Kitty Hawk class aircraft carrier
From Free net encyclopedia
| Kitty Hawk class supercarrier | |
|---|---|
| Image:USS Kitty Hawk CV-63.jpg | |
| Class Overview | |
| Class Type | Supercarrier |
| Class Name | Kitty Hawk |
| Preceded By | Forestal-class supercarrier |
| Succeeded By | USS Enterprise (CVN-65), Nimitz-class supercarrier |
| Ships of the Class: | Kitty Hawk, Constellation, America |
The Kitty Hawk class supercarriers of the United States Navy were an incremental improvement on the Forrestal-class vessels. Three were built, all in the first half of the 1960s:
- Kitty Hawk (CV-63) (1961)
- Constellation (CV-64) (1961)
- America (CVA-66) (1965)
The biggest differences from the Forrestals are greater length, and a different placement of elevators; two are forward of the island, with a third at the portside stern. The movement of the #4 elevator from the forward to the after end of the angle made it useful for aircraft movement, since the forward-end elevator was useless as it was in both the landing path and in the launch path of the #3 and #4 catapults.
Each was built at a different shipyard.
Kitty Hawk and Constellation were later updated in an SLEP program; but America was scheduled for a few years later than her sisters, at a time of budget cuts, and was decommissioned in 1996. America was in very poor condition when she was decommissioned, and therefore despite her historical significance was not held as a donation asset. She was expended as a live-fire target and sunk on 14 May 2005.
John F. Kennedy (CV-67) is similar, but has enough differences that it is usually placed in its own class.
| Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier |
| Kitty Hawk | Constellation | America |
| John F. Kennedy (Improved Kitty Hawk)-class aircraft carrier |
| John F. Kennedy |
| List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy |