Stay the Rising Sun The True Story of USS Lexington, Her Valiant Crew, and Changing the Course of World War II

As one of the US Navy's first aircraft carriers, commissioned in 1928, everything USS Lexington did set a precedent. The rapidly advancing concepts of naval air warfare would be developed and tested from her flattop deck; naval aviation, in turn, would play a pivotal role in winning World War II, especially in the Pacific. All future carriers would be designed and built around the lessons learned from the class named after this venerable ship. Lexington, CV-2, was at sea when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. She and her crew immediately became part of the Pacific War, her efforts culminating in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first carrier-to-carrier battle in history. Stay the Rising Sun tells the history of the famed ship and the experiences of her men in this key battle, recounting the action in vivid, minute-by-minute detail--in many cases, in the words of the men who lived through it. Supplemented by historical backgroud and the perspectives of the other US elements and their Japanese adversaries during the battle, military historian Phil Keith's engrossing narrative truly brings this pivotal event to life. Although Lexinton was ultimately lost at Coral Sea, her contributions to the United States' strategic victory in the battle--and the lessons learned from her sinking--were invaluable and represented a critical turning point in the war. -- Back of book jacket.