March 5, 2018 - The final resting place of the USS Lexington, a World War II-era aircraft carrier, has been discovered 76 years after it was sunk in the Coral Sea, more than 500 miles off the coast of Australia. One of the first aircraft carriers ever built by the U.S., the Lexington sank during the Battle of the Coral Sea in May of 1942. The ship went down with 216 crew members and 35 aircraft. But 2,770 crewmen and officers were rescued by awaiting U.S. ships. The Lexington was the first aircraft carrier to be sunk in history. The Battle of the Coral Sea stopped an important Japanese advance on Australia and New Guinea, and one month later the Battle of Midway permanently turned war in favor of the U.S.