Visiting the Blue Ghost!

Elroy13 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:48 pm

I had a chance to go back to Corpus Christi this past weekend to visit the USS Lexington. I havent been in a few years. Last time I was there we did some filming for the History Channel on Essex class carriers that aired on the series Heavy Metal. It was pretty cool walking back inside through starboard elevator and there on a big screen tv, they were playing the show! Inside the hangar deck is a TBM, SBD, SNJ, and N3N. There are also few new areas that are open to the public now.

Anyway.... here are a few pics from the flight deck.

A-4 Skyhawk, painted up as John McCains.

A-6 Intruder

F2H Banshee

A3 Skywarrior

F-14 Tomcat

website : http://www.usslexington.com/

Former Member · **Joined:** Mon Aug 29, 2005 1:40 pm **Posts:** 1493

Cool pics...thanks for sharing them!!!

John

Stephanie · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:33 pm

The Banshee is awesome, I love it!!!

Great pictures Trae, thanks for posting them!

k5083 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:40 pm

Nice airplanes and I hate to be nit picky but it would be nice if they hired a painter who had the slightest clue what USN insignia and lettering looked like, or who was at least capable of opening a book on the subject.

August

PhantomAce08 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:43 pm

k5083 wrote:

Nice airplanes and I hate to be nit picky but it would be nice if they hired a painter who had the slightest clue what USN insignia and lettering looked like, or who was at least capable of opening a book on the subject.

August

I thought things looked a bit weird

Elroy13 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:48 pm

k5083 wrote:

Nice airplanes and I hate to be nit picky but it would be nice if they hired a painter who had the slightest clue what USN insignia and lettering looked like, or who was at least capable of opening a book on the subject.

August

I believe most of the aircraft are on loan from the Pensacola Naval Air Museum...

RickH · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:05 pm

The aircraft ARE on loan from Pensacola. Now the bad news,... the aircraft have been repainted locally aboard ship. The restoration management and curatorial staff seem to have very little regard for individual aircraft history or historical accuracy. I have seen this first hand.

Elroy13 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:34 pm

I guess I didnt notice it on my first visit, because of being to busy...But on some of the display signs in front of the aircraft it says, "painted with automotive paint".. :shock:

Bad idea to be painted with but even worse to spell it out on the signs for everyone to see!

Beachy · **Joined:** Sat Apr 08, 2006 6:20 am **Posts:** 1104

Had a good laugh from this post, Trae -- It made me dig out some photos from my last visit to the Lady Lex -- 14 years ago! My how some things have changed!

Thanks for posting!

henning · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:30 pm

Greetings trae,

First, nice shots, thanks for posting! One thing you mentioned caught me
though.. what new things did they open up? Anything deeper below the
decks?

thanks,

henning

Elroy13 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:19 pm

henning wrote:

Greetings trae,

First, nice shots, thanks for posting! One thing you mentioned caught me
though.. what new things did they open up? Anything deeper below the
decks?

thanks,

henning

Henning, it might have been open when i was there several years ago. But the dentist area I didnt remember seeing. And they also have a library open..that is open to the public. Someone even brought back a library book that was on the LEX during WWII!

There is a lot of work being done to the port side of the ship as well. And the SBD that came from the bottom of Lake Michigan is now apart and being restored.

Trae

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:18 am

I think that it looks great. The aircraft look better than the other pics I had seen of them from a few years ago. Great news on the SBD.

Steve S · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:21 am

Elroy wrote:

Quote:

. Last time I was there we did some filming for the History Channel on Essex class carriers that aired on the series Heavy Metal. It was pretty cool walking back inside through starboard elevator and there on a big screen tv, they were playing the show!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou annointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.

:partyman:

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:31 am

That F-14 is the one that played maverick's aircraft in Top Gun

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