War Machine 4

The world's most comprehensive encyclopedia of the militarry weapons of the 20th centurT

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USS

Intrepidin Action with giart coiow 4-view and cutaway

Battle of Midway

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Battle of the Muianas

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The US PcrcrtrcCarrier Fleet l94l-5 OnJy the enormous industrial capacity of the United States couJd have produced the canier task forces which broke the lapanese fleet. Bythe endof the war 75 Essex'-classcarriets were in sereice, with utother I I in consttttction. In addition namerous light caniers (CVL) had heen built, together with neaily 80 escort catriers (CW1. These'Jeep'caniers

provided vital anti-submarine cover, as well as afucraft transport, convoy escorts andfleet carrier supply duringthe advance on flapan, The table below record,s the actions of the cawiers that sewed in the Pacific war. Those ships listed in bold ate featured in this publication. Aboard US^S Essexin May 1943.ltwas the advenl ofEssexandherststersftips which finally swung the Pacificwar infavour of the United States. COMMISSIONED

CABRIEB

AV.3 t)(cv

I.ANGI-EY

1)

(AVl

1937

(cv)

1

COMMISSIONED

CAB RI ER

BECORD

::

Sunkbyb0nbingoil la\a2712142

922

c\,

::

i:

Fr:s!f:

BECOBD

COMMISSIONED

CARRIER

ai Ja!anese s!trender

ii

T0kyo

CVE,58

CORBEGIDOR

3'l

8.43

CVE.61

MANILA BAY

5.1

0.43

9ar

:3

Phi ipp nes, damaged (Kam k6z€)

14.12.21

Pacilic raids 1 942.

Sunk ar Coral Sea

16 11 27

Torp€doed olf Hawaii

1

Fleer lwo

lorpedoed Solomons

,

CVt-23

I944

severe damaUe (Kamikazel

CVL

30.9.3i

1

942, damag€d al C0ral

7/6/42 Pearl Harbor {aircralt on yl, Midway,

12.5.38

lwoJ

ma, damagedrwice

(l(amikazel ar 0kinawa

1 1

/4/45

?0 10

41

000linle raid 1 8/4/42. lvl dway,

CVL

-:.:)

26 '.'.',-:r:

-::l

21

-:',

CVL

2! ::-::', :0 ::', -:

25.4.40

Guadalcanal l6ndings, sunk al 1

il:

E.

31.12.42

-.

CVE.g

Bougainv I e, Gilbe( ls, Kwajalein, Jima, damaged (Kamikaze) 25/1

1

5.4.43

0ilben ls, Kwaja e

1

6.8.43

1

/44

FRANKL

N

CV.1

CV.]

5 6

Maranas Paiau. Leyle. lwo Jrra

31.1.44

Guam,

7

1

i:

9/3/45

Pala!, LeFe sever€ damage

BANDOLPH

s.1 0.44

FXINGTI]N

11243

lwoJ ma 0ilbe( ls Ho andra rorpedoed cfl l(waja e n 4ll 2/43 Mar anas Pa au Leyle. (as I agslr p damage lKamikaze) luzon 5/l 1114 !{J ma Eouga nv e.6 lb€ri s. Kwara e I i'il ra d, Ho and a, I\y'ariaias Pala! Leylg

{Kamikaze) Formosa 2l /1

HILL

20.5,43

:,:

0kinawa WASP

24.11.43

HANCOCK

1 1

20 BTNNINGTON

62

t3

15 4.44

6 8,44

BoN Ht]lvtNlE BTCHABD 26

1

1

.44

cvt-53

sT. r"0

23 10

CVE.65

WAKE ISLANO

4 I1

WHI][

1

43

lwo

66

CVE

C\rt.27

5I1

43

CVT.68

KALININ BAY

27 ll j3

CVE-69

KASAAN BAY

4 I2

CVE'70

BAY

FANSHAW

Hollandia. lvlarianas l,rlarianas, Palau, Leyrs, Philippines,

23

CVI.71

1

"o

KITKUN BAY

13 2 .1:

1

5 I2

J3

73

TULAGI

21

CVE

GAN1BIEF BAY

2812;r

CVE

74

NENTNTA

;rl:

75 76

CVE

Phrl ippines, lwo Jima, damaged 21 /1

/45

CVE

BAY

HOGGATT BA\

KAOASHAN BAY

-

i:l

'3

r::

CVI

56 57

leyre 25/1 0/44 Sa

par

Guam,

Pala!, damag€d

iyph00nsl December I 944, 0kin6wa

\4ar anas. Phil ppires,0kinawa Pa

au Leyre. s€vere damage (Kam

SLql\D

2i ] 1I

SAGINA\,IBAY

2344

Pa au,

cvE.83

SAFGENT

9.3 44

Philipp nes, lwoJ ma,0kinawa

Marsh6 I lslands, 0lh€Nise aircrail

CVE-84

SHAN4ROCKBAY ]5344

taf,sp0n

942-45

8AY

:::-,',

CVE 88

CAPE

Aircralr ranspon Pacific)

cvE,89

TAKANIS

l1 943 and 44 in

8AY

BAY BAY BAY

STEAIVER

SITKON

ISPTRANCE

BAY BAY

2 14

i8

7 44

Lele,0krnawa Leyre,0k nawa

Philipp nes, lwo Jlma. 0kinawa 0kifawa Transpon and s!pply

9.4 44 .15.4.44

Transpon and supply

21.4.44

Trafspon and supply

29 4 44

IransFon and supplV

3.5.44

Training and

THITTS

t\ilAKAssAf

[\/E.g2

WINDHAI\4

cvE.!3 cvt-94

t\,lAKtN|SLANO

S544

LUNGAPOINT

14 5.44

95

drmage (Kam kaz€) ln

28.3.44 4.4 44

CVF.9O

cvt

Leile

I ppines5/1/45,0k nawa

Palau. Levre. Phi ippines, sunk (bV own

21.3 44

CVE 91

Alrica. Gilben ls. Kwaialein,

Pelelreu. Ph

'i

s de afrer Kam kaze damaqel 4/1/45

8AY

SH]PLEY

STRATT

BAY

sEA SALA|IIAUA B|SMABC(

Transpon and supply

Trans!0il

and su0plV

Ianspo( LeIe, lwoJ ma,0kinawa Philipp nes, damag€d {Kamikaze) al

lwoJima.0k

nawa

Sunk (Kamikaze)

26.5.44

Phi ipp nes, severe damage (Kamikaze)

wa

CVE 96

Ahica. Gi ben ls, Kwaialeio, [niwetok, New Guinea, Saipan,

cvE.97

1.6.44

Transpon and supply

CVE

1.8.44

Transpon aid supply

N.

Africa, Gilbeil ls, Kwajalein,

Enlw€rok, Saipan, 6uam, Levre, okinawa N.

Africa,

Guam, severe damage al

25/l 0/44, 0kinawa

CVE

H0LLAN0|A 98 KWAJALEIN 9g AO[/IBALTY ISLANDS OO BOUGAINVILLE

CVE,1

CVE,I

cvE

1

cvE,l

01 I\iIATANIKAU 02 ATTU 03 fl01

04

MUN0A

lina

20.5.44

25/1 0/44, damaged {Kamikaze) 0kinawa 4/5/45 N.

L nqayen

1

3/1

1

3,6.44

Transpoil afd s!!DlV

1

8.6.44

Transoon and suDply

24.8.44

Transpon and supp y

30.6.44

Transpo( and s!pply

6.1.44

Transpon aid s!pply

I

Jranspo(

1 44

Jranspon afd

LISCOI\,1E BAY

7.8.43

Sunk (submarinel 2411

ANZIO

?1843

1

/43 in S0l0m0ns

CVE

106 BL0CKISLAN0

ISLANDS

l\y'akln, Kwajalein, New Guinea, Saipan.

CVE.107 GILBIRI

Guam

CVE.I09 CAPTGL0UCESTEF

21 12l

/45, 0kinawa

and supply

'Gommencement Bay' class [aining

8.7.43

kaze)

Palau. Leyre. Adm ra ry lslands

c\/E.82

ol war

and aqain

CVE

wo Jima. 0k nawa Sa pan Tinian, Palau, sunk (qunfir€) ar

PETFOF

N.

ne

Guam, damaqed

CVE 80

1o €nd

Aitctall lransponto combat areas

cvE-87

24.8 42

!an, T nrai,

OMIVIANTY

'Gasablanca'class

BaidsonJapan

Sa

SAVOISLAND 32J]

c\/t.85 c\/t-86

19I42

Philipp

leyte25l10l44

c\/E.7s

cvt,r

lwo Jima

Sa pan. damaged (bombs)

L ngay€f 8/1/45

ASW 0perati0ns Allanric, lranspofl and

24942

rra ninq and transpo( (all€r

Al antic Seruic€)

CVF

Aircrall ranspon lo combal areas Ai.crafl Ianspoil

CASABLANCA

Samar act on) Leyte 25/1 0/44

MARCUS

Leyre

CVE.55

Severedamage(Kamikazeandg!nl real

P !r

CVE

supply Pacilic

acll0f)

tevte 29/l 0/44

12t3

CVE.72

ma

Aircraft transpon, 6uada canal

?5842

oan Rora. Trnran. Palau. damag.

gunfire and Kamikaze al Samar

Kam kaz€ -Samar action) Leyre

ASW 0p€rari0ns, supply and lranspoil

SANTEE

Sa

1

'i642

0/44

damaged

Sea. damaged (gunlire ar Samar acli0n)

24243 12443 s443

CNENANGO

Ph pprfes, lwoJima,

25t14t44

damaged ar Leyre 26/1 0/44, 0kinawa

CVE.28

Saipan, Pa au,sunk{byJapanes€l eer

1

15942

SLI\{ANt:

ls, Kav eng, New C!inea, Leyle Philippines, lwo J ma, 0kinawa

lKamikaze) 0klnawa 3/4/45 PLAINS

:--:'.':_:

SANGAMoITI

i\ila6ha

ar Samar acrion) Leyle 25/1

43

ima

KyushL

9/3/45

(explosion)

cv.31

Kwalalein, Trukraid, Philippine Sea.

Eniwer0k, l\,4arianas, damag€d ar Leyle

CVT

/4/45

(Kamikare) 7/4/45 CV

'-

New Guirea, [,4ar anas, Palau, LeIe,

1

9

Pa au,

'Sangamon'class cvE-26

/i5

lwoJima, damaged (bomb) olf CV.1

:

l,: -:

lwoJima, severe damage (Kamrkaze CV 18

43

Lefle, Phtl ppifes, lwoJima

5/1 0/44 aid

B 5.44

EUNKER

ls, Kwajalein, Iruk raid, New

G! nea, l\.4ar anas, Palau LeIe (wajalein. Eniwelok, [,4ariaias,

J

Pala!, Leyre, damaged

TICONDEROCA

1

,: :l

20842

25.11.43

Kyushu I

CV. I

lbe(

G

1

30/1 0/44, severe damage (bombs i

14

:' : :l

n, Truk raid,

6/4/45

(Kamikaze) Luzor

CV

4 I0

damaged (Kamikaze) 7/6/45

ls, Kwaialein, Truk road, New

Gi ben ls, Kwajalein, Truk raid, New

BOGUE

C,!., .::-::

Kwalalein, l0rpedoed Truk raid, Palau

r

CV.1

25/l 0/44

Philippines, woJim€

,- .-,

Hollandia, lVarianas, lwo Jima

HORNEI

G be(

andia, I\4arianas, Palau,

'Bogue'class

Leyre. s€vere damage {Kamikaze} 01l Luzon 25/l 1 /44 and also oll 0kinawa

2 3

1

5/g/42

Tr!k ra d, l\4ar anas, Palau, Leyte, lwo

CV,]

a1 Levre

lwoJ

'Essex'class

INTBEPID

sunk

H0

'Long lsland'class Solomons

CV.lI

20/1 I /43, Palau, L€yre

6uam, Palau, Ley1e. Philipplnes,

CVt sunk al

'Wasp'class

YOBK]OWN

s

Eouga nvi le, Gi ben ls. Kwajalein,

Gurnea i\,4afafas, Pala!. severe dama!€ lKamika?e j at Leyre 30/1 0/44. w0 J ma

:-,',::',,

i-: ' CVL 28 l::

C\|

21 11 0 | 42

Santa Uuz

10

: .::

and

1314145

CV

G be(

Gr nea, Mar anas, Palau, Levte, Pacific raids

Palau, Leyle.

cv-g EssEx

2r ::--:r

CVt-25

Guadalcanal land ngs, Kwajalein. Truk

wAsP

-: - r:

Jina21l2l45

ra d, Hol andla, Saipan, Philippine Sea.

cv-7

PFlNCtT0l

Fniwer0k,

Sea. sunkar [.4idway

HoR]'ltI

NATO[,1A BAY

Bouga nvi le, s€ver€ damage (t0rpedo)

'Yorktown'class

CV-8

CVE.62

1/1/42,

Gilbe( ls, Kwaj€lein, Efiwer0k, Paciiic ra ds 1!44. operared wirh Br rish t.

ENTERPRTSE

Linqayen 5/1/45

'lndependence'class

Bt5t47

31/8/42, E S0l0mof s, B0ugainville,

cv-6

Ma.shall ls. Kwajalein, Eniwerok. Kavienq, Solomons, Rabaul, Leyte,

Cuadalcara

cv-5 YoRKT0WN

Gilben ls, l\y'arshall ls, New G!inea, Sarpan, Guam

isl!j5

'Lexington' class

cv-z rtxtNGToN cv-3 SARAToGA

RECORD

30 l2 44 0k nawa 5 2 44 0k nawa 534,J Arcove'i.,tr'l'r!Vessels

45

A,mericcrn Aircrqrlt Carriers of fhePacificWdr The Pacific War was to a large extent the war of the aircraft canier; from Pearl Earbor to Okinawa, it was the effective use of the carrier forces which proved decisive. Fot the first time, battles were fought with hundreds of miles of ocean between the c ombatants. From the moment that Japanese carrter aircraft struck at the US Paciflc Fleet's anchorage on 7 December 1941, a new era in naval wariare was born. Although naval air power had already proved its ability to strtke at an enemy fleet sheltering in its own harbours, Pearl Harbor was the dawn of carrier warfare across the broad oceans, in a way that pre-war theorists had never imaedned. The reason for this Iay in the fact that the battleships with which aircraft-carriers had been meant to fight were now sunk or disabled. For at ieast six months the US Paclflc Fleet could only take the offensive with rts carriers, and so the concept of the fast carrier task force was created, using the carriers' dive-bombers and torpedo-bombers as long-range substitutes for the 406-mm (16-rn) gnrn. Because the tactics and the arrcraft were comparatively primitive, the flrst attempts by the US Na\,ry to carry the war to the Japanese were barely effectrve, and there was iittle that could be done to stop the Japanese carriers from overrunningr the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. The USS Homef flew off a daring rard by North American B-25 Mitchell bombers against Tokyo tn April i942, and a series of pinprlck raids was made on Wake Island and

other outposts, The first pitched battle, in the Coral Sea, was fought in May i942 to stop the Japanese from gaining a foothold in Port Moresby, New Gutnea, It cost the Americans one of their biggest carriers, the USSlexmglon, but

:he amphibious operation was called off after the smali carrier Siorlo sunk, What distingulshed the battle was the fact that the opposing fleets never came within sight of one another: it was the first carrierversus-carrier battle.

',,ras

The full strength of the American Carrier Tas k force in the P acifi c : the light fleet carrier Langley /eads the big carrier Ticonderoga and

F ast

three battleships.

A rash attempt by rhe Jap=-.=.=

the next battle in June i:-2 : *: much improved tactrcs r.::: Japanese lost therr four frcr.:--::.; them the best{rained aircre'.','s -:-

='.' -s.a:-d

brought on

:=:- -::eritgenCe and :'.'.'=.- iecrsive. The :..lr:ss:.r. and with

:-:

:-:as :nal

followed

Japanese naval aircrews. Ti.= l::=' l.l ,: , ., slaughterof hundreds of ser:-:-s'--:: :.-:': ::. l the remnants of the Impena. \=.-.",'.'=:= .. ..- : .:.' there were hardly any pilo:s .=:' ::: ':.= -- -::.=: = Survlvols of the once-migh:. : - : t= - - : - :i.:!.. - :- i.:t j .'. :t: j-.:.( i: moorings inJapan, unable:, :.-.= :=:: :: ,-',-.='--r.- --:.::::uel

f6FHellcatswaitingfororders tostar:e.:!-€-. i:.-;rs:r'e::eislandof the

Yorktown (C7. J 0 ). S he w as th e secon c c: :i e is.- e: :-':.-s. a:: d 'rras commrssioned in April 1943. Only thrx ::.c::.'s .::er s.ie ;+'a s on her way to the Pacific.

-:S

E

:

USA

USS

American Aircraft Ca:riers of the Pacific War

Langley

The potentiai of naval aviation was so clearly seen at the end of World War I that the US Navy wanted to press ahead with the construction of aircraft carriers. But to grain practical experience before building new ships it was essential to carry out experrments, and the quickest and cheapest way was to convert an existrng ship, The biq fleet coliier/uplter (AC,3)

was taken in hand in March 1920. A

month later she was renamed USS Langley (CV.l) and started trials in July 1922. The ship which emerged was flush-decked, with two hinged funnels on the port side, The former coal holds had been converted to

workshops, accommodation and

storerooms, while the former upper deck was now the hangar. The biggest drawback to the.Lang)ey was her low speed, for the 5335-kW

(7,

i50-shp) tur-

bo-electric machinery was badly

underpowered, In sewice the.Langley could only make 14 knots, whrch was some 7 knots below the speed of the battle fleet. However in spite of this handicap she sewed with the fleet, and for five years she played the role which was to be taken over

so success-

fully by lhe Lexington and Saraloga from I92B onwards,

Although originally designed

gear. When she was first commissioned she had a British system of lon-

gihldinal wues, which were intended to engage hooks in the landing gear of the aircraft, and prevent it from slew-

to operate 24 aucrafl, her capacious han-

ing ftom srde to side, However, the US Navy added a back-up system oftransverse wues, whose retarding action

accommodated. She did not stop operating aucraft until 1936, when she was converted to a seaplane carrier and redesignated AV.3. AJter a short refit

was achieved by hangring sand-filled shellcases on the ends. This system (refined into a proper hydraulic arrester system) ultimately proved better, and rc the basis of all modern carrier landings, Another innovation was a pair of flush-mounted pneumatic catapults on the flight deck; intended for seaplanes, they later proved that they could speed up the launching of con-

gar allowed a maxrmum of 33 to be

she reappeared in April 1937 wlth a short flight deck, as the forward part had been removed, One most important contributions made to naval aviation by Ihe I'angley was to test various systems of arrester

r

:

today. The veteran 'Covered Wagon'spen:

her short war sewice as a humble aucraft transport. On 27 February lg42 a

group of Japanese naval bombers operating from Bali caught her en route for Tjilatjap in Java, and sank her

with five bombs,

Specification langrJey (CV.l)

USS

Displacement: i1,050 tons standard, 14,700 tons fl:l] load Dimensions: Ienqth

165.3 m (542 ft 4

in)

overall; beam 19,96m (65ft 6in); draught 7.32 m (24 ft 0 in)

Complement: men

-i-- :::=-. - :

USA

USS

Lexington

Under the Washingrton Treaty the US Navy was allowed to conveil two incomplete 33,000-ton battle-cruisers into aucraft-carriers, The ships chosen

were the -Lexinglon and Saratoga, and the opporrunity was taken to incorporate many ideas from a cancelled car-

rier desigm of in

ventional aucra.ft, and iike the arres::: gear, this procedure is still stancia::

1919.

When completed

1925 the USS.Lexmgrton (CV,2) was a

remarkable ship, with a massive 'island' superstructure on the starboard side, flanked by hvo twin 203-mm (8in) gnrn turrets forward and two alt. At the time of Pearl Harbor the ship

was delivering aircraft to the US Marines on Midway Island, and so escaped the disaster. She was hurried-

ly refitted, losing her

cumbersome

203-mm (B-in) guns and four l27-mm (S-in) quns, although she received a

few single 20-mm Oerlikon guns to supplement her meagne close-range anti-aircraft amament. The Lexington's fust operation was an abortrve attempt to relieve Wake Island immediately after Pearl Harbor, but at the end ofJanuary 1942 she provided drstant cover for a raid on the

Marshall Islands and thereafter saw limited actron in the South West Pacific, Not until she was joined by the newer

catter Yorhown in March

1942 did

lhe Lexington really begin to flex her muscles,

After a short refit at Pearl Harbor the ship retwned to the Coral Sea, where the Japanese cariers were supporting

an attack on Port Moresby, New

Guinea. On 8 May her Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bombers attacked the

Siokaku and Zuikaku, but wrthout scoring any hits, Unfortunately whrle this attack was in progness a Japanese counter-strike succeeded in hitting the Lexington with huo torpedoes on the port side, and the ship also suffered hvo bomb hits and several near misses, The whip' of the 270,7-m (888-ft)

hull ftom the explosions ruptured the avlation gasoline tanks, so that even after the fires had been extinqmished the lethal vapour continued to seep through the ship. About an hour after the attack a chance spark ignrted this vapour, and the ship began to suffer a series of devastating internal ex-

plosions. Six hours after the first hit the order was given to abandon ship, and after escofiing destroyers had res-

cued as many of her crewmen

as

possible the blazing vweck was torpedoed. Surprisingly only 216 lives out of 2,95I were lost. In her short war career the lexrngfoir had failed to inflict severe damage on the enemy, largely as a result of the inexperience of her air gnoup and because of faulty tactical US Navy doctrine, and the loss ofa big carrier was a

heavy price to pay for the Coral Sea victory,

Specification trexrngton (CV 2' Displacement: :: ,--

USS

--..

:-: -: i:* -:=: Dimensions: .=:.:-.-. --.:: - :ii U ln) OVeraU ::l:- :: : - -. . : . 47,700 tons

flighto::i ::,-;.-.- :.: - ._ Machinery: {-s:-.::- .' electric de--','+:-:- : (210,000 shp) Speed: 34 k-:Armour: bel: -:l:::- : -25 mm (i rnl :-:,:- :=:-.' i lower deck 2:---: :::: -', 38-76mm'-.--:.:, ::::: :: over O

in)

152 mm (6 ;.. Armament: --.

