23.02+ miles per hour, 37.05 +kph)

Crew:
15 Officers; 140 Enlisted

Armament:
Mk 48 ADCAP Torpedoes, launched from four 533mm torpedo tubes

Radar:
1 AN/BPS-15 navigation and fire control radar

Sonar:
One TB-16 passive towed sonar array

One AN/BQR-19 navigation sonar

One AN/BQQ-6 low frequency spherical bow sonar array

One AN/BQS-13 active sonar

Optics:
One Type 2 attack periscope

One Type 18 search periscope

Countermeasures:
WLR-10 acoustic intercept receiver

WLR-8 surveillance reciever

WLY-1 acoustic countermeasures system

Mk 2 torpedo decoy

Ships:

Homeported at the Naval Submarine Base, Bangor, WA:
USS Ohio (SSBN-726)
USS Michigan (SSBN-727)
USS Florida (SSBN-728)
USS Georgia (SSBN-729)
USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730)
USS Alabama (SSBN-731)
USS Alaska (SSBN 732)
USS Nevada (SSBN 733) I

Homeported at the Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay, GA:
USS Tennessee (SSBN-734)
USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735)
USS West Virginia (SSBN-736)
USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)
USS Maryland (SSBN-738)
USS Nebraska (SSBN-739)
USS Rhode Island (SSBN-740)
USS Maine (SSBN-741)
USS Wyoming (SSBN-742)
USS Louisiana (SSBN-743)

David
Tue August 9, 2005 12:03pm

USS Lexington CV 2 14 Dec

USS Lexington CV 2 14 Dec 1927 8 May 1942

Leaving San Diego, California, 14 October 1941.

displacement: 41,000 tons
length: 888 feet
beam: 105? feet
draft: 32 feet
speed: 34? knots
complement: 2,122 crew
armament: 8 eight-inch and 12 five-inch guns
aircraft: 81
class: Lexington

The fourth Lexington (CV 2) was originally designated CC 1; laid down as a battle cruiser 8 January 1921 by Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, Mass.; authorized to be completed as an aircraft carrier 1 July 1922; launched 3 October 1925; sponsored by Mrs. Theodore Douglas Robinson, wife of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy; and commissioned 14 December 1927, Capt. Albert W. Marshall in command.

After fitting out and shakedown, Lexington joined the battle fleet at San Pedro, Calif., 7 April 1928. Based there, she operated on the west coast with Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, in flight training, tactical exercises, and battle problems . Each year she participated in fleet maneuvers in the Hawaiians, in the Caribbean, off the Panama Canal Zone, and in the eastern Pacific.

On 16 January 1930, Lexington completed a 30-day period in which she furnished electricity to the city of Tacoma, Wash., in an emergency arising from a failure of the city's power supply. The electricity from the carrier totaled more than 4.25 million kilowatt-hours.

In the fall of 1941 she sailed with the battle force to the Hawaiians for tactical exercises.

On 7 December 1941 Lexington was at sea with Task Force 12 (TF 12) carrying marine aircraft from Pearl Harbor to reinforce Midway when word of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was received. She immediately launched searchplanes to hunt for the Japanese fleet , and at mid-morning headed south to rendezvous with USS Indianapolis (CA 35) and USS Enterprise (CV 6) task forces to conduct a search southwest of Oahu until returning Pearl Harbor 18 December.

Lexington sailed next day to raid Japanese forces on Jaluit to relieve pressure on Wake; these orders were canceled 20 December, and she was directed to cover the USS Saratoga force in reinforcing Wake. When the island fell 23 December, the two carrier forces were recalled to Pearl Harbor, arriving 27 December.

Lexington patrolled to block enemy raids In the Oahu-Johnston-Palmyra triangle until 11 January 1942, when she sailed from Pearl Harbor as flagship for Vice Adm. Wilson Brown commanding TF 11. On 16 February, the force headed for an attack on Rabaul, New Britain, scheduled for 21 February. While approaching the day previous, Lexington was attacked by two waves of enemy aircraft, nine planes to a wave. The carrier's own combat air patrol and antiaircraft fire splashed 17 of the attackers. During a single sortie Lt. E. H (Butch) O'Hare won the Medal of Honor by downing five planes.

Her offensive patrols in the Coral Sea continued until 6 March, when she rendezvoused with USS Yorktown's TF 17 for a thoroughly successful surprise attack flown over the Owen Stanley mountains of New Guinea to inflict heavy damage on shipping and installations at Salamaua and Lae 10 March. She now returned to Pearl Harbor, arriving 26 March 1942. Lexington's task force sortied from Pearl Harbor 15 April, rejoining TF 17 on 1 May. As Japanese fleet concentrations threatening the Coral Sea were observed, Lexington and USS Yorktown (CV 5) moved into the sea to search for the enemy's force covering a projected troop movement. The Japanese must now be blocked in their southward expansion, or sea communication with Australia and New Zealand would be cut, and the dominions threatened with invasion.

On 7 May 1942 search planes reported contact with an enemy carrier task force, and Lexington's air group flew an eminently successful mission against it, sinking light carrier Shoho. Later that day, 12 bombers and 15 torpedo planes from still-unlocated heavy carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku were intercepted by fighter groups from Lexington and Yorktown, who splashed nine enemy aircraft.

On the morning of the 8th, a Lexington plane located the Shokaku group. A strike was immediately launched from the American carriers, and the Japanese ship was heavily damaged.

The enemy penetrated to the American carriers at 1100, and 20 minutes later Lexington was struck by a torpedo to port. Seconds later, a second torpedo hit to port directly abreast the bridge. At the same time, she took three bomb hits from enemy dive bombers, producing a seven degree list to port and several raging fires. By 1300 her skilled damage control parties had brought the fires under control and returned the ship to even keel. Making 25 knots, she was ready to recover her air group. Then suddenly Lexington was shaken by a tremendous explosion, caused by the ignition of gasoline vapors below, and again fire raged out of control.

At 1558 Capt. Frederick C. Sherman, fearing for the safety of men working below, secured salvage operations, and ordered all hands to the flight deck. At 1707, he ordered, "abandon ship!", and the orderly disembarkation began, men going over the side into the warm water, almost immediately to be picked up by nearby cruisers and destroyers. Admiral Fitch and his staff transferred to cruiser USS Minneapolis (CA 36); Captain Sherman and his executive officer, Cmdr. M. T. Seligman insured all their men were safe, then were the last to leave their ship.

Lexington blazed on, flames shooting hundreds of feet into the air. The destroyer USS Phelps (DD 360) closed to 1500 yards and fired two torpedoes into her hull. With one last heavy explosion, Lexington sank at 1956 on 8 May 1942 at 15? 20' S., 155? 30' E. She was part of the price that was paid to halt the Japanese overseas empire and safeguard Australia and New Zealand, but perhaps an equally great contribution had been her pioneer role in developing the naval aviators and the techniques which played so vital a role in ultimate victory in the Pacific.

Lexington received two battle stars for World War II service.

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