WASHINGTON: Wreckage from the USS Lexington, a US aircraft carrier which sank during World War II, has been found in the Coral Sea, a search team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen announced on Monday.

The wreckage was found on Sunday by the team’s research vessel, the R/V Petrel, some 3,000 meters below the surface more than 500 miles (800 kilometres) off the eastern coast of Australia.

The search team released pictures and video of the wreckage of the Lexington, one of the first ever US aircraft carriers, and some of the planes which went down with the ship.

Remarkably preserved aircraft could be seen on the seabed bearing the five-pointed star insignia of the US Army Air Forces on their wings and fuselage.

On one aircraft, an emblem of the cartoon character Felix the Cat can be seen along with four miniature Japanese flags presumably depicting “kills.” The search team also released pictures and video of parts of the ship, including a nameplate, and anti-aircraft guns covered in decades of slime.

The USS Lexington and another US aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown, fought against three Japanese aircraft carriers from May 4-8, 1942 in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first ever between carriers.

The badly damaged Lexington, nicknamed “Lady Lex,” was deliberately sunk by another US warship at the conclusion of the battle.

More than 200 members of the crew died in the battle but most were rescued by other US vessels before the Lexington sank.

Admiral Harry Harris, who heads up the US military’s Pacific Command (PACOM) — and whose father was one of the sailors evacuated — paid tribute to the successful research effort.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2018