USS Lexington Museum

Known as "The Blue Ghost," this aircraft carrier was the Navy's first supercarrier, commissioned in 1943. Tokyo Rose reported her sunk four times, yet she always returned to combat. The 870-foot vessel served in both World War II and later conflicts before being decommissioned in 1991 and donated to Corpus Christi as a museum ship. Featured on Syfy's Ghost Hunters.

The USS Lexington, known as the "Blue Ghost," was commissioned in February 1943 and became one of the most decorated ships in U.S. Navy history, earning 11 battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation during World War II. The Japanese reported sinking her four times—each time she returned to battle, painted dark blue, earning her ghostly nickname. After the longest active service of any Essex-class carrier, she was decommissioned in 1991 and opened as a museum in Corpus Christi in 1992.

The ship's most famous resident spirit is Charlie, a well-mannered sailor with piercing blue eyes who appears in the engine room wearing a vintage white Navy uniform no longer used by museum staff. Many tourists have complimented their "wonderful tour guide" in Engine Room #2, not realizing no such official guide exists. Charlie, believed to be a sailor killed during a 1944 Japanese kamikaze attack, dazzles visitors with his intimate knowledge of the ship and its engines before vanishing without a trace.

The Lexington's wartime history includes notable casualties. Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick died during flight training on the ship's maiden voyage when his plane crashed into the sea. Helmsman Chris Christiansen was struck by a German shell on June 25, 1944, outside Cherbourg. Other deaths include an Army Ranger who died on an operating table in the days following D-Day and two sailors who fell overboard during World War I.

Visitors report sounds of running footsteps on lower decks, disembodied voices, and distant gunfire echoing through the metal corridors. Quick-moving shadows dart through the halls—spectral soldiers rushing to man their battle stations. In the old ship's kitchen, guests encounter the inexplicable smell of cooking food. Small objects like pen caps disappear only to reappear in strange locations. The USS Lexington was featured on Syfy's Ghost Hunters and now hosts regular paranormal investigations through its "Blue Ghost Paranormal Overnight" program, offering investigators access to six documented "hot spots" across the ship.