List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy

Aircraft carriers are warships that act as airbases for carrier-based aircraft. In the United States Navy, these consist of ships commissioned with hull classification symbols CV (aircraft carrier), CVA (attack aircraft carrier), CVB (large aircraft carrier), CVL (light aircraft carrier), CVN (aircraft carrier (nuclear propulsion)) and CVAN (attack aircraft carrier (nuclear propulsion)). Ships commissioned with hull classification symbols CVA-58 or higher are additionally classified as supercarriers. The United States Navy has also used escort aircraft carriers and airship aircraft carriers. This list does not include various amphibious warfare ships which can operate as carriers.

The first aircraft carrier commissioned into the United States Navy was USS Langley (CV-1) on 20 March 1922. The Langley was a converted Proteus-class collier (originally commissioned as USS Jupiter (AC-3),[1] Langley was soon followed by the Lexington-class, USS Ranger (the first purpose-built carriers in the American fleet), the Yorktown-class, and USS Wasp.[2] These classes made up the entirety of the United States carrier fleet active prior to and during the Second World War.[3]

With World War II looming, two more classes of carriers were commissioned under President Franklin Roosevelt, the Essex-class and the Independence-class.[4] Between these two classes, 35 ships were created.[5] During this time, the Navy also purchased two training vessels, USS Wolverine and USS Sable.[6][7]

The Cold War led to multiple developments in the United States' carrier fleet, starting with the addition of the Midway-class and the Saipan-class.[8] One more class in the start of the Cold War, the United States-class, was canceled due to the Truman administration's policy of shrinking the United States Navy and in particular, the Navy's air assets. The policy was eventually revised after a public outcry and Congressional hearings sparked by the Revolt of the Admirals.[9] Later in the Cold War era, the first of the classes dubbed "supercarriers" was born in the Forrestal-class,[10] with the Kitty Hawk-class, USS Enterprise, and USS John F. Kennedy classes. Ordered later in this era, the Nimitz-class carriers are the only class that are currently in active-duty service.[11]

A new class of carriers, the Gerald R. Ford-class, has been ordered by the Navy. As of now, one ship (Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)) has been completed, construction has started on one ship (John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)), and one ship has been planned (Enterprise (CVN-80)).[12][13]

