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CARRIER HULL NO.
and
Essex class carriers

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  The Essex class of carriers was, though you may argue that point, in my opinion the best weapon in the world when commisioned, and stayed the best carrier class until the Midway class became available in October of 1945.       The Essex class was the successor of Hornet. Just as Hornet, it was designed after the limitations of the Washington Treaty were lifted in 1936, and it was thus not necessary to obey to any rules other than those dictated by common sense. As a result, a class was devised which was to follow five main rules:  

1. They were to be able to carry four squadrons of 18 planes, plus another squadron in reserve
2. They were to be able to launch and recover planes faster than usual
3. The were to carry 25% spares for her planes, as it was thought that US carriers would stay longer at sea than her counterparts.
4. They were to be survivable in combat and able to serve a long time.
5. They were to be upgradeable.

Each of these rules was followed. When USS Essex was commisioned into the Navy in early January, 1943, the US Navy had received all it had wanted. The carrier was able to carry up to a hundred planes, and, due to a aircraft lift to the port side ofthe flightdeck, she was able to recover her planes while storing them in the hangar, and likewise for launching.       The ships were also highly survivable. During the two years the Essex class saw service in the Pacific, none of them was sunk, not even under the worst circumstances. This includes the devestation of USS Franklin, hit by two bombs off Okinawa in March 1945, during the preparations for the landing there. She suffered horrible fires aft, destroying planes and exploding "friendly" bombs. With 724 dead and 265 wounded, the carrier's captain was given permission to abandon the ship, but refused and saved Franklin. Bunker Hill, Admiral Marc Mitscher's flagship, was hit by two Kamikazes in May, 1945, and survived as well, with 389 dead or missing, and 264 wounded.
This may be to a great part attributed to the reluctance of the crews to let their ships die, but also to the rugged construction inherent in this class.       The Essexclass saw heavy service in the Pacific, beginning with the occupation of the Gilbert Islands in Mid-1943, and the second carrier raid on Rabaul, with Essex, Bunker Hill and the light carrier Independence.Throughout the war, the Essex class was the spearhead of all Central Pacific operations, and temporarily supported the South Pacific thrust of General MacArthur. Planes from these carriers were responsible for the decimation of Japanese air units in the Marianas, the Philippines, Formosa, and eventually Japan itself. With these carriers, the US Navy built up what was called the "Air Navy", and with these carriers, the US Navy became the most powerful navy in the world.  
The Essex class was also highly adaptable to modern technologies, and although not important in the World War 2 context, the Essex class was to receive steel and angled flightdecks to permit operation of jet fighters. The service of these great ships was a welcome addition to the US forces in Korea and in Vietnam.  
The last Essex was scrapped in 1989.  
 

Armament	(Essex,1943):    12 x 127mm L/38 in fourtwin mounts,  two each for and aft of the island, plus two guns eachon the left side before and behind the superstructure.    32 x 40mm L/56    44 x 20mm
Stats	(See below, 1):     Displacement:        Standard: 27100 tons       Full: 33000 tons    Length: 267.2 meters    Beam: 45.0 meters    Draught: 7.0 meters    Height (Mast): 44.8 meters    Crew(Officers/Crew):340/2900    Speed: 33 Knots
Complement (Planes)	(Essex, 1943):    VF-9: 36 F6F3 Hellcat    VB-9: 36 SDB Dauntless    VT-9: 18 TBF Avenger

1: The length of the Essex class is slightly different between two types: the so-called long and short hullversions.
Long hull ships are CV-14 & CV-15, CV-19, CV-21, CV-32-37,CV-39, and subsequent.
Length of long hull ships is 270.8 meters.
 

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For the history of each carrier, select the hyperlinked name of the carrier.

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Ship	Hull No.	Comm.	Decomm. [or loss]	Disposition - Effective date: 6 December 2001
Langley Langley Class	1	20 Mar 1922	27 Feb 1942	Conv. to AV 3; Sunk as a result enemy action about 75 miles south of Tjilatjap.
Lexington Lexington Class	2	14 Dec 1927	8 May 1942	Sunk as a result of enemy action at the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Saratoga Lexington Class	3	16 Nov 1927	26 Jul 1946	Used in Operation Crossroads as a nuclear test target and sunk at Bikini Atoll
Ranger Ranger Class	4	4 Jun 1934	18 Oct 1946	Sold for scrap 31 Jan 1947 to Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.
Yorktown Yorktown Class	5	30 Sep 1937	7 Jun 1942	Sunk due to enemy action at the Battle of Midway
Enterprise Yorktown Class	6	12 May 1938	17 Feb 1947	Sold, 1 Jul 1958
Wasp Wasp Class	7	25 Apr 1940	15 Sep 1942	Sunk due to enemy action southeast of San Cristobal Island
Hornet Yorktown Class	8	20 Oct 1941	26 Oct 1942	Sunk due to enemy action at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
Essex Essex Class	9	31 Dec 1942	30 Jun 1969	Stricken 1 Jun 1973. Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 1 Jun 1975.
Yorktown Essex Class	10	15 Apr 1943	27 Jun 1970	Stricken 1 Jun 1973. Established as a floating museum in Charleston, S.C., 13 Oct. 1975
Intrepid Essex Class	11	16 Aug 1943	15 Mar 1974	Established as a floating museum in New York City in 1982.
Hornet Essex Class	12	29 Nov 1943	26 May 1970	Stricken from the Navy List 1989. Donated to The Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation for use as a museum on 26 May 1998.
Franklin Essex Class	13	31 Jan 1944	17 Feb 1947	Stricken from the Navy List 10 Oct 1964
Ticonderoga Essex Class Long Hull	14	8 May 1944	1 Sep 1973	Stricken from the Navy List 16 Nov 1973. Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 1 Sept 1975.
Randolph Essex Class Long Hull	15	9 Oct 1944	13 Feb 1969	Stricken from the Navy List 1 Jun 1973. Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 1 Apr 1975.
Lexington Essex Class	16	17 Feb 1943	8 Nov 1991	Stricken from the Navy List 30 Nov 1991. Now a museum in Corpus Christi, Tex.
Bunker Hill Essex Class	17	25 May 1943	9 Jul 1947	Stricken from the Navy List 1 Nov 1966; retained as moored electronic test ship in San Diego until Nov. 1972. Scrapped 1973.
Wasp Essex Class	18	24 Nov 1943	1 Jul 1972	Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 21 May 1973.
Hancock Essex Class Long Hull	19	15 Apr 1944	30 Jan 1976	Stricken from the Navy List 31 Jan 1976; Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 1 Sept 1976.
Bennington Essex Class Opens in this window	20	6 Aug 1944	15 Jan 1970	Stricken from the Navy List 1989. Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 1 Dec 1994.
Boxer Essex Class Long Hull	21	16 Apr 1945	1 Dec 1969	Stricken from the Navy List 1 Dec 1969; Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 13 Mar 1971.
Independence	22	14 Jan 1943	28 Aug 1946	Sunk as target 29 Jun 1951.
Princeton	23	25 Feb 1943	24 Oct 1944	Sunk due to enemy action in the Sibuyan Sea.
Belleau Wood	24	31 Mar 1943	13 Jan 1947	Transferred to France 1953-1960. Returned. Stricken 1 Oct 1960 and sold for scrapping.
Cowpens	25	28 May 1943	13 Jan 1947	Stricken from the Navy List 1 Nov 1959 and sold for scrapping.
Monterey	26	17 Jun 1943	16 Jan 1956	Stricken from the Navy List 1 Jun 1970. Sold for scrapping in May 1971
Langley	27	31 Aug 1943	11 Feb 1947	Transferred to France 1951-1963; Sold 19 Feb 1964.
Cabot	28	24 Jul 1943	21 Jan 1955	Transferred to Spain 30 Aug 1967; returned to private U.S. organization 1989. Auctioned by US Marshals Service to Sabe Marine Salvage, 10 Sep 1999
Bataan	29	17 Nov 1943	9 Apr 1954	Stricken from the Navy List 1 Sep 1959. Sold for scrapping May 1961.
San Jacinto	30	15 Dec 1943	1 Mar 1947	Stricken from the Navy List 1 Jun 1970. Sold for scrapping on 15 Dec 1971 to National Metal and Steel Co., Terminal Island, Calif.
Bon Homme Richard Essex Class	31	26 Nov 1944	2 Jul 1971	Stricken from the Navy List 1989. Scrapped 4 Feb 1992.
Leyte Essex Class Long Hull	32	11 April 1946	15 May 1959	Stricken from the Navy List 1 Jun 1969
Kearsarge Essex Class Long Hull	33	2 May 1946	15 Jan 1970	Stricken from the Navy List 1 May 1973. Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 1 Mar 1974.
Oriskany Essex Class Long Hull	34	25 Sep 1950	20 Sep 1979	Stricken from the Navy List 1989. Stricken, sold 9 Sep 1995, but contractor defaulted, repossessed by the Navy, contract terminated 30 Jul 1997, to be resold
Reprisal Essex Class Long Hull	35	—	—	Never completed nor commissioned. Hull, 53% complete, was sold to Boston Metals Co, Baltimore, Md. and scrapped November 1949.
Antietam Essex Class Long Hull	36	28 Jan 1945	8 May 1963	Stricken from the Navy List 1 May 1973. Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 1 Dec 1973
Princeton Essex Class Long Hull	37	18 Nov 1945	30 Jan 1970	Stricken from the Navy List 30 Jan 1970
Shangri-La Essex Class Long Hull	38	15 Sep 1944	30 Jul 1971	Stricken from the Navy List 15 Jul 1982; disposed of by MARAD exchange 9 Aug 1988.
Lake Champlain Essex Class Long Hull	39	3 Jun 1945	2 May 1966	Stricken from the Navy List 1 Dec 1969. Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 28 Apr 1972
Tarawa Essex Class Long Hull	40	8 Dec 1945	13 May 1960	Reclassified as Aircraft Transport AVT-12 May 196 Stricken from the Navy List 1 Jun 1967.
Midway	41	10 Sep 1945	11 Apr 1992	Stricken 17 Mar 1997; at Navy Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, Wash. On donation hold for use as a museum and memorial
Franklin D. Roosevelt	42	27 Oct 1945	1 Oct 1977	Stricken from the Navy List 30 Sept 1977; Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 1 Apr 1978
Coral Sea	43	1 Oct 1947	26 Apr 1990	Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 7 May 1993
Valley Forge Essex Class	45	3 Nov 1946	15 Jan 1970	Stricken from the Navy List 15 Jan 1970; sold for scrap 29 Oct 1971 to Nicolai Joffre Corp., Beverly Hills, Calif.
Philippine Sea Essex Class	47	11 May 1946	28 Dec 1958	Stricken from the Navy List 1 Dec 1969.
Saipan	48	14 Jul 1946	14 Jan 1970	Name changed to Arlington 8 Apr 1965 and served as an communications relay ship until decomm. Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 6 Jun 1976
Wright	49	9 Feb 1947 11 May 1963	15 Mar 1956 27 May 1970	Converted to and commissioned as a command ship. Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 1 Aug 1980
Forrestal	59	1 Oct 1955	30 Sep 1993	Stricken from the Navy List 11 Sep 1993; At the Naval Education and Training Center, Newport, R.I., 14 Sept. 1998 on hold as museum donation
Saratoga	60	14 Apr 1956	20 Aug 1994	Stricken from the Navy List 30 Sep 1994; berthed at the Naval Education and Training Center, Newport, R.I., 7 Aug. 1998
Ranger	61	10 Aug 1957	10 Jul 1993	In inactive reserve in the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), Bremerton, Wash.
Independence	62	10 Jan 1959	30 Sep 1998	In inactive reserve in the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), Bremerton, Wash.
Kitty Hawk	63	29 Apr 1961	—	Active; see Fact File.
Constellation	64	27 Oct 1961	7 Aug. 2003	Towed 12 September 2003, to be placed in inactive reserve in the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), Bremerton, Wash.
Enterprise	65	25 Nov 1961	—	Active; see Fact File.
America	66	23 Jan 1965	9 Aug 1996	Stricken from Navy List; In the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), Philadelphia, Penn. To be scrapped.
John F. Kennedy	67	7 Sep 1968	—	Active; see Fact File.
Nimitz	68	3 May 1975	—	Active; see Fact File.
Dwight D. Eisenhower	69	18 Oct 1977	—	Active; see Fact File.
Carl Vinson	70	13 Mar 1982	—	Active; see Fact File.
Theodore Roosevelt	71	25 Oct 1986	—	Active; see Fact File.
Abraham Lincoln	72	11 Nov 1989	—	Active; see Fact File.
George Washington	73	4 July 1992	—	Active; see Fact File.
John C. Stennis	74	9 Dec 1995	—	Active; see Fact File.
Harry S. Truman	75	25 July 1998	—	Active; see Fact File.
Ronald Reagan	76	12 July 2003	—	see Fact File.
George H. W. Bush	77	Christened October 7, 2006 Delivery scheduled for late 2008	—	see Fact File.
Gerald R. Ford	78	—	—	see Fact File.

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