TCS Lexington (CV-44)

TCS Lexington (CV-44)
Type	Concordia-class Fleet Carrier
Primary User	Terran Confederation
Captains	William Eisen Hugh Paulsen
Nicknames	Lady Lex, Grey Ghost
Service	Terran-Kilrathi War Battle of Earth Border Worlds Conflict

The TCS Lexington (CV-44) is a Concordia-Class Fleet Carrier in the service of the Terran Confederation. She is the eleventh Terran vessel to be named the "Lexington".

In the year 2668, the Lexington was receiving repairs in the Sol System when the Confederation received word that the Kilrathi had destroyed the colonies at Sirius and were now en route to Earth. The Third Fleet needed every available Terran vessel to come to their aid. Despite running on a single reactor and carrying a mere 57 fighters, the Lexington joined the battle and made herself a target for the enemy as a means to spread out their superior fleet.

By the time the Battle of Earth ended, the Lexington had sustained critical damage and fires spread across all decks. However, the hull of the vessel survived, and Confederation High Command decided that the vessel would be salvaged and rebuilt, even though it would turn out to be be cheaper to build a new carrier afresh.

By 2670, the Lexington had returned to service, fully updated and refurbished. Her extensive time in repair earned it the nickname "The Grey Ghost", since she was figuratively resurrected from the dead, and was put back into service before the end of the Kilrathi War.

By 2673, part of the ship had been taken over by Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn's researchers. The were evaluating Kilrathi technology and they had over a dozen Kilrathi fighters disassembled. They used a squadron of Hellcats and Thunderbolts for testing. The project was funded by black budget, and not even the Lexington's Captain Eisen was permitted in their sections. With part of the ship reserved for research, the Lexington only had 60 active pilots.

After Captain Eisen and a number of Lexington pilots, including Colonel Christopher Blair, defected to the Border Worlds, Captain Hugh Paulsen ordered the Lexington to pursue the BWS Intrepid without her escorts. Blair's wing hid in the upper atmosphere of Masa III, where they could remain hidden and strike the Lexington as she passed by. Blair disabled the carrier with a prematurely-detonated torpedo, crippling the ship while minimising potential casualties.

The Lexington was also known as the "Lady Lex".

Behind the scenes

In the game version of Wing Commander IV, the Lexington pursues the Intrepid into the Silenos System. The player can either destroy or disable her. Also, depending on whether the player decides to defect to the Border Worlds on the first or second opportunity, the final showdown between the Lexington and the Intrepid takes place either inside or outside the Silenos Nebula.

Specifications

Stat	TCS Lexington
Designation:	CV-44
Service Entry:	2673
Disposition:	Heavy Carrier
Length:	800 meters
Mass:	28,000 tonnes
Max Velocity:	150 kps
Cruising velocity:	100 kps
Acceleration:	10 k/s^2
Max Y/P/R:	1/1/1 deg/s
Shields:	800 cm
Armor:	300 cm
Guns:	Dual Mount Laser Turrets (11)
Missile Hardpoints:	Capship Missile Launcher
Crew:	unknown
Fighter Complement:	96
Missile Decoys:	none
Jump Capable:	Yes

Images

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  The TCS Lexington departs Confederation Headquarters in 2673.

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  The TCS Lexington circa 2673.

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  The Lexington was disabled by a prematurely detonated torpedo from Col Blair.