SNIP

I did a Boy Scouts camp onboard the Lexington a couple of years ago and
I was astonished at the poor material condition of that ship - it was
falling to pieces, passageways were filled with stagnant water, ****TY
food served by what appeared to be work-release convicts. In short, it
was extremely disappointing to see how poorly the CV was "preserved",
and I would suggest its not worth a trip to visit it in its current
condition. When we were aboard, the docent staff was almost entirely
former military, but only a couple were former Navy. This showed up
during tours, where I and other tourists kept catching the docents
giving out inaccurate information - another reason I was disappointed
in our visit.

The USS Midway is kept in fantastic condition by comparison. The
aircraft and ship are kept up and there is broad support in the San
Diego community to volunteer, visit, and contribute to its continued
success as a centerpiece to the local museums. It didn't appear that
the old Lex had any such support in Corpus.

Some of this might be a function of cumulative neglect. I was always
surprised by the disparity of material condition and cleanliness of the
ships I cruised and/or visited (CQ evolutions). Oriskany was in pretty nice
shape till the day they parked her. Ranger was somewhat disappointing,
Independence was very disappointing.

Midway was cared for by the Yokosuka shipyard for a number of years.
Allegedly, she was in prime shape even though she saw considerable service.
By comparison her sisters were not-so-good. Coral Maru wasn't prime and FDR
(this based on friends who enjoyed her hospitality) deserved her moniker
"Filthy, Dirty, Rusty."

R / John