USS Lexington

Texas · United States · Ship

USS Lexington — Texas · United States · Ship

“The Blue Ghost” — the carrier whose dead sailor Charlie is said to still guide visitors through the engine rooms.

The USS Lexington is a Second World War aircraft carrier, launched in 1943, which today lies as a museum ship in Corpus Christi, Texas. It is known as "the Blue Ghost".

The nickname comes from Japanese wartime propaganda: the Lexington was reported sunk no fewer than four times, yet returned to battle again and again, like a ghost. The ship served some 21 months in the Pacific War and carried one of the navy's most legendary war records.

Since opening as a museum in 1992, the ship has accumulated accounts of eerie occurrences and become one of Texas's most talked-about haunted destinations. The most famous spirit is "Charlie" — a well-mannered sailor with piercing blue eyes, dressed in an old-fashioned white naval uniform the crew no longer wears. He is believed to have been killed in a kamikaze attack in 1944, and is said to astonish visitors with his detailed knowledge of the ship and its machinery.

Other witnesses describe ghostly hands touching them, disembodied voices and screams in the corridors, sometimes accompanied by the sound of rifle fire, along with rattling chains and lifts that move by themselves. During its wartime service the ship lost a number of crewmen in combat, fires and accidents, and many hold that it is their souls that still keep watch in the cramped, steel-clad spaces. Ghost tours are offered on board today, and every October the vast ship is turned into southern Texas's largest haunted house.

Sources: hauntedus.com, visitcorpuschristi.com, hauntedrooms.com, authentictexas.com

FAQ

Where is USS Lexington located?

USS Lexington is in Texas, United States.

More haunted places in Texas

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: U.S. Navy · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons