The Lexington Class Carriers

by Robert C. Stern

The story of the emergence of the aircraft carrier as a naval weapons system by concentrating on the two earliest and most famous of the type, the American Lexington-class aircraft carriers, Lexington and Saratoga.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1993

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author introduces the book by stating it is a history of the class as a weapons system- focusing on their evolving uses and weapons/aircraft load-outs. In some senses, he is successful, with good detail on how the carriers physically changed over their lifetimes, but I feel that the book leans too heavily on the technical aspects of the class, and too little on notions of employment. For instance, there is a lengthy description of aircraft handling and stowage, but a discussion of the air groups assigned, their aircraft mixes and employment comes only as a postscript.
Absent also is any real history of the class in service- much is implied in the technical description of the ships and how they were altered, but there is very little flavor for the 'culture' of these ships, which would be critical in these first true carriers. The fact that Lexington was sunk in 1942 is only really addressed in the section on damage control arrangements.
Finally, I would loved to have seen more on the Lexington class battlecruisers from which the carriers were derived.
A quick read, with some context for the treaty navy, but leaves one wanting more.