USS Lexington exposed King to carrier command and Navy politics

King finally received a ship with eight-inch guns, but it was the aircraft carrier USS Lexington rather than the cruiser he had long sought. He used two years of command for exercises and aviation development, building experience that would matter far more than the cruiser service he had wanted. Rumors about drinking, social behavior, and personal conduct nevertheless circulated around his promotion prospects. Those stories require caution, especially because scarce flag appointments made advancement in the interwar US Navy unusually political and contentious.