Re: US CVs WW2

You forgot the Langley (CV-1) which by the time war broke out was being
used mainly
to ferry aircraft to overseas bases, and was in fact sunk on just such a
mission in
Asia.  Also, the CVE's (combustistible, vulnerable, expendable,
according to the
crews) were built in large lots, converted, IIRC, from merchant hulls. 
Btw, in two
historical side notes, Dorie Miller, a black sailor who won the Navy
Cross at Pearl
Harbor, was killed when his CVE was sunk near Tarawa in 1943.  Also, the
CVE's of
Taffy 3 were involved in probably the greatest "David vs. Goliath"
confrontation of
the war when the Japanese tried to bull through them at the Battle of
Samar during
the Leyte Gulf operation in an attempt to reach the American landing and
support
craft in the Philippines.  Even though they and their escorting
destroyers were
hopelessly outclassed by the weight of the Japanese fleet, they still
managed to
convince the Japanese led by Kurita that he ought to withdraw, thereby
squandering
a huge opportunity to blow the guts out of the American landings on
Leyte.

Mark

aebrain@austarmetro.com.au wrote:

> In 1941 the US had Lexington, Saratoga (both converted from
partially-built
> HUGE Battlecruisers after WW1), the more modern standard design
Enterprise,
> Yorktown and Hornet plus the smaller Wasp, and the older and smaller
Ranger.
>
> CV -2  Lexington 14Dec27  33,000
> CV -3  Saratoga  16Nov27  33,000
> CV -4  Ranger    4Jun34 14,500
> CV -5  Yorktown  30Sep37  19,800
> CV -6  Enterprise  12May38 19,800
> CV -7  Wasp  25Apr40 14,700
> CV -8  Hornet 20Oct41 20,000
>
> The Japanese had 2 big carriers based on partially-completed HUGE
> battlecruisers, Akagi and Kaga, with smaller standard ones, Hiryu and
Soryu,
> and 2 larger, rather more modern ones completing (Zuikaku, Shokaku).
Plus 2
> small CVLs, Zuiho and Shoho of about 11,000 t each.
>
> Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu and Soryu got sunk in the battle of Midway - which
was a
> catastrophe for the IJN. They lost the core of their fleet, 2/3 of
their
> effective capital ships.
>
> But...and this is the big but... the USA produced 14 Essex-class
(greatly
> enlarged Enterprise design) in time for the war. Plus 9 of the smaller
> Independence design, plus many more of the smaller still escort
carriers.
>
> Essentially they built an entire 1941 Carrier Fleet in both 43 and
44... there
> would have been more, except that a) many weren't completed before
late 45/46
> and b) after mid 43, it was obvious that no more were needed.
>
> CV -9  Essex Dec 42 27,100
> CV-10  Yorktown II 43  27,100
> CV-11  Intrepid 43  27,100
> CV-12  Hornet II  43	27,100
> CV-16  Lexington II  43  27,100
> CV-17  Bunker Hill  43  27,100
> CV-18  Wasp II 43  27,100
> CV-13  Franklin  Jan 44  27,100
> CV-14 Ticonderoga   44  27,100
> CV-15  Randolph    44  27,100
> CV-19  Hancock  44  27,100
> CV-20  Bennington   44  27,100
> CV -31  BonHommeRichard  Nov 44  27,100
> CV -38  Shangri-La  44  27,100
>
> CVL-22  Independence	Jan 43	11,000
> CVL-23  Princeton  43  11,000
> CVL-24  Belleau Wood	43  11,000
> CVL-25  Cowpens  43 11,000
> CVL-26  Monterey 43  11,000
> CVL-27  Langley II  43 11,000
> CVL-28  Cabot 43 11,000
> CVL-29  Bataan Nov 43 11,000
> CVL-30  San Jacinto Dec 43 11,000
>
> CREDITS:
> http://www.marshallnet.com/~manor/ww2/japcv.html
> http://www.marshallnet.com/~manor/ww2/carriers.html
> http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/
>
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