--:i- =.;.-.'---.--' : j- rj - ple 27 94-r,-::. - -----. -:-:. :--. Aircraft: .-:;: --:=-:'=:= :: tn)

AA

3C

Z---:::..:-!-:-.r

bombe:s a:.: --

:-::+::.::--:::-

usA

ffi

USS Saratoga

= -Lke her srster l,exrngton, the

USS

Sarctoga (CV.3) was launched in 1925 after three years of conversion from an

rncomplete battle-cruiser hull, Like her srster she played a major role in developing the concept ofthe fast carrier task force, and from 1928 the wo ships took part in the annual 'Fleet Problem' or war game of the Pacific

Tlre USS Saratoga(CY.3) in March 1932 with a large part ot her air

group at the forward end of the tlight deck. She and her sister'tought' each other in annual manoeuvres. power, and reached Pearl Harbor six days later; repairs took sx weeks to

FIeet. At the trme of Pearl Harbor the 'Sara' was back at San Diego on the US west coast undergoing a short refit, but she sailed shortiy afterwards and took part

complete.

attempt to relieve Wake Island. During her reflt the four twin 203-mm (B-in)

in attacking Japanese positions in Java and Sumatra, On 2l February 1945 she was hit by a kamikaze while supportrng the landings on Iwo Jima. BY now

with her sister 'l:ex' in an aborttve turrets were removed, and in their place she received four twin 127-mm (S-in) dual-purpose mountings, She was torpedoed by a JaPanese submarine off Hawaii, on I I ianuary 1942,

and needed four months of rePairs. The 'Sara' was used to ferry fresh aircraft out to the Central Paciflc, and so mrssed the Battle of

Midway, but she

was a welcome reinforcement bY

B

June, the day after the sinkrng of the

Yorktown. Her fiqhters and dive-

bombers were given the task of softening up the defences of Guadalcanal on 7 Augrust 1942 before the big amphibrous landing by the US Marines, The Japanese responded vigorously to this challenge, and by 20 Augnrst a powerfr:l carrier task force was nearing the Eastern Solomons. The Saratoga, Enterprtse and l4lasp were heavily engaged rn the Battle cf the Eastern Solomons, but the Sara escaped lightly, Not untrl 3I Augnxt dLd she sustain damage, when she was torpedoed by the submarine 1-68 just after dawn, The carrier was not badlY damaged by the hit, in spite of having one boiler room flooded and another partly flooded, but an electrical failure soon put her machrnery out of action. TWo hours later she qot back limited

In- 1943-4 the Saratoga took part in the great'island-hopping' drtve across

the Pacific, and in 1944 was detached to the East Indies, where she cooperated with the British and Free Prench

she was showing her aqe, and

although repaired was restricted to traininq duties at Pearl Harbor, On 25 July 1946 the striPPed hull of the Saratoga was sunk in Bikini Atoll during a series of nuclear tests,

Specification

USS,Saratoga (CV.3) Displacement: 36,000 tons standard, 47,700 tons tuI] ioad

Dimensions: length 270.66m (BBBft O in) overall beam 32.2 m (105 ft 6 in) hull; draught 9 75 m (32 ft 0 in)

Machinery: 4-shaft steam turbo-

electrlc delrverrng

156660 kW

(21C 00C snp)

Speed: 34 knots

Armow: belt

152

mm (6 in); flight deck

nn i- Ln). matn deck

51 mm (2 in): Ic.,';er deck 25-76 mm (1-3); barbettes 25

152

rr:- (t n)

1945) eighttwin 127-mm (5-rr) dual-purpose 24 quadruple 40-

Armament: (rn

AA fvvo twln 40-mm AA and 20-rur AA gutrs Aircraft: (1945) c7 hghters and l8 tormm Bciors 16

nann-hnmhcr:

'Sara'rnSeptem ber 1944, painted in

At"*pi";;"ii- -91: I iz3 orficers and

Camouflage Measure

enlisted men

Roosevelt's fublic Works Administration, the Federal unemployment relief agency, She and her sisterEnterpnse (CV,6) were authorized in 1933, and

were followed by the Hornet (CV.B)

five vears later. The design was a develoPment of

that of the Ranqer, vnth an 'open' hangar rather than the 'closed' type of the Lexington and Saraloga, to allow up to 30 aircraft to be carried, This arrangement proved htghly successful, and formed the basis for the even more successful'Essex' class.

The ship was commissioned in

September 1937, and was hurriedlY lFft

e

Yorktown (CIl.5) andiersr'sfers

were prototypes for the successful 'Essex' class. Much smaller than the 'L

e x ing

tons', they cou ld actu allY

carry more aircratt.

Twin 5'

inch and lightAAgvns have on the flight deck

USS Yorktown The USS Yorktown (CV.S) was the Iead-ship of a new class of aircraJtcarrier authorized out of President

32 / I I A.

The bomb went through three

transferred to the Pacific aJter Pearl Harbor, Under Rear Admlral Frank J. Fletcher she was sent to the South West Pacific in the spnnq ol 1942 and took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea Her Arr Group 5, comprising 20 Glumman F4F Wildcat fighters, 38 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bombers and 13

Douglas TBD Devastator torPedobombers, played a major role in the battle, sinhng the light carrrer Sioho

in a brilliant attack lasting only I0 minutes. On the next daY, B MaY, her dive-bombers inflicted damage on the cafiier Zuikaku, but in return a force of Nakajrma BSN'Kate' torpedo-bombers and Aichi D3A 'Val' dive-bombers penetrated a dense screen of flghters and enrnfte to score a devastating hit

decks before exploding and numerous fires were stafied The damage control parties brought the fires under control, and the shlp was able lo return to Pearl Harbor for repalrs.

Working around the clock. the repair teams were able Ia gel Yorktown back in actlon in only fow days, just in trme for the Battle of Midway ln June 1942. At a crucial point in the battle Yorktown's dive-bombers took part ln the attack on the Japanese carriers, and her aircraft were the only ones able to mount a search for the surviving Japanese canier Hiryu. Even after the Yorktownwashit by three 250-kg (5511b) bombs she was able to operate her aircraft, and it was not until she was hit by tvvo torpedoes that she was fu]ly out of action.

replaced the 9-inch guns. DesPite her age she was still the biggest US carrier, if not the most capacious. The Yorktown might have suwived even this heauy damage, for bY flrst ILght on 6 June salvage pafiies had put out the fires and had started to pump out flooded compartments, But the submarrne 1-168 put two more torpedoes into her, and early next morning she capsized and sank.

Specification USS

lorktown (CV.8)

Displacement: 19,800 tons standard, 27,500 tons tu]I load Dimensions: length246.1m (809 ft

6

in)

overall; beam 25,3m (83ft 0in);

draught 8.53 m (28 ft) Machinery: 4-shaft geared steam tur-

bines delivering

89520 kW

(120,000 shp)

Speed: 33 knots Armour: belt 102 mm (4 in); main deck 76 mm (3 in); lower deck 25-76 mm (13 in)

Armament: (1942) eiqht 127-mm (0,5in) AA, four quadruple 27,94-mm (1,1-

in) AA and 16 12.7-mm (0.S-in) machine-guns Aircraft: (1942) 20 flghters, 38 divebombers and 13 torPedo-bombers Complement: 2,919 officers and enlisted men

The Bcilfle oI tlidwag

tF &

*

r

Above: Flight deck crew preparing for take-otf. Their efficiency determined the number of sorties which could be flown from each carrier.

Left:TheYoth.ownieels assle turns to port to avoidJapanese dive-bmbers during theBatile o!

Midway. A desttoyer keeps station on her

starbardbw.

The attack on the Solomon Islands and New Guinea was only a phase in the grand strategrc design to maintain a vast defensive perlmeter of Japanese bases across the Pacific. As the American carriers had not been caught at Pearl Harbor and as the wily Admiral Chester W. Nimitz had refused to be drawn into any of the traps laid for the Pacific Fleet, his opponent Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto determined to force his hand, The objectlve was to be Midway Island, halfway across the Pacific and vital as an outpost in

the defences of Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto was aware that rf he did not succeed in eliminating the Pacific Fleet before the end ol 1942 the USA would get stronger and stronger until she couid overwhelm Japan by sheer industrial might. Midway, he was convinced, was a prize for

which Nimitz must fight, and he planned to draw the Americans into a cunningly baited trap.

What Yamamoto did not reckon wrth was the

degree to which US intelligence had penetrated the Imperial Japanese Navy's codes,

Although the final objective was not clear until the last minute, Nimitz had a fairly clear idea of the nature of the operations, In contrast the Japanese were badly inficrmed; on one pornt in TBDs of

W-6 parked aft on the flight deck of the

Enterprisg at tle start of the Battle of Midway. Only four of these aircraft returned to the ship.

particular, they bele'.'=: :.": = s=:::-: t:::-:: at the Coral Sea ba::-e ::aj ::::- 1.";'; j=::-aged, if not sunk,

anj :.:: :.:::-: :.:: ::-'.' :=::-; ---.::.

:,',-:

US carriers would be

Midway Island u'-s :*::-:: :.:: -. -:_.---_<. able carrter' by fly.t:'; -:- :: :.:j-.'.' :-:::J :: possible, and on 2E \1:'.' -:-- --.=='--:-:::-:i Frank Fletcher sailec :::: i==:- li-:.:: ;,--: Task Force 16 (En::;.:-.: -.: -:-'---=:: -.j Task Force 17 (Ycr-<-',',:- ',',-=--. :::-_: .'.'.r

-=!-:-:-i: p':--:ed lvla-,- :-: hari i-: :. :::-::. :.: s::rebasedarrcraJtwere t:-: .: --' :. :'_: ::i:-aJe Nor was any grea:-=: s-::::-r =::-:'.-=: c',- jre first three waves c: :.=r-:: =-:-=:: :: ,'.:arch only four planes s'-:.-'.':j :-'.-= :: jte nlne -,.,'e:: -.nJrout joined early on 4

Midway very

strike squadrons in=--:--:-:-a:=j flicting any dan:a;: ::-:: -=:::.ese The fowth ailac-< :.:'.',-=-.-=: -<:::ked out the .4|kagt, Kaga ani -r:--, - :. : ','.':- co-ordrnated attack, This left --:--,:- ::l: :r.ly undamaged but undetected=e :-=: .^rcraft foliowed the -: --33'i:rktown US aircraft back:: -:-: Thls time the Americans ::-:-< := :ar,i knocks, but in spite of severe i.::--=;= ':e Yorktown did not sink, and she -,';as ai-= :: ccntinue operating her aircraft. Bu: -r. the fatai deduc::::-

_.:-ese --:-=:

had been led into

'rere were now no US

carriers afloa: -:r :< '-r.3:- had assumed there j -:-:-.- :.ai seen that one on fire and apparen:l-,- s-:-.--lr :: was logical to deduce that ther: '.'.'::: :-:ne left, Only when it

was only one, a:

An air-dropped torpedo explodes agarnsl

lie

Yorktown3 srde amidsllps; ffie end for her. After further torpedo hits from a J apanese submarrne

shesank

The Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomberwas the decisive weapon in the Batfle of Midway.

The Grumman F4F Wildcat performed well against the more agileJapanese opposition during

thebattle.

65

:

TTqq LJ \.' IJ

Enterprise bombers fintshed off the damaged battleshrp Hiei, and next day devastated a troop convoy of I I ships with no fewer than 26 bomb and sx torPedo hits

Enlerpnse was finally given lenelthy repairs in the United States and did not reiurn to the Pacifrc until mid-1943. On 25 November 1943 one of her Aveneters achieved the world's first night ktll at sea. She took part In the massive strike on Truk in February 1944, and in

Right: The

U SS

Enterprise (C7.6')

ttdfl

aircratt ranged on the after partof the flight deck. N o flying operations are in progress; the crewmen are clearly relaxing on deck.

the famous 'Martanas Turkey Shoot'

during the Battle of the Philippine Sea the followrng June, She continued in action into 1945, suwivinq two kamikaze attacks. A thtrd kamrkaze strike on

14

May flnally brought her career to

an end, ior she had to return to the United States for ma.lor repatrs As the holder of 19 Battle Stars the 'Big E' was a candldate for Presewation as a memortal but eifcns to save her came to nothlng and Lr: l95B she was sold for scrap. releasing her name

Below: Hellcats spotted on the Port and starboard catapults. Although aircraft could take off in the ordinary way, catapulting them sPeeded uP the launch of a large strike and enabled more of the flightdeck to be used.

for the first nuclear carr.er

::s

USA

USS

-

Hornet

s:andard

Fsplrltu force. Althougr: i''-::. l:1-.'.':. :: 'c'.subSanto to avc-d ::-.-.1 :-:-k

marines, she sc::-:: :i:-'.' -:, l:l:ber to attack Japa:,:s: :l:;:=:s ::.d c: 25

October me:':.=_-:: :1.=i= llIIl€rS

mOIe r-'.:.: :="-'-:::='-.:: CIUZ On 26 Oclob:: ='::: ::.: :"": sldes had locateC ::.: 1,*.:::-: : ':-e lwo American caII-::s .=-:.::.:i ar- aLr strike (a total cl -:: :.:::a:. ',';:,-le ihe four Japanese car:-ets ia'.:.::ei most of their 2OZ atrcrail E-: ':::.-I='.:.e Hor' net's torpedo-Lc r:.i s:-' ::. i otve-

OnCe

bomberi wele - r. '.:...: ":a'1 27 Japanese strike atrcrail b:cke through

ifr-e fighter screen and sccred six bomb and two torpedo :'llis :n the Hor-

nel, Although herotc eiiorts were

made to extlngnxsh the flres anci get the carrter under way, fow hours later another Japanese strlke scored a torpedo hil and two more bomb hlts BY now the American destroyers screening the Hornet were dangterously expoled, with the Japanese searchLng for ihem in the darkness. The dectsion

was taken to scuttle the Hornet but to the Americans' dismay several torpedoes failed to detonate, and a total of 430 127-mm (S-ln) shells fired at the carrier's waterline had no appreclable effect. The waterlogqed hulk was abandoned, but the Japanese found it impossible to tow her' and finally two Tapanese destroyers gave the Hornel her death-blow in the early hours of 27 October.

