phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Phil Gustafson) (08/21/90)
From: phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Phil Gustafson) I wrote: >The 8" batteries on the _Lexington_s were removed in early 1942 >and never used in anger. > >[mod.note: Lexington was sunk before receiving this coversion. - Bill ] Photos of the smoking, bow-heavy _Lex_ at Coral Sea show the 8" gunhouses gone, apparently replaced by the infamous quad 1.1" machine guns the Navy tried for a few years. Some writers have indicated that the guns were incorporated into Hawaii's shore defense, but I have no good reference on the point. _Lex_ was of course lost before she could undergo the more extensive improvements fitted to _Saratoga_. [Thanks for the info re SoDak's hit in the barbette. I'll have to change my assertion to "no U.S. battleship was ever hit in her _belt_armor_ by a large-caliber shell in combat." :-)] -- | phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG | Phil Gustafson | (ames|pyramid|vsi1)!zorch!phil | UNIX/Graphics Consultant | | 1550 Martin Ave., San Jose CA 95126 | | 408/286-1749