European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 10, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday november 10, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 7 Blue ghost7 Lowers its colors for Good Pensacola Fla. Up a the Lexington the Navy a oldest aircraft Carrier which carries the nicknames Quot lady Lex and the a Blue ghost a lowered her colors Friday for the final time and was decommissioned to an Uncertain Fate. The fifth edition of the Lexington which went into service in 1943, was used recently to train new pilots. More than 4,000 former and current Crew members and military and government officials participated in special ceremonies at the Nas Pensacola. Capt. William h. Kennedy the last commanding officer was presented with the ships flags and its Long Glass or Telescope. Quot no other ship is More loved respected and admired than this ship a said rep. Earl Hutto a Fla. A i Hope she can spend her retirement in dignity and close to this  Mobile Ala. Quincy mass., where it was built and Corpus Christi Texas Are vying to use the ship As a floating museum. Hurley Oberlin 70, a Hillsdale mich., Retiree who now lives in Florida served aboard two Lexington. He is a survivor of Pearl Harbor from the West Virginia which was sunk. He was then assigned to the fourth Lexington which was sunk in the Battle of Coral sea in 1942. Oberlin returned to the United states in 1943 and was stationed in Boston where he was assigned to the fifth Lexington As a Quot Plank Holder or Crew member while the snip still was in dry Dock. Quot i m pretty excited to be Here and honoured to be a part of its history a Oberlin said. A a ship is no better than its Crew and we had a pretty Good  the chief of naval operations . Frank b. Kelso ii said recent pro democracy movements around the world do not eliminate the military threat to the United states. A it is Clear that changes Are taking place in our relations with the soviet Union but the world remains a dangerous place a Kelso said. A tensions unrest and political instability continue to require that we maintain naval strength to go in harms Way to protect our National interest at Home and  the Lexington legacy dates to the revolutionary War. The first ship to carry the name was built in March 1776, after the Battle of Lexington. It was owned by the Maryland committee of safety under the name the wild Duck and was purchased by the Continental Congress and renamed Lexington. The second ship a 691-ton Sloop of War with 18 guns was commissioned in 1826 and served in the mexican War. The third Lexington a seven gun Side wheel Steamer commissioned to 1861, served in the civil War. The fourth Lexington went into service in 1927 and was transformed from a Battle Cruiser into an aircraft Carrier. The most recent Lexington participated in More than 30 major campaigns in world War ii including Tarawa Kwajalein Okinawa and iwo Jima. In september 1945, it became the first Carrier to enter Tokyo Bay. During the War the Lexington and its aircraft shot Down or destroyed More than 1,000 enemy planes and sunk or damaged Over 1 million tons of japanese shipping. It got its nickname a the Blue ghost because of repeated claims by Japan a propagandist Tokyo Rose that it had been sunk. It became a training Carrier in 1962 and since then More than 42,000 Navy pilots have qualified on her decks including almost All the aviators now on Active duty. It recorded 493,248 arrested landings during its service the most of any aircraft Carrier in naval history. Taking Over the Lexington a role As a training Center will be the Forristal now on duty in the Mediterranean. When it returns to its Home port of Mayport Fla., near Jacksonville it will be reassigned to Pensacola. Next september it will be taken out of service for 14 months for work at the Philadelphia naval shipyard. The nation s next oldest Carrier the Midway will be decommissioned in april 1992. The Lexington was the first Active Navy ship on which women were assigned and it was it. Kathy Owens who made the ships final Landing in March. A ceremonial final Landing had been scheduled but Owens aircraft needed to land and the unplanned Stop was made. Final ceremonies for the ship included a flyby by the Navy a Blue Angel team. As an unplanned addition to the ceremony As the Lexington Crew lined the rim of the ship and stood at attention for the lowering of the flags a flock of Birds Rose off the Bow in a v formation a known in the military for Victory a and flew off to the  to daily news Maxwell son says he s Kevin Maxwell new publisher of the new York daily news repeats a press stunt of his late father s by standing behind the counter of a Manhattan newsstand Friday. Suspicious7 fire hits 48th Church Jacksonville Beach Fla. Up a a fire heavily damaged the administrative offices of the first Baptist Church a the 48th Florida Church to Burn in the past 18 