Fleet Carriers
Fleet carriers were designed to provide a heavy airborne attack capability carried on hulls that were able to keep up with the heavy units of the Battle Fleet.
Except for the earlier carriers CV-1 USS Langley, CV-2 USS Lexington and CV-3 USS Saratoga, no fleet carriers were created by converting other vessels. The unique requirements of carrier operations made other hulls unsuitable for conversion.
The mainstay of the carrier fleet during World War II was the Essex-class fleet carrier. More Essex -class carriers were built than any other fleet type. A total of 32 carriers were ordered, of which 24 were completed and commissioned. One incomplete hull (Reprisal) was used for engineering tests after the war, one ship (Iwo Jima) was cancelled and broken up on the building slip, and six others (CV-50 through CV-55) were cancelled before construction was begun.
Carrying over 90 aircraft, and bristling with offensive and defensive weaponry, the fleet carrier still had the speed to keep up with the ships of the battle line, making her the primary attack capability of the fleet. Her aircraft allowed the task force to locate and attack enemy units hundreds of miles away, while her armament allowed her to defend herself against enemy air attack.
Although designed prior to the outbreak of the war, these ships provided excellent service throughout the conflict. The basic soundness of the design is evidenced by the fact that, with modernisation, these carriers continued to serve for many years after WWII. The last serving Essex-class carrier, CV-16 USS Lexington, was not retired until 1991. From first keel to last retirement, that gives a total service life of 50 years! No other type of carrier has provided such service.
In fact, four of the Essex-class carriers continue to serve in retirement, as museum ships. These are:
CV-10 USS Yorktown at the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, Patriots Point, South Carolina;
CV-11 USS Intrepid as the Intrepid Sea*Air*Space Museum in New York Harbor, New York City;
CV-12 USS Hornet as the Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation Museum at Naval Air Station Alameda, Alameda, California; and
CV-16 USS Lexington as the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay at Corpus Christi, Texas.
A fifth ship, CV-34 USS Oriskany, serves in an entirely different manner. She is now an artificial reef, marine habitat and dive site off Pensacola, Florida.
It should be noted that no Essex-class carriers were sunk by enemy action, although several were retired from active battle service due to damage. Except for the four museum ships, none survive to the present day.
A second class of fleet carriers was designed during World War II, but these ships were completed too late to see active service during the war. Designated as Large (Battle) Aircraft Carriers (CVB), the Midway-class were the precursors to today's supercarriers. Only three of the six Midways ordered were completed and commissioned. None currently serves, although the lead ship of the class, CV-41 USS Midway, is currently undergoing conversion to a museum ship in San Diego, California.
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