Lexington

13.3

Lexington

Aircraft Carrier | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

stock

 top

General

Research price161000 exp

Purchase price11,500,000

Hit Points54,300

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mount8 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range4.5 km.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

Secondary Armament #2

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount4 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range4.5 km.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

AA Defense

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mount8 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second64

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second60.4

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount52 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second187.2

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount9 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second143.1

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed33 knot

Turning Circle Radius1 180 m.

Rudder Shift Time21.9 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range14.51 km.

Air Detectability Range10.02 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.3

Lexington

Aircraft Carrier | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

stock

 top

General

Research price161000 exp

Purchase price11,500,000

Hit Points57,300

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mount8 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range4.5 km.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

Secondary Armament #2

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount4 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range4.5 km.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

AA Defense

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mount8 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second64

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second60.4

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount23 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second365.7

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount16 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second57.6

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.1 mount2 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second22.6

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed33 knot

Turning Circle Radius1 180 m.

Rudder Shift Time15.6 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range14.51 km.

Air Detectability Range10.02 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VIII

11,500,000

Lexington — American Tier VIII aircraft сarrier.

When commissioned, Lexington was one of the largest aircraft carriers in existence. She was converted from an unfinished battlecruiser. The ship had good armor and advanced torpedo protection. Owing to her dimensions, the aircraft carrier was equipped with a very spacious hangar and was armed with numerous AA and dual-purpose artillery. The ship's powerful propulsion created very high speeds.

Modules

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Lexington (A)	54,300	6	178		8/4	52/9/8/4				0	1,200,000
Lexington (B)	57,300	6	178		8/4	16/2/23/8/4				27,000	3,000,000

	Speed (knot)	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_MED_DAMAGE (HP/min)	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_AMMO_AMOUNT	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
F6F Hellcat	160			1,400		0	600,000
F4U-1D Corsair Tiny Tim	169			1,460		18,000	1,500,000
F4U-1D Corsair HVAR 127 mm	169			1,460		18,000	1,500,000

	Maximum Torpedo Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
TBF Avenger	6,467	120	1,800		0	600,000
SB2C Helldiver	6,467	125	1,880		18,000	1,500,000

	Maximum Bomb Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
SBD Dauntless		122	1,890		0	600,000
SB2C Helldiver		125	1,980		18,000	1,500,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 180,000 hp	33		0	500,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

Player Opinion

Performance

Overall, Lexington is a strong Tier VIII aircraft carrier. She is fast — 33.6 knots — but she turns like a brick, and her huge size advertises her presence for miles around. Although she has a strong wing of aircraft, careful usage of her bomber aircraft is vital as the anti-aircraft power of most Tier VIII ships and above that she will encounter begins to be very competitive (even without assistance from friendly fighters) and the "bigger but fewer squadrons" that is the national flavor of American aircraft carriers becomes more of a liability (as it is easier to focus fire on key strike aircraft, such as torpedo bombers).

Lexington — like her immediate predecessor, Ranger — is one of the more controversial carriers in the game. Her Strike Build is popular with carrier captains, but decidedly unpopular with their teammates due to the lack of any fighter cover whatsoever. Her Air Superiority Build can take control of the skies, but struggles mightily to deal damage due to the randomness of her dive bomber squadrons (though, with her 1000 lb. bombs, any that land are definitely felt). That leaves only the Stock Build, which for some inexplicable reason is only able to field three squadrons of aircraft to the other two builds' four. A smartly-played Stock Build Lexington can do well, but may find itself overwhelmed trying to defend friendly players against the likes of an enemy Strike Build Shokaku or Lexington with only one fighter squadron.

Happily, Lexington need not worry about saving her fighters to defend herself. Her anti-aircraft suite is brutally punishing to enemy bombers, particularly since she can equip the Defensive AA Fire consumable. She has a huge detection radius and is likely to be spotted eventually, but heads-up positioning and judicious use of her copious speed will help avoid being sunk too early in a game to make her presence felt on the battlefield.

Interestingly — perhaps in a nod to her battlecruiser origins — Lexington has a greater amount of armor than would be expected of a carrier, even retaining almost a proper armor belt on the port side. Captains should be advised, though, that while her armor may bounce the odd destroyer shell, it also means cruiser and battleship armor-piercing rounds have a greater chance of causing full penetration or citadels damage that would overpenetrate on softer targets.

Pros:

• Excellent anti-aircraft suite.
• Strong fighters.
• Matches the same speeds as cruisers of her tier.
• Strike planes will demolish most ships with a well-placed strike.
• Finally gets 1000-pound bombs, providing a boost to dive bombers' capabilities.

