My visit to the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, Tx

C

ck9791

Rear Admiral
In September while on vacation in Texas I visited the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, Texas. Being able to see this ship and take time to explore it was the highlight of the vacation for me. The ship is full of exhibits and information on the Lexington herself, aircraft carriers and naval aviation in general, and World War II and Pearl Harbor. There are several marked routes for self guided tours through the ship that let you see much of the ship, and as you walk through the ship there is a lot of information presented.

I was really impressed by the amount of information that was presented and the number of areas of the ship that were opened up. If others here are in or near Corpus Christi, or even a few hours away and have time I would highly recommend seeing the Lexington. We drove down from San Antonio to see the ship and visit the nearby aquarium. I have also been to the USS Texas near Houston and the USS Barry in Washington DC, but the Lexington was the most interesting because it was more than just being able to walk through the ship.
 
That's awesome! Did you know the Wing Commander IV team toured the Lexington in 1995 as research for the game? Thats why they chose the name for the Confederation carrier!
 
ck9791 said:
the Lexington was the most interesting because it was more than just being able to walk through the ship.
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That's awesome!

This September I went out to Carolina Beach, NC for a wedding. Only 30 minutes away was the USS North Carolina. They have a small museum on land next to the ship while you can wonder just about anywhere onboard (the only place that was inaccessible when I was there was the armored bridge and some upper levels).
 
Bandit LOAF said:
That's awesome! Did you know the Wing Commander IV team toured the Lexington in 1995 as research for the game? Thats why they chose the name for the Confederation carrier!
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I did not know that. After reading your post though I thought I remembered seeing a picture of an aircraft carrier in the background of the lounge on the TCS Lexington. Using Google I found a story on wcnews from 2011 that mentions this. The article includes an image of the lounge that shows the picture I am thinking of. Its funny that the picture is not of the Lexington but the Enterprise.
 
Dundradal said:
That's awesome!

This September I went out to Carolina Beach, NC for a wedding. Only 30 minutes away was the USS North Carolina. They have a small museum on land next to the ship while you can wonder just about anywhere onboard (the only place that was inaccessible when I was there was the armored bridge and some upper levels).
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Very cool! After this vacation I researched other retired naval vessels that were open to the public and their locations, trying to see if any were in areas I would like to take a future vacation.
 
ck9791 said:
I did not know that. After reading your post though I thought I remembered seeing a picture of an aircraft carrier in the background of the lounge on the TCS Lexington. Using Google I found a story on wcnews from 2011 that mentions this. The article includes an image of the lounge that shows the picture I am thinking of. Its funny that the picture is not of the Lexington but the Enterprise.
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Hah, yes, it's so distinctive. Hollywood set decorators, man... :)
 
ck9791 said:
Very cool! After this vacation I researched other retired naval vessels that were open to the public and their locations, trying to see if any were in areas I would like to take a future vacation.
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The only one I ever had a chance to visit in the US was the USS Intrepid in New York. I don't know how it compares to others, but I certainly greatly enjoyed it, and I highly recommend it. They don't let you see that much of the ship's interior (a couple of levels below deck, and the bridge superstructure above deck), but they have a nice, very eclectic collection of aircraft on deck. It was a little weird seeing the SR-71 on an aircraft carrier, and obviously weirder still to see the Concorde (I'm not sure if that one wasn't on loan, so it might not be there any more), but hey - it's just great to be able to get up close to them.
 
Yeah I looked at the Intrepid's website and I think they were the only aircraft carrier museum that has non US Navy and Marines aircraft. I saw the SR-71, the Concorde, the space shuttle, and several Migs listed on their website. It looked like a cool collection.
 
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