List

#[14] Name[14] Image Commissioned[2] Decommissioned[2] Class Status[2] Refs.
CV-1 Langley
20 March 1922 27 February 1942 Langley, lead ship Scuttled and Sunk 65 nm south of Cilacap, Java [15][16][17]
CV-2 Lexington
14 December 1927 8 May 1942 Lexington, lead ship Sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea [17][18]
CV-3 Saratoga
16 November 1927 26 July 1946 Lexington Sunk in Operation Crossroads as a nuclear test target near Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean [17][19]
CV-4 Ranger
4 June 1934 18 October 1946 Ranger, lead ship Scrapped in 1947 in Chester, Pennsylvania [20]
CV-5 Yorktown
30 September 1937 7 June 1942 Yorktown, lead ship Sunk in the Battle of Midway [21]
CV-6 Enterprise
12 May 1938 17 February 1947 Yorktown Scrapped in 1960 [22]
CV-7 Wasp
25 April 1940 15 September 1942 Wasp, lead ship Sunk during the Guadalcanal campaign [23]
CV-8 Hornet
20 October 1941 26 October 1942 Yorktown Sunk in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands [24][25]
CV-9 Essex
31 December 1942 20 June 1969 Essex, lead ship Scrapped in 1975 [26]
CV-10 Yorktown
15 April 1943 27 June 1970 Essex Preserved at the Patriot's Point Naval & Maritime Museum—Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, USA [27]
CV-11 Intrepid
16 August 1943 15 March 1974 Essex Preserved at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum—New York, New York, USA [28]
CV-12 Hornet
20 November 1943 26 May 1970 Essex Preserved at USS Hornet Museum—Alameda, California, USA [29]
CV-13  Franklin
31 January 1944 17 February 1947 Essex Scrapped in 1966 [30]
CV-14 Ticonderoga
8 May 1944 1 September 1973 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1975 [31]
CV-15 Randolph
9 October 1944 13 February 1969 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1975 [32]
CV-16 Lexington
17 February 1943 8 November 1991 Essex Preserved at USS Lexington Museum On the Bay— Corpus Christi, Texas, USA [33][34]
CV-17 Bunker Hill
25 May 1943 9 July 1947 Essex Scrapped in 1973 [35][36][37]
CV-18 Wasp
24 November 1943 1 July 1972 Essex Scrapped in 1973 [38]
CV-19 Hancock
15 April 1944 30 January 1976 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1976 [39]
CV-20 Bennington
6 August 1944 15 January 1970 Essex Scrapped in 1994 [40]
CV-21 Boxer
16 April 1945 1 December 1969 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1971 [41][42]
CVL-22 Independence
14 January 1943 28 August 1946 Independence light carrier, lead ship Scuttled in 1951 [43]
CVL-23 Princeton
25 February 1943 24 October 1944 Independence Sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf [2]
CVL-24 Belleau Wood
31 March 1943 13 January 1947 Independence Scrapped in 1960 [2]
CVL-25 Cowpens
28 May 1943 13 January 1947 Independence Scrapped in 1960 [2]
CVL-26 Monterey
17 June 1943 16 January 1956 Independence Scrapped in 1971 [2]
CVL-27 Langley
31 August 1943 11 February 1947 Independence Scrapped in 1964 [2]
CVL-28 Cabot
24 July 1943 21 January 1955 Independence Scrapped in 2002 [2]
CVL-29 Bataan
17 November 1943 9 April 1954 Independence Scrapped in 1961 [44]
CVL-30 San Jacinto
15 December 1943 1 March 1947 Independence Scrapped 1972
CV-31 Bon Homme Richard
26 November 1944 2 July 1971 Essex Scrapped in 1992 [45]
CV-32 Leyte
11 April 1946 15 May 1959 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1970
CV-33 Kearsarge
2 May 1946 15 January 1970 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1974 [46]
CV-34 Oriskany
25 September 1950 20 September 1979 Essex (extended bow) Scuttled as an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico in 2006
CV-36 Antietam
28 January 1945 8 May 1963 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1974 [47]
CV-37 Princeton
18 November 1945 30 January 1970 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1971
CV-38 Shangri-la
15 September 1944 30 July 1971 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1988 [48]
CV-39 Lake Champlain
3 July 1945 2 May 1966 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1972
CV-40 Tarawa
8 December 1945 13 May 1960 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1968
CVB-41 Midway
10 September 1945 11 April 1992 Midway, lead ship Preserved at the USS Midway Museum—San Diego, California, USA [49]
CVB-42 Franklin D. Roosevelt
27 October 1945 1 October 1977 Midway Scrapped in 1978 [50]
CVB-43 Coral Sea
1 October 1947 26 April 1990 Midway Scrapped in 2000 [51]
CV-45 Valley Forge
3 November 1946 15 January 1970 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1971
CV-47 Philippine Sea
11 May 1946 28 December 1958 Essex (extended bow) Scrapped in 1971
CVL-48 Saipan
14 July 1946 14 January 1970 Saipan, lead ship Scrapped in 1976
CVL-49 Wright
9 February 1947 15 March 1956 Saipan Scrapped in 1980 [2]
CV-59 Forrestal
1 October 1955 30 September 1993 Forrestal supercarrier, lead ship Scrapped in 2014 [52][53]

[54]

[55]