Cons:

• Very easy to detect at 17.5 km.
• Strike planes can be quickly wrecked by enemy anti-aircraft fire at high tiers, particularly cruiser AA.
• Most of the air wing is taken up by fighters when the Air Superiority loadout is used, leaving very few damage potential to enemy ships.
• When using Mk8 mod. 2 (Strike Build), Lexington gets no fighters of her own (unlike Shokaku).
• Bad rudder shift time and turning circle radius.
• Armor is just thick enough to let incoming armor piercing shells from an enemy battleship land as regular penetrations (or citadel hits) rather than over-penetrate.
• Secondaries are unreliable since she will be shot at way before the secondaries can even fire.
• Dive bombers have somewhat questionable accuracy due to randomness of bomb drops (even when dropped manually).

Research

For captains who plan on remaining as Stock Build:

1. Upgrade to Vought F4U-1 (fighter).
2. Upgrade to Hull (B) to increase anti-aircraft protection.
3. Upgrade to Curtiss SB2C (torpedo bomber).
4. Upgrade to Grumman TBM-3 (dive bomber).

For captains who plan on going with an Air Superiority Build:

1. Upgrade to Mk8 mod. 3.
2. Upgrade to Vought F4U-1 (fighter).
3. Upgrade to Hull (B) to increase anti-aircraft protection.
4. Upgrade to Grumman TBM-3 (dive bomber).
5. Upgrade to Curtiss SB2C (torpedo bomber).

For captains who plan on going with a Strike Build:

1. Upgrade to Mk8 mod. 2.
2. Upgrade to Curtiss SB2C (dive bomber).
3. Upgrade to Hull (B) to increase anti-aircraft protection.
4. Upgrade to Grumman TBM-3 (torpedo bomber).
5. Upgrade to Vought F4U-1 (fighter).

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

As a carrier at Tier VIII with five upgrade slots (slots 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6), it's best to mount Air Groups Modification 1, Flight Control Modification 1 (for faster aircraft servicing time / rearming time) or Air Groups Modification 2 (for better fighter capability in fighting enemy fighters and taking down enemy bombers), Damage Control System Modification 1, Damage Control System Modification 2 (if the player chooses to use Emergency Takeoff Skill and does not have Damage Control Party ready) or Propulsion Modification 2 (if the player feels the need to relocate and avoid enemies is more important), and Concealment System Modification 1 on Lexington.

Commander Skills

The Dogfighting Expert skill is not generally recommended; however, it may be useful for captains pursuing an Air Superiority Build who have not yet researched upgraded fighters or wish to counter enemy Saipans they may encounter, as Lexington fighters are Tier VIII. Additionally, due to dive bombers having over 100% chance of causing fires, Demolition Expert is not a recommended skill.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Endurance		Attack		Support		Versatility
1	Priority Target Situational Awareness indicator will show the number of opponents currently aiming at you with main battery guns. ★	Preventative Maintenance -30% to the risk of incapacitation of main turrets, torpedo tubes, steering gear, engines.	Expert Loader -50% to reload time when shell type is switched.	Air Supremacy -5% aircraft restoration time. ★★★	Direction Center for Fighters +1 fighter to carrier fighter squadrons or catapult fighters.	Improved Engine Boost +10% Aircraft engine boost time.	Incoming Fire Alert Indicator of long-range enemy artillery fire.	Last Gasp Completely restores the engine boost for the last attack flight of the carrier's planes.
2	High Alert -10% to reload time of Damage Control Party consumable. ★	Jack of All Trades -5% to reload time of all consumables.	Expert Marksman +2.5 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber up to 139mm. +0.7 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber above 139mm.	Torpedo Acceleration +5 knots to torpedo speed. -20% to torpedo range. ★★★	Smoke Screen Expert +20% to the radius of the smoke screen.	Improved Engines +2.5% Squadron speed.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% to reload times of all types of armament for each 1% of total health lost. +0.2% squadron speed for each 1% of total health lost.	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.
3	Basics of Survivability -15% to time of repair, fire extinguishing, and recovery from flooding. ★	Survivability Expert +350 ship HP for each ship tier. +15 aircraft HP for each ship tier.	Torpedo Armament Expertise -10% to reload time of torpedo tubes. ★★★	Aircraft Armor Reduces continuous damage to aircraft in all AA defense zones. -10% continuous damage.	Basic Firing Training -10% to reload time of main battery guns with a caliber up to and including 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +10% to continuous damage from AA guns. ★	Superintendent +1 additional charge to all consumables mounted on a ship.	Demolition Expert +2% chance of HE shells causing a fire on target. +1% chance of rockets causing a fire on target. +5% chance of HE bombs causing a fire on target.	Vigilance +25% to detection range of enemy torpedoes.
4	Manual Fire Control for Secondary Armament Tightens dispersion of shells from secondary batteries. -15% for Tier I-VI ships. -60% for Tier VII-X ships. Manually selected target only.	Fire Prevention -10% to the risk of fire. The maximum number of fires on a ship is reduced to three.	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells +30% to the armor penetration capacity of HE shells. -1% chance of fire on target caused by shells <=139mm. -3% chance of fire on target caused by shells >139mm.	Sight Stabilization Speeds up the aiming of a carrier's aircraft. +5% attack aircraft aiming speed. +5% torpedo bomber aiming speed. +10% dive bomber aiming speed.	Advanced Firing Training +20% to firing range of main battery guns with a caliber up to 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +15% damage/sec. within the explosion radius of shells fired from long-range AA defenses.	Massive AA Fire Instantaneous Damage +100%. Priority AA sector cooldown +50%.	Radio Position Finding Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.	Concealment Expert -10% to the detection radius of all ships and aircraft. ★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful       ★★ - Frequently Useful       ★ - Occasionally Useful      No stars - Meh     Χ - Not recommended

