Cold War
Aircraft carrier technology underwent many changes during the Cold War. The first of the 45000 ton carriers, the USS Midway was commissioned eight days after the end of World War II, on September 10. A larger ship was planned, and in 1948, President Harry Truman approved the construction of a "supercarrier", a 65000 ton aircraft carrier to be named USS United States; however, the project was canceled in April 1949 by the Secretary of Defense. The Navy's first supercarriers came later, in 1955, with the Forrestal class. 1953 saw the first test of an angled-deck carrier, the USS Antietam.
The "N" suffix was added to the designation system to represent nuclear powered carriers in 1956. The first carrier to receive this suffix was the USS Enterprise, commissioned in 1961. The last conventionally powered carrier, USS John F. Kennedy, was commissioned in 1968 and was decommissioned in 2007.
The Korean War began June 25, 1950, and the need for planes and troops was urgent. Returning from Korea, the USS Boxer made a record trip across the Pacific—7 days, 10 hours, and 36 minutes. In 1952, all carriers with designations "CV" or "CVB" were reclassified as attack carriers and given the sign "CVA".
As the Mercury-Redstone 3 mission ended, the USS Lake Champlain recovered Commander Alan B. Shepard, the first American in space, on May 5, 1961. Another aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet, recovered the Apollo 11 astronauts after their splashdown. Apollo 11 was the first manned landing on the moon, and was composed of astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins.
In 1975, the first Nimitz class aircraft carrier was commissioned; the Nimitz class are the largest warships in the world; and is the only aircraft carrier class in commission with the U.S. Navy, except for the USS Enterprise. Construction and commissioning of the Nimitz class continued after the Cold War.
Also, in 1975, the U.S. Navy simplified the carrier designations—CV, CVA, CVAN, CVB, CVL—into CV for conventionally powered carriers and CVN for nuclear-powered carriers.
| Designation | Class | Ships | Active | Description | Lead Ship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CV-41 | Midway |
|
1945 – 1992 | This class was one of the longest lived carrier designs in history. First commissioned in late 1945, the lead ship of the class, USS Midway was not decommissioned until 1992, shortly after seeing service in the Gulf War. Six were planned; 3 were built including the Coral Sea (CV-43) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42). The class was originally designated CVB. | |
| CVL-48 | Saipan |
|
1946 – 1970 | Built on modified Baltimore class cruiser hulls. Both were converted to command-and-control ships in the mid-1950s: Saipan to Arlington, Wright to CC-2. | |
| CVA-58 | United States |
|
None commissioned | This class was never commissioned (3 more were planned). See Revolt of the Admirals for details. | |
| CV-59 | Forrestal |
|
1955 – 1998 | 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 Midway class), and full integration of the angled deck. | |
| CV-63 | Kitty Hawk |
|
1961 – 2009 | Sometimes called "Improved Forrestal class". Sometimes mistaken as a four-ship class, with USS John F. Kennedy (see below) as a member. 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. | |
| CVN-65 | Enterprise |
|
1961 – 2012 | First nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, using eight A2W reactors. Enlarged, modified, and nuclear-powered Kitty Hawk-class design. Six ships of this class were planned, only the lead ship was constructed. The Enterprise had been in active operational service for 51 years, longer than any combatant ship in American history. | |
| CV-67 | John F. Kennedy |
|
1968 – 2007 | Last conventionally powered aircraft carrier built (as of 2009). Sometimes grouped as a Kitty Hawk class ship. Laid down as a nuclear ship to use four A3W reactors, converted to conventional propulsion early in construction. | |
| CVN-68 | Nimitz |
|
1975 – Present | A line of nuclear-powered supercarriers in service with the US Navy using two A4W reactors, and the largest capital ships in the world. The Nimitz class are numbered with consecutive hull numbers starting with CVN 68. Ten ships are in the class as of 2009. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Aircraft Carrier Classes Of The United States Navy
Famous quotes containing the words cold and/or war:
“Poems stirred
into paper coffee-cups, eaten
with petals on rye in the
sun—the cold shadows in back,
and the traffic grinding the
borders of spring ...”
—Denise Levertov (b. 1923)
“Physical nature lies at our feet shackled with a hundred chains. What of the control of human nature? Do not point to the triumphs of psychiatry, social services or the war against crime. Domination of human nature can only mean the domination of every man by himself.”
—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)