CV-60 Saratoga
14 April 1956 20 August 1994 Forrestal supercarrier Scrapped in 2015 [56]
CV-61 Ranger
10 August 1957 10 July 1993 Forrestal supercarrier Sold for scrapping [57]
CV-62 Independence
10 January 1959 30 September 1998 Forrestal supercarrier Sold for scrapping [58]
CV-63 Kitty Hawk
29 April 1961 12 May 2009 Kitty Hawk supercarrier, lead ship In reserve [59]
CV-64 Constellation
27 October 1961 7 August 2003 Kitty Hawk supercarrier Scrapped in 2015 [60]
CVN-65 Enterprise
25 November 1961
—
 Enterprise supercarrier, lead ship Inactive and defueling in 2015 [61]
CV-66 America
23 January 1965 9 August 1996 Kitty Hawk supercarrier Sunk as target in 2005 [62]
CV-67 John F. Kennedy
7 September 1968 23 March 2007 Kennedy supercarrier, lead ship On hold for donation [63]
CVN-68 in active service Nimitz
3 May 1975
—
 Nimitz supercarrier, lead ship Stationed at Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington [64]
CVN-69 in active service Dwight D. Eisenhower
18 October 1977
—
 Nimitz supercarrier Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia [65]
CVN-70 in active service Carl Vinson
13 March 1982
—
 Nimitz supercarrier Stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California [66]
CVN-71 in active service Theodore Roosevelt
25 October 1986
—
 Nimitz supercarrier Stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California [67]
CVN-72 in active service Abraham Lincoln
11 November 1989
—
 Nimitz supercarrier Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia [68]
CVN-73 in active service George Washington
4 July 1992
—
 Nimitz supercarrier Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia [69]
CVN-74 in active service John C. Stennis
9 December 1995
—
 Nimitz supercarrier Stationed at Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington [70]
CVN-75 in active service Harry S. Truman
25 July 1998
—
 Nimitz supercarrier Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia [71]
CVN-76 in active service Ronald Reagan
12 July 2003
—
 Nimitz supercarrier Stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base, Yokosuka, Japan [72]
CVN-77 in active service George H.W. Bush
10 January 2009
—
 Nimitz supercarrier Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia [73]
CVN-78finished, awaiting commission Gerald R. Ford
2016
—
 Ford supercarrier, lead ship Floated in dry dock 2013; Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia, Finished, awaiting commission [74][75]
CVN-79under construction John F. Kennedy
~2020
—
 Ford supercarrier Keel laid; Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia [74][76]
CVN-80° Enterprise[13]
~2025
—
 Ford supercarrier Planned; Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia [74][77]
Keys

Training ships

During World War II, the United States Navy purchased two Great Lakes side-wheel paddle steamers and converted them into freshwater aircraft carrier training ships. Both vessels were designated with the hull classification symbol IX (Unclassified Miscellaneous) and lacked hangar decks, elevators or armaments. The role of these ships was for the training of pilots for carrier take-offs and landings.[78] Together the Sable and Wolverine trained 17,820 pilots in 116,000 carrier landings. Of these, 51,000 landings were on Sable.[79]

#[14] Name[14] Image Commissioned[2] Decommissioned[2] Class Status[2] Refs.
IX-64 Wolverine
12 August 1942 7 November 1945 N/A
(converted side-wheel steamer)		 Scrapped in 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
IX-81 Sable
8 May 1943 7 November 1945 N/A
(converted side-wheel steamer)		 Scrapped in 1948 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Aircraft-carrier museums

