[tanknetter]

The Lexington, Yorktown and Hornet, as you know, were all recommissioned versions of the ships of the same name which were sunk at the battles of Coral Sea, Midway and the Guadalcanal campaign, respectively.

They weren't really recommissioned versions. They (along with Wasp, which was also sunk during Guadalcanal) were completely new ships of a different (Essex) class that were originally ordered (if not laid down) under different names. When their namesakes were sunk early in the war the names were reassigned to the new Essex-class ships to both carry on the legacy AND as a disinformation measure.

[Vigilanteman]

While I realize that the Lexington, Yorktown and Hornet were all updated versions of the original ships, I didn't know about the disinformation incentive behind the names. Thank you.

It must have been very discouraging to the Japanese who thought they had gotten these ships in the earlier battles.