Forrestal class aircraft carrier
From Free net encyclopedia
| Forrestal class supercarrier | |
|---|---|
| Image:USS Forrestal.jpg | |
| Class Overview | |
| Class Type | Supercarrier |
| Class Name | In honor of Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal |
| Preceded By | Midway-class aircraft carrier, United States-class supercarrier |
| Succeeded By | Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier |
| Ships of the Class: | Forrestal, Saratoga, Ranger, Independence |
Image:USS Salatoga.jpg Image:USS Ranger CVA-61.jpg Image:USS Independence CVA-62.jpg The Forrestal-class aircraft carriers were a four-ship class designed and built for the United States Navy in the 1950s. The Forrestal class was the first class of "supercarriers" of the Navy, so called because of their then-extraordinarily high tonnage (75,000 tons, 25% larger than the WW2-era Midway class), full integration of the angled deck (Forrestal and Saratoga were laid down as axial deck carriers and converted to angled deck ships while under construction; Ranger and Independence were laid down as angled deck ships and had various minor improvements compared to the first two), very large island and most importantly their extremely strong air wing (80-100 jet aircraft, compared to 65-75 for the Midway class and less than 50 for the Essex class). Compared to the Midway class, the Forrestals were 100 feet longer and nearly 30 feet beamier, resulting in a far more stable and comfortable aircraft platform even in very rough weather. When commissioned, the Forrestal class ships had the roomiest hangar decks and largest flight decks of any carrier ever built. As a former Navy admiral once said: "Forrestal. It was good. It was very, very good...".
Forrestal-class ships were the first examples of supercarriers and thus not quite a perfected design; their elevators in particular were poorly arranged for aircraft handling. The portside elevator, a relic of the original axial-deck design, was almost completely useless, as it was located at the fore end of the angled deck, in the landing path as well as the launch path of aircraft from the #3 and #4 catapults. The subsequent Kitty Hawk class moved the portside elevator to the aft end of the angle and reversed the position of the island and the second starboard elevator, vastly improving aircraft handling.
The original design of the Forrestal class ships would have had a very small, retractable island; this design had numerous problems (the mechanism to raise and lower the island was never perfected before the angled deck was added to the design) and smoke fouling of the deck was expected to be a severe problem due to lack of adequate venting. The redesign to an angled deck allowed a very large island, much larger than on previous carriers, giving unprecedented flexibility and control in air operations.
General Characteristics
- Lead Ship: Forrestal (CVA-59)
- Number of Ships: 4
- Displacement: 20,619 tons dead weight, 80,678 tons full
- Length: 1070 ft (326 m)
- Beam: 130 ft (40 m) waterline, 252 ft (77 m) extreme
- Draft: 37 ft (11.2 m)
- Speed: 34 knots (63 km/h)
- Propulsion: 8 1200 psi boilers, steam turbines, 4 shafts
- Performance: 280,000 shp
- Complement: 552 officers, 3826 enlisted
- Aircraft: 70 - 90
The Forrestal class ships
| Keel laid | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | |
| Forrestal (CVA-59) | July 1952 | Dec. 1954 | Oct. 1955 | Sep. 1993 |
| Saratoga (CV-60) | Dec. 1952 | Oct. 1955 | Apr. 1956 | Aug. 1994 |
| Ranger (CVA-61) | Aug. 1954 | Sep. 1956 | Aug. 1957 | July 1993 |
| Independence (CV-62) | July 1955 | June 1958 | Jan. 1959 | Sep. 1998 |
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
| Forrestal-class aircraft carrier |
| Forrestal | Saratoga | Ranger | Independence |
| List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy |