ESSEX CLASS CARRIERS IN ACTION

During the WWII the USA built three major types of the aircraft carriers, namely the Essex class heavy fleet carriers (CVs), addressed in detail in the present publication, the Independence-class light carriers converted from cruiser (CVLs), and, finally, "escort" carriers - these have been converted from tanker or merchant hulls (CVEs).

The twenty-four Essex-class vessels were not remarkable for any innovation in their design, but essentially they often were there in the right place at the right time - at the end of the day, they all did well the task history gave them. Fourteen of them saw action against Japanese navy fleet in the period 1943-1945, and all but the two most severely damaged in the war saw extensive postwar action as anti-submarine carriers, fleet carriers and amphibious assault ships and training carriers.

But, despite all its success, the Essex class was still considered unsatisfactory in many respects. It was based on a class of ships restricted in treaty, the design was handicapped by a lack of proper operational experience, and it was forced to handle massive increases in aircraft size, anti-aircraft armament and crew, all of which resulted in serious overloading and overcrowding. Let us have a closer look...