USS Lexington: Lost WW2 Aircraft Carrier Found After 76 Years

[RAnDOOm]

A total of 216 crew members were killed during the battle

The final resting place of the US aircraft carrier, which went down during World War II, has finally been located.

The ship, which was scuttled during the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942, was found, along with 11 of its 35 aircraft, two miles underwater approximately 800km off Australia's east coast.

It was discovered by a team led by billionaire explorer and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

"As the son of a survivor of the USS Lexington, I offer my congratulations to Paul Allen and the expedition crew of Research Vessel (R/V) Petrel for locating the 'Lady Lex'," said Adm Harry Harris.

The battle which ultimately led to the vessel's demise was considered to be pivtol in halting Japan's advance across the Pacific during the Second World War. According to the US Navy, 216 members of the Lexington's crew were killed during the fighting while 2,000 others were successfully rescued.

"Lexington was on our priority list because she was one of the capital ships that was lost during WWII," said Robert Kraft, a spokesman for Allen's company Vulcan.

It took around six months of planning to finally locate the vessel, however there are no plans to raise it from the seabed because the US Navy considers it to be a war grave.

Full article here:  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-43296489