Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military
From: phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Phil Gustafson)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: _Lexington_ nit
Message-ID: <1990Aug21.025255.2089@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 21 Aug 90 02:52:55 GMT
References: <1990Aug3.031249.20275@cbnews.att.com> <1990Aug9.015753.8169@cbnews.att.com> <1990Aug15.032745.27552@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: Famed Parquet Floor
Lines: 26
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Phil Gustafson)
I wrote:
>The 8" batteries on the _Lexington_s were removed in early 1942
>and never used in anger.
>
>[mod.note: Lexington was sunk before receiving this coversion. - Bill ]

Photos of the smoking, bow-heavy _Lex_ at Coral Sea show the 8" gunhouses
gone, apparently replaced by the infamous quad 1.1" machine guns the Navy
tried for a few years.  Some writers have indicated that the guns were
incorporated into Hawaii's shore defense, but I have no good reference
on the point.

_Lex_ was of course lost before she could undergo the more extensive
improvements fitted to _Saratoga_.

[Thanks for the info re SoDak's hit in the barbette.  I'll have to change
my assertion to "no U.S. battleship was ever hit in her _belt_armor_ by
a large-caliber shell in combat." :-)]
-- 
  |  phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG 		 | Phil Gustafson
  |  (ames|pyramid|vsi1)!zorch!phil 	 | UNIX/Graphics Consultant
  |                              	 | 1550 Martin Ave., San Jose CA 95126
  |                             	 | 408/286-1749