When the aircraft carrier USS Lexington sank beneath the surface of the Coral Sea, it represented a significant casualty of history’s first clash between carriers during World War II. 76 years later, an expedition led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen announced that it had rediscovered wreckage from the carrier known as “Lady Lex” lying on the seafloor about 500 miles off the eastern coast of Australia.
The loss of the USS Lexington took place during the Battle of Coral Sea: a battle that marked the first time rival aircraft carriers ever engaged one another in combat with ships from opposing surface fleets never coming within sight of one another. On one side, the Imperial Japanese Navy had launched a seaborne invasion force, including a light carrier and two fleet carriers, aimed at taking Port Moresby in New Guinea for the purpose of building an air base that could threaten Australia. On the other side, the U.S. Navy sent USS Lexington and another carrier, USS Yorktown, along with supporting warships from the Royal Australian Navy to intercept the Japanese force.