Consumables

As a Tier VIII carrier, Lexington has access to the following consumables:

• Damage Control Party
• Defensive AA Fire

Premium Defensive AA Fire is recommended to counter any enemy carrier's attempts to "snipe" the player (that is, by having all bombers bypass allied ships undetected and attempting to sink the player in one hit). Premium Damage Control Party II is not recommended as it is only needed in dire moments, or when the player is the last one alive.

Camouflage

Type 1, 2, or 5 camouflage can be equipped for credits; Types 1 or 5 are recommended at a minimum to reduce detectibility range.

Players who wish to spend doubloons can equip Lexington with Type 18 camouflage that lowers her detection radius, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, reduces her repair costs, and increases the amount of experience she earns.

Signals

As a carrier, Lexington can only mount at most four signals at a time and has no risk of detonating. Players should mount Equal Speed Charlie London (for faster XP grinding / increased XP gain per battle), Zulu Hotel (when coupled with Equal Speed Charlie London greatly helps increase commander (re)training), November Echo Setteseven (for better bomber self-defense against fighters and increased AA DPS), and Juliet Whiskey Unaone (to have a better chance at causing flooding and dealing damage via flooding). Players can also choose to equip the Dragon Flag for faster commander (re)training.

Gallery

• 

  Lexington with Type 1 camouflage.

• 

  Lexington with Type 2 camouflage.

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  Lexington with Type 5 camouflage.

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  Lexington with Type 6 camouflage.

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  Lexington with Type 18 permanent camouflage.

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  Model of Lexington as originally built. This hull module was omitted in favor of the 1942 configuration, which replaced the 203 mm gun turrets with 127 mm dual-purpose gun turrets.

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Historical Info

The Lexington-class aircraft carriers were a pair of aircraft carriers built for the United States Navy (USN) during the 1920s. The ships were built on hulls originally laid down as battlecruisers after World War I, but under the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, all U.S. battleship and battlecruiser construction was cancelled. The Treaty, however, allowed two of the unfinished ships to be converted to carriers. They were the first operational aircraft carriers in the USN and were used to develop carrier aviation tactics and procedures before World War II in a series of annual exercises.

They proved extremely successful as carriers and experience with the Lexington class convinced the Navy of the value of large carriers. They were the largest aircraft carriers in the USN until the Midway-class aircraft carriers were completed beginning in 1945. The ships served in World War II, seeing action in many battles. Although Lexington was sunk in the first carrier battle in history (the Battle of the Coral Sea) in 1942, Saratoga served throughout the war — despite being torpedoed twice — notably participating in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in mid-1942 where her aircraft sank the Japanese light carrier Ryujo. She supported Allied operations in the Indian Ocean and South West Pacific Areas until she became a training ship at the end of 1943. Saratoga returned to combat to protect American forces during the Battle of Iwo Jima in early 1945, but was badly damaged by kamikazes. The continued growth in the size and weight of carrier aircraft made her obsolete by the end of the war. In mid-1946, the ship was sunk during nuclear weapon tests in Operation Crossroads.

Historical Inaccuracies

• Lexington was sunk in early 1942 and never carried any of the aircraft or upgraded armaments depicted in-game.
• Several of the Lexington’s historical aircraft — notably the F4F Wildcat, F2A-3 Buffalo, SB2U Vindicator and TBD Devastator — are missing.
• Numerous secondary armament configurations are also missing. USS Lexington (CV-2), in particular, had twelve (12) five-inch guns, twelve (12) quadruple 1.1-inch AA guns, twenty-two (22) Oerlikons and at least two dozen (12) .50-caliber machine guns in May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Historical Gallery

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  Rear Admiral David W. Taylor (left), Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair, and Rear Admiral John K. Robison (right), Chief of the Bureau of Engineering, hold a model of the battlecruiser above a model of the proposed conversion to an aircraft carrier at the Navy Department on 8 March 1922.

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  Lexington firing her 8-inch guns, 1928.

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  Lexington and Saratoga alongside the smaller Langley at Puget Sound Navy Yard in 1929.

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  Side by side comparisons: two fleet carriers from the outbreak of the war, USS Saratoga and USS Enterprise, moored near the Essex class USS Hornet. Beyond Hornet is moored USS San Jacinto.

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  Lexington (top) compared with other aircraft carriers constructed during the same time period.

Ships of U.S.A.

Aircraft Carriers