months. The fire erupted about 4 30 . Friday causing More than $250,000 damage to the two Story Brick building Jacksonville Beach fire marshal Austin Wilson said. Two men detained a few blocks from the Church about 5 . Were questioned by police and released said police sgt. Ralph Anderson. He said the cause of the fire had not been determined. A is it suspicious a Church went up that obviously makes it suspicious a Anderson said. Quot but As fat As having anything Concrete to say if its arson no we done to have that  he also said there was nothing to definitely link the fire to the other blazes. The building built in the 1940s, was among the largest and oldest of the City a 22 churches Wilson said. Arson experts from Florida a department of Law enforcement and the Federal Bureau of alcohol tobacco and firearms were dispatched to investigate. Thirty six of the 48 Church fires since april 1990 have been ruled arson said Sheila Hayes a spokeswoman for the Gainesville fire department. On thursday in St. Augustine suspicious fires caused minor damage to Mcdowell Baptist Church and the first Church of Christ scientist. By the los Angeles times new York a like father like Sony was the message that Kevin Maxwell sought to convey Friday on a lightning trip to visit nervous executives staff and Union leaders at the new York daily news. Maxwell 32, became chairman and publisher of the new York tabloid on wednesday. He succeeds his flamboyant father British publishing magnate Robert Maxwell who was found dead off the Canary islands after disappearing from his yacht last week. The elder Maxwell bought the newspaper from Chicago a Tribune co. Earlier this year saving the venerable paper from near certain extinction after a bruising strike. Maxwells one Day trip to new York was designed to dispel fears that the Maxwell family a financial commitment to the paper might have died too. The elder Maxwell left behind a debt Ridden Empire of newspapers publishing concerns and other businesses. A the commitment is that we re Here to stay and we re Here to continue the work that Bob started a Maxwell said stressing that he would emulate his fathers direct involvement in the management of the paper. A what it Means for us is a Home base in the states a Maxwell added. John Campi daily news vice president for Public relations said that Maxwell in private meetings assured the papers sex fires also have damaged churches in Gainesville Winter Haven Lake City and Ocala. A $46,000 Reward is being offered by Federal officials and local groups for information leading to an arrest. Offices sustained the Brunt of damage in fridays fire but the Sanctuary was also scorched by heat and smoke said the Rev. Rick Blythe pastor of the first Baptist. About 8,000 books 1,000 tapes and the ordination certificate of Blythe a Grandfather were lost. A you just hate to think of the kind of Hurt and pain that must be in Peoples lives that can do this kind of stuff a Blythe said. A but i think we be been fortunate in that it has not happened at worship time where lives have been  ecu Tives that the family would continue to operate the paper and fulfil his fathers pledges to infuse new capital. However Campi Saia that Maxwell left the daily news without making a specific commitment to fund a sorely needed new printing Plant which is expected to Cost at least $200 million. Union leaders expressed satisfaction with the visit. George Mcdonald president of the Allied printing trades Council said Maxwell told unionists that the family a financial Empire planned to sell off other assets to solve its debt problems a and retain the daily news. As if to underscore the continuity from father to son Maxwell repeated a press stunt that his father performed on the Day after buying the paper last Spring. He donned a Bright Blue daily news baseball Cap and took up position behind the counter of a newsstand on one of new York City a busiest Street Corners. This Lime the crush of to cameras and reporters attracted scores of passers by. Maxwell planned to Fly to Jerusalem to attend his fathers funeral today. In London the Price of Maxwell communications Stock continued to plunge Friday. The Stock lost about 30 percent of its value thursday when trading resumed after a two Day halt called after word of maxwells death. On Friday shares dropped an additional 6.8 percent closing Down 5 British Pence at 68 Pence. Baltimore cuts nearly 600 jobs Baltimore a nearly 600 City jobs will be Cut and schools will be closed for a week to make up for a $27.5 million Cut in state Aid mayor Kurt Schmoke said Friday. A i think having $27.5 million removed from the budget in the Middle of the year is a civil disaster a Schmoke  said schools will be closed for five Days during the Winter and teachers will be furloughed during that time. Cuts include closing five fire stations which would eliminate about 250 positions Schmoke said