In modern United States Navy carrier air operations, a carrier strike group (CSG) normally consist of 1 aircraft carrier, 2 guided missile cruisers, 2 anti aircraft warships, and 1-2 anti submarine destroyers or frigates. But back in WW2, carriers didn’t quite have the escorts that they have today. They had to depend more on their own aircraft and what guns that had mounted onboard. 

The USS Lexington has a series of Quad 40 anti-aircraft guns on both sides as a deterrent to incoming enemy fighters. For the most part, they did a good job. But on November 5, 1944, a kamikaze Japanese plane crashed into the island, destroying most of the island structure, killing 50 and injuring 132.
 

The USS Lexington has a series of Quad 40 anti-aircraft guns on both sides as a deterrent to incoming enemy fighters. Photo by Tim Stanley Photography.