See: U.S. Navy Museum#See also

See also

References

  1. ↑ "USS Langley (CV-1 & AV-3)". www.history.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Petty, Dan. "The US Navy Aircraft Carriers". www.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  3. ↑ "World War I Centenary: Aircraft Carriers". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  4. ↑ "Aircraft Carriers in World War II - Engineering and Technology History Wiki". ethw.org. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  5. ↑ Pike, John. "CV-9 ESSEX Class". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  6. ↑ "Western New York Heritage Press". wnyheritagepress.org. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  7. ↑ Pike, John. "IX-64 Wolverine". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  8. ↑ "CV-41 MIDWAY class - Navy Ships". fas.org. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  9. ↑ Pike, John. "CVA 58 United States". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  10. ↑ "CV-59 FORRESTAL class - Navy Ships". fas.org. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  11. ↑ Petty, Dan. "The US Navy -- Fact File: Aircraft Carriers - CVN". www.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  12. ↑ O'Rourke, Ronald (12 June 2015). "Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  13. 1 2 "USS Enterprise: Past Present And Future". The Official US Navy Blog. US Navy. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "USN Aircraft Carriers Throughout History". Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  15. ↑ Kaplan, Phillip (2013). Naval Air: Celebrating a Century of Naval Flying. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-78159-241-0.
  16. ↑ Roscoe, Theodore (1953). United States Destroyer Operations In World War II. Annapolis: United States Naval Academy. ISBN 0-87021-726-7.
  17. 1 2 3 "Board for selling doomed warships". The New York Times. 1922-05-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  18. ↑ "NH 61245". www.history.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  19. ↑ Australia, The. "From Hermes To Saratoga - Diving two aircraft carriers within two months - The Scuba Doctor". The Scuba Doctor. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  20. ↑ "USS Ranger (CV-4) - History, Specs and Pictures - Navy Ships". Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  21. ↑ "USS Yorktown (CV 5)". United States Navy. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  22. ↑ "Specifications and Armament". www.cv6.org. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  23. ↑ "Aircraft Carrier Photo Index: USS WASP (CV-7)". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  24. ↑ "CV-8 Brief History - WORLD WAR II - Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet Museum". www.uss-hornet.org. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  25. ↑ "USS Hornet CV-8". www.its.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  26. ↑ "Essex". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  27. ↑ "Yorktown". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  28. ↑ "Intrepid". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  29. ↑ "Hornet". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  30. ↑ "Franklin". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  31. ↑ "Ticonderoga". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  32. ↑ "Randolph". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  33. ↑ "USS Lexington (CV 16)". navysite.de. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  34. ↑ "USS Lexington (CV-16) Deployments & History". www.hullnumber.com. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  35. ↑ "Bunker Hill I (CV-17)". www.history.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  36. ↑ "Aircraft Carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17)". Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  37. ↑ "Aircraft Carrier Photo Index: USS BUNKER HILL (CV-17)". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  38. ↑ "Wasp". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  39. ↑ "Hancock". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  40. ↑ "Bennington". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  41. ↑ "USS BOXER (CV-21) Deployments & History". www.hullnumber.com. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  42. ↑ "USS Boxer (CV 21)". www.navysite.de. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  43. ↑ "Welcome Aboard The USS Independence CVL-22 Official Site". www.cvl-22.com. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  44. ↑ "USS Bataan (CVL-29)". United States Navy. 12 June 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  45. ↑ "Bon Homme Richard". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  46. ↑ "Kearsarge". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  47. ↑ "Antietam". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  48. ↑ "Shangri-la". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  49. ↑ "Midway". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  50. ↑ "Franklin D. Roosevelt". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  51. ↑ "Coral Sea". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  52. ↑ "USS Forrestal (CV 59)". navysite.de. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  53. ↑ Killmeyer. "6 JUNE 1967 - 47 Years Ago - USS FORRESTAL". www.uss-forrestal.com. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  54. ↑ USS-FORRESTAL.com. "Brief History of the USS FORRESTAL". www.uss-forrestal.com. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  55. ↑ "Aircraft Carrier Photo Index: USS FORRESTAL (CVA-59)". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  56. ↑ "Saratoga". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  57. ↑ "Ranger". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  58. ↑ "Independence". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  59. ↑ "Kitty Hawk". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  60. ↑ "Constellation". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  61. ↑ "Enterprise". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  62. ↑ "America". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  63. ↑ "John F. Kennedy". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  64. ↑ "Nimitz". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  65. ↑ "Dwight D. Eisenhower". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  66. ↑ "Carl Vinson". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  67. ↑ "Theodore Roosevelt". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  68. ↑ "Abraham Lincoln". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  69. ↑ "George Washington". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  70. ↑ "John C. Stennis". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  71. ↑ "Harry S. Truman". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  72. ↑ "Ronald Reagan". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  73. ↑ "George H.W. Bush". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  74. 1 2 3 Ronald O'Rourke (26 July 2012). "Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  75. ↑ "Gerald R. Ford". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  76. ↑ "John F. Kennedy". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  77. ↑ "Enterprise". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  78. ↑ "IX-64 Wolverine". Global Security.org. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  79. ↑ "The Greater Buffalo & The U.S.S. Sable". WNY Heritage Press. 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2009.

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