Specification Hornet (CV.8) Displacement: 19,000 tons standard, 29,100 tons full load Dimensions: lenglh 252,2 m (827 ft 5 in overall; beam 34,8 m (114 ft 2 in) over flight deck; draught 8.84 m (29 ft 0 in) Machinery: 4-shaft geared steam tur-

USS

bines delrvering

bombers and 15 torpedo-bombers Complement: 2,919 officers and enIisted men

89520 kW

(120,000 shp)

Speed: 33 knots Armour: belt 64-102

Armament: (1942) eiqht 127 mm (S-in) AA, four quadruple 27.94-mm (1.]-in) AA, 30 20-mm AA and nine 12 7-mm (0. 5-in) machtne-gnrns Aircraft: (1942) 36 fighters, 36 dive-

new carrierHomet(CV.8) on trials in l94l . Shewas commissioned sevenweeks before Pearl Harbor and left for the Pacific inMarch 1942.

The

mm (Zt/z-4in):

main deck 76 mm (3 in); lower deck 25-76 mm (l-3 in)

American Aircraft Carriers of the Pacific War

USS Wasp Under the terms of the Washingrton Naval Treaty the US NavY was restricted to 135,000 tons of aircraftcarriers, and so could onlY build a

funher 14,?00 tons ofcarriers after the

completion of Lexington, Saratoga' Ranger, Yorktown and EnterPrise ThG in 1935 an improved version of the Ranger was ordered, also with modest speed and light armour but big

aircraft chpacity. The opportunrty was taken to eiadrcate the worst faults of the Ranger, and the new carrier was given a proper island supentructure and better compartmentatlon The USS WasP (CY.T) was comms-

April 1941, and from the auh-mn of that year was in the Atlantic on training duties. Late in March 1942 she

sioned in

went tb the Mediteranean to fery RAF SDitfues to Malta. At the beginninq of July she left San Diego for the Pacific and took part in the Guadalcan-

worthy of all American carriers, and her loss provided important lessons for

al landinqs, where her aircraft flew

more than 300 sorties. She mrssed the Battle of the Eastern Solomons as she had been detached to refuel and she returned to Noumea to take on board a consignment of flghter aircraft for the US Marines on Guadalcanal Early in the afternoon of 15 September 1942 the lzVasp flew off her fiqhters but shofily afterwards she was htt by three torpedoes fired by the Japanese submarine 1-19. T\ivo of the torpedoes

the future, A board of enquiry showed that the majority of the damage was caused by the third torpedo-hit, for the lrst two hits had Ieft the machinery and a,.rxrlLary power undamaged. However the shock of the exploslons and the '.'. hLD of the hull had knocked out elec::---al swrtchboards and the damage

:cntrol oretanization, Thereafter

a

senes of subsidiary explosions of i:ombs, torpedoes, ammunttion and aucraft fuel tanks lwecked the ship.

struck her on the Port side near the aviation gasoline tanks, while the third

Y{

1:

E

tns Essex

The 'Essex' class can claim to be the

most cost-effective and successfui aircraft-carriers ever built. The specifica-

tron, issued in June 1939, was for an improved 'Yorktown' class' but with displacement increased by 7,000 tons to provrde stronger defensive armament, thicker armour, more Power and above all, more aviation fuel With more than 6,300 tons of oil fuel the endurance was 27360 }rn (17,000 miles) at 20 knots, while 690 tons of gasoline

and 220 tons of ammunitron pushed up the number of sorties which could be flown, Above all, the same number of aircraJt could be carried, although in practice many more could be carried;

ihe nominal strenqth was 82 but 1945 IOB

bY

ofthe latest aircraft could be

embarked, Eleven of the class were ordered in 1940 and a further i3 were burlt during World War II. Building times were extremelv short; USS Essex (CV 9) was built in 20 months, and the wartlme average was cut to l77z months The lead-shlp ofher class, theEssex

reached the Pacific in MaY 1943' bY

which time the worst was over, but she saw considerable heavy fighting with

sunk Specification

L|asp (CV.?) Displacement: i4,700 tons standarr

USS

20,500 tons tuI] load

Dimensions: length 225.93m (74-:: 3in) overall; beam 24.61 m (80 ft 9 --. draught 8,53 m (28 ft 0 in) Machinery: 2-shaft geared stearn :-:'

bines delivering

55950 k',"'

(75,000 shp) Speed: 2972 knots

Armour: belt 102 mm (4 in): mall: :-.l lower decks 38 mm (l/z in) Armament: (1942) eight 127-mm (!-* AA, fow quadruple 27,94-mm (l --:. AA and 30 20-mm AA quns Aircraft: (1942) 29 fighters, 36 d:' bombers and I5 torpedo-bombe:s Complement: 2,367 officers a:.c =.-. listed men

Port protile ol the WasP.I/er tal/ funiel made her unique among US

carriers.

I

The W asp (CY.Z ) at Pearl H ar bor on August 1942, a month before she was

,:. actlon only three units of the class '.'.':re damaged by enemy action; apart :::m the Franklin (CV. 13) all returned :c-lve service after sustaintng se-

:.

'.':re battle damage. Specification

USS Essex (CV.9)

Displacement: 27,100 tons standard, ll ,00 tons full load Dimensions: Iength 267.21 m (876ft : -:) overall; beam 45.0 m (147 ft B in) :'.'.r flLght deck; draught 8.69 m (28 ft

Speed: 33 knots

Almour: belt 64-i02 mr. '2 :-- ---. fliqht deck 38mm 1l .--. .--:-;:: Aect

mm (3 rn), mal:.

:=:,' l:

La:::::: ::.----(11/z in) Armament: (1943),2 -:--:::. :',AA, 11 quadruPle i--:,::. :-. :. -:-:and 44 20-mm AI' ;-:: Aircraft: (1943 a :.;:.-::j- :: : bombers and .i'-::=:-': ::-:=:i Uomplemenl: : -:- .* --:: : - ZO

(l7zin); turrets and

=

listed men

: -:)

Machinery: 4-shaft qeared steam tur-

i:res delivering -:.1 C00 shp)

1

I 1900 kW

U.SS

Essexbem

g:::e= : -'

Harbor in I942.

='.

?='-:

in Action

USS lntrepid

The USS lnlreprd (CV I l) was the third ship of the Essex' class, not only the largest class of

major warships ever built but also the most effectrve. She and four of her sisters were ordered under Fiscal Year 1940 programmes, while the remaining six were ordered under FY 1941 A further 15 were iard down during the war. and l7 of them entered service before VJ-Day The Intreptd rruas floated out of her butlding dock on 26 AprLl 1943, and such was the speed

ol n'arirme cc:s:ruction that she was commissroned cn .5 Aulsi less than four months la:er and :r-.; 2l :::nlhs after being laid down Her firs: :as< ','.'as :: inish her sea trials and allcr,-rer ra-.'.' lr=','.' :: shake down', and when the sh:r s --:;::..-1:-:: 'r'as ready lhe ttme came tc eni:ar< :,.r 1,r ;rrcup By late 1943 the flyrng sc:rcc's rai :,'-c::jed enormously and there was nc srar:lie :: '.'.-e.i-:raLned aircrew to make Eocd ihe -:sses -: ba::le cut they still

:i tr:::.se :ra-nl:ig at sea Combat expenence r:d s:r:-,"i, ::e need for new tactics, partrcularli- -r a-r i=:erce and these tacltcs could onl; i:e =i-er-- -= j ,','-::t an embarked air group.

needed a perroci

The Intrepid left for the Pac;nc ai:er

a

shakedown cruise lasting barely rcur mon:hs After passing through the Panama Canal she headed westwards across the Paclflc, arrivtng at Pearl Harbor on l0 January 1944. There she ;oined the lead-ship oiher class, the USSEssex

and a converted ex-light crulser, the

USS

part of Task Force 58 (TF 58). Their first task was to attack Japanese bases in the Marshall Islands, to provide support for the landrng on Kwajalern Atoll on 3l January, and they were under a new commander, Admiral Marc A. Mitscher' Durlng these operations lhe Intrepid and TG 58.2 attacked Ror, but her air group suffered no Cabot, tn Task Group 58.2,

casualties.

On 17 February TF 58 started a more risky operation, a three-day raid on the main enemy base, Truk in the Caroline Islands. As before, the purpose was to prevent the Japanese from lnflrcting severe losses on a planned amphibious landing, in this case the Eniwetok landings. Despite the strong defences of Truk the raid was a gireat success. US Navy aircraft sank 47 shrps, including a light cruiser, three destroyers and a large tanker, and in addition destroyed I25 aircraft. The cost was not excessive, 6B

25

aircraft, but during a night atiack on the task

force Nakajima B5N 'Kate' torpedc-bombers

equipped with one of the flrst Japanese radar sets succeeded rn hitting the r;'recrd. The shrp's own nrght-frghters were ccnple:ely outwitted.

The torpedo hrt right aft and ',',':ecked the rudder. Thanks to her heavy under.'.'::er protectron 1n lrepld was in no danger c: s r:.kin g but to enable her to be steered a rna<esnli: satl' had to be erected at the forwarc =:-i :f lhe flight deck, The damaged carrier iinc: j s-,:-".'ly back to Majuro, covered by the 1Lg:r: l::r-.r Cabot, a pair of ctuisers and four aies:r:'.':rs There further repairs were carrted c:: -:i :le lonq haul back to Pearl Harbor for :'x.:-:r ::pairs. The ship went into dry dock ": ,-:::. Harbor on 26 I'ebruary, nine days a::=r ::: attack. A month later she was back rn :i= - rted States, at Hunter's Potnt in San Fr=:.:.s:' for a three-month refit and rePair

Return to the Pacific The opportunrty was taken to upda:= ::.: radars and provide more anti-atrcraf: ;:::-s \\-hen /ntreprd sarled on 9 June her fligh: :::.: -.'.'as packed wrth vehicles and a varre:-'' :: -S Arm,,-and US Navy aircraft, Shipptnq'.'.'as .:, preaLcus lo allow the vast hangar ani :-;:.: deck space of a carrier to be wasted. a:.i .:.= ln\eptC ''vould not become fully opera::::=. runtrl she'was back in the Central Paciftc C:.:= at Pearl Harbor her air group began ihe .ai:rious task of workrng up to full effrcrenc;'' -:-i

Tfie U.SS Intrepid(C'V.l I) trailing smoke after a kamikazehit.ln all shewas hitthree times by kamikazes and torpedoed once, butsuwived.

after two months the ship was ready to join her sister Bunker Hill and the CVLs Cabol anc Independence in TG 38.2, part of Task Force 38

On 28 Auqust 1944 the task group sailed fron

Eniwetok to start the process of softening up

Japanese delences as a prelrrde to the landings on Morotai and Palau, and early the followinq

month Palau itself was attacked. On

12-13

September the attacks switched to the centraPhihpprnes, to keep the defenders guessing The results of this strike were devastating: 59 shrps sunk and 478 aircraft destroyed, On 6

2 sailed from Ulrthi to begtr-

Cc:ober TG

38

:sser

carrier,

:::acks on Formosa, rernforced by another cLass

USS

Hancock.

fre fasl carners ranged far and wide in therr :-:s: icr :argets On I0 October TG 38.2 hi: 1s:s t:: Anamr-O Shima, Okinawa anci :-<-sr-:r-a C'ln:c' i'wo days later the target was

r::: ::- i:rnosa (Tarwan); bY lB October were being -:. ;.1 in the Philippines nrmraa rrrac nrrrood :... l:-:: ::r1:i encrmous ". damage was caused ,: :: s a::a:k cn Luzon on 21 September res*-:: j .:- :re deslructton of 35 merchant ships =:-: :-, a-rcrali The whole operation agains: :r l=:s

::,: F:-.rccli:es cost TF 38 a total of 54 aircraft :.=:.-,- :: :hem tn deck accidents, but in return - : - Jacanese ships and 1,000 aircraft :r:'_.'-

i

were des-

:ti on The Intreptd played an lmportant role ln the Battle of Leyte Guli On 23 October TG 38.2 was

posrtioned east of San Bernardrno Strait in order to defend the landing beaches from an assault by the powerful Japanese surface fories approaching from the west, In fact one of Intreptd's Curtiss SBZC Helldlvers was the flrst to srght Admiral Kurita's Force 'A'at dawn, and this led to the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, The ,Infreprd and the small carrier Cabot flew off the flrst strike, which crippled the heavy cruiser

Myoko with a torpedo hit and hit the 64,000-ton battleship Musashi wrth one torpedo and one bomb, lnlrepid's air group also took part in the flnal strike, together with those of the Enterprise, Essex, Franklin and Cabot. Their repeated torpedo and bomb hits finally sank the Musashi, and after the loss of the battleship the remainder of the force retired.

Kamikaze On the next day the /nfrepid took part in the Battle of Cape Engano when TF 38 mrstook the Japanese decoy group, the Frrst Mobile Force,

- :-. :,: :ask : : : ::_: ers r:-:: ::jar

The USSIntrepid(CY.I I) trailing smoke after a kamikaze hit. In all she was hit three times by kamikazes and torpedoed once, but survived.

after two months the ship was ready to jorn her sister Bunker Hill and the CVLs Cabol and Independence in TG 38.2, part of Task Force 38

On 28 Augnrst 1944 the task group sailed from

Eniwetok to start the process of softening up Japanese defences as a prelude to the landrngs on Morotai and Palau, and early the followinet

month Palau itself was attacked, On

12-13

September the attacks switched to the central Phrlippines, to keep the defenders guessing, The results of this strike were devastating: 59 shrps sunk and 478 aircraft destroyed, On 6

October TG 38 2 sailed from Ulithi to beqin attacks on Formosa, reinforced by another 'Essex' class carrier, USS Hancock. The fast carriers ranged far and wrde in their quest for targets, On l0 October TG 38,2 hit bases on Anami-O-Shrma, Okinawa and Sakishima Gunto; two days later the target was

bases on Formosa (Tarwan);

by IB October

targets rn lruzon rn the Phrlippines were being hit, Once again enormous damage was caused, TF 38's attack on Luzon on 21 September re

iaboand

sulted in the destruction of 35 merchant ships and 300 aircraft. The whole operatton against the Philippines cost TF 38 a total of 54 aircraft, many of them in deck accidents, but in return I 50 Japanese ships and 1,000 aircraft were destroyed,

for the main group. However most of the remaining Japanese carriers were sunk, the Zuiho, Zuikaku, Chitose and Chiyoda going down to carrier strikes, After two days of almost contrnuous action the fast carriers were showing signs of strain, but with the destruction of the Japanese surface forces the worst seemed to be over, But the Japanese were about to initrate suicide or kamikaze attacks, and these were to test the morale of the task force to the utmost. Off Luzon on 29 October Ihe Inlreptd

was the first to be hit, when a damaged

Japanese aircraft crashed on the deck. Fortu-

nately damage was slight, but l0 men were killed and six wounded. She was able to con-

Whrle:r:-..:..= .

.

struggle:,,.: lzaza <*::':' farther a: - -= went thr:-:.-. .-.= ploded r:. ::.: :: truction l:: --:= -.

:

was go: ..:.r=i severe:ha:::-= .:.,to the Un:::: -:'. =. and 85 'r.': -.:-:=

returned.:

-

,

_'-.'.-

1

2

3 4 5

6 7

tinue in action, On the next day TG 38 4 was not so lucky, and the Franklin and Belleau Wood were both set on flre by atrcraft deltberately diving onto their packed decks. The task force was pulled back to Ulithi to rest and effect repairs, but soon after the ships

arrived on 2 November they were hurriedly recalled to Luzon to provide support for the troops fighting ashore. On 25 November the Intrepid was still at sea, providing continuous ground support and drawing fuel and stores from the Fleet Train. Durrng a series of air attacks a burning Japanese aircraft suddenly plummeted into the lnlreprd's flrght deck, starting fires amongr the planes and ordnance.

21

!E ?

-^--:+

s-*

-..= ,lntreptd played an important role in the

-= :: Leyte Gulf. On 23 October TG 38,2 was -. .,-s-:-:ned east of San Bernardino Strait in

-:

j=: :c defend the landrng

beaches from an

....:.: by the powerful Japanese surface

::=s approaching from the west. In fact one of Curtiss SBZC Helldivers was the first '- --=;rds s- lnt Admiral Kurita's Force 'A' at dawn, and .-

,,.

,-.,. ,ed to the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, The :.:prd and the small carrier Cabof flew off the

.'. .

-:s: strrke, which crippled the heavy cruiser

.'..'.':
Frankltn and Cabof, Their re:=a:ed torpedo and bomb hits flnally sank the

_:.'.-.e, Essex,

,'.,'--sasir, and after the loss of the battleshrp the

::narnder of the force retired. Kamikaze

On the next day the lnlreprd took part in the iattle of Cape Engano when TF 38 mrstook the _iapanese decoy group, the Frrst Mobile Force,

::r

the main group. However most of the renarninq Japanese carriers were sunk, the Zuiho, Zuikaku, Chitose and Ciiyoda going jown to carrier strikes. After two days of almost continuous action the fast carriers were showrng siqns of strain, but with the destruction of rhe Japanese surface forces the worst seemed io be over, But the Japanese were about to rnrtrate suicide or kamikaze attacks, and these were to test the morale of the task force to the utmost. Off Luzon on 29 October the Inlreptd

Whiie fireflghters and damage control parties struggled to contarn ihe fires a second kamlkaze smashed into the cleck about 23 m (75 ft) farther aft. The bomb carrred by the aircraft went through the wooden flL-qht deck and exploded in the hangar. caustng even more destructron, The fire raged ior iwo hours before rt

was got under control and damage was so sevbre that the shrp r.r'culd ha,.'e to be sent back to the United States In a-l 69 men were killed and 85 wounded. The screll wounded carrier returned to Ulithi for e:i-etgency repairs be-

was the first to be hit, when a damaged

nately damage was shght, but l0 men were krlled and six wounded. She was able to con-

were both set on fire by aircraft deltberately

drving onto therr packed decks. The task force was pulled back to Ulithi to rest and effect repairs, but soon after the ships

arrived on 2 November they were hurriedly recalled to Luzon to provide support for the troops fighting ashore. On 25 November the lntrepid was still at sea, provrdtng continuous qrround support and drawrng fuei and stores

from the Fleet Train. During a sertes of air attacks a burning Japanese aircraft suddenly plummeted into thelntreprd's flrght deck, starting fires among the planes and ordnance.

3

antenna SKarrwarn ng radar antcnna

4 5 6 7

Japanese aircraft crashed on the deck. Fortu-

tinue in action. On the next day TG.38.4 was not so lucky, and the Franklin and Belleau Wood

2

YE antenna SG surfacewarn ng radar

r, C'ane j b r- l.la n ifr hook i: L ie rafts : i : fe net rack :r Artennadown

antcnna

B MK3Tdirectorfor5-.

0

11 12 13 14

l5

starboard 40-mm Bof ors mounr".l MK51 director

Navgatrngbridge Flagbrdge s-inhandllng roomand readyscrviceammuf i: 5-in/38twrn DPgun

20 21

22

.:6 rh

li3 :3

tl

Pyrotechnlcsstowage

Siore Charn Jocker

Stowage

Alcoho stowage

l!rilammable liquid store 62 Gasol nc tank 63 5 rn hand ing and projectile 1

stowagc 6,1

B0 FoMard

89 90

stowage 5-o Br ge water machinery and pump room

I

Ccnt re)

BB

Sump tank

58 Torpedo exercrse heads

6

stowage Rocketmotorstowaqe Crew's berthing DamagecontrolHO Crew s mess CIC (Combat lnformation

78 Pottrnqroom 79 Bombiuzemagazrne

82 83 84 85 86 87

Wdtcrtight rrunk

60

73 74 75 76 77

auxrlrary machrne

Plottrng room 102 Air f lask stowage 103 Torpedo stowage 104 Gas trunk 105 Pump rooms 106 Fru t and vegetable 107

Snrallarms magazine

9T

92 93 94

stowage 26Jt molorwhaleboal

108 40-mm Bofors gun mount ng sponson 109 40-nrm Bofors gun mounting sponson TTO Blue uniform and coat

stowage

111 Motorconlrolroom 112 Steeringgearroom

3

Aviation eng ne stowage Foulblade screws and prope ler shaft 115 Rudder 1 1

4

I

I

1

16 Slern40-mmquadruple

toom

ai :: ,3 al

a5 Pumproom a6 lrcendiary bombs

71 Avration ubricatingoil 72 40-mm AA ammun tron

mou nti ng

B1 Generalorpatform

deck f:ounh deck rd

Frrstplatform Secondplatform aC Hold

Oe' . : gun mountings Three 40-mm Bofors quadruple mount nqs (three alt) 36-in searchlrght Sing c 20 mm Oerl Lc- .:,gun Three single 20 nrnl Oerlikon AA gun mountings Trash burnersmoke D c: Stack hood 24 in scarch ight

M

23 24 25 Trunnion 26 Mount captain's blast h:: 27 Trainer's lelescope 2A Side access door 29 Barbettc (fixed to sh pt

ng

-ilock ess bower anchor

mountrng

19

hangar sides

-- " Jrn oecK :'i Second deck

16 MK5l director 11 Six s nglc 20-mm

t8

leads

Oer Kon mountings

9 Targctdeslgnator pot i-l 1

68 Bombstowage 69 Bombvanesstowage 70 Rol ercurtainopeningsrn

r-l: ghtdeck ji C. ley deck l- Fctrrdquadruple40-mm i ou nli ng l2 Foiecast edeck jl Afchor:30.000-lb

guns

t0l oil tank

pump room 67 40-mm and 20-mm M ammunrtron stowage

ra !\ reessmast :e ilig rangewrreless : - L.rdder (inside mast) :: F!esnge20mm

Mastheadplatforrn MK4frrecontrolradar

fore starting the long haul back to Pearl Harbor and San Francisco, arriving on the US west coast in January 1945, Such was the efficrency of the navy yard organization that the Intreptd sailed from Hunter's Point on 20 February, bound for the war zone once more, and she arrived at U1ithi on 13 March, She now formed part of TG 58.4 wrth the

66 Aviation lubricating

:areen

Reparrpatform SM radarantenna

wingsfolded.

65 Detentioncells

USS rnfrepidcutaway drawing key 1

ATBF Avenger torpedo-bomber leaves the Intrepid'sport catapult, while two more wait with

Medicalstores No 1 boilerroom Bo ier uptake space

No 2boilerroom No.1 machineryroom No.3boilerroom Clothesand sma lstores Firebrickstowage Barbers shop Ath eticgearstowage Genera workshop Crew's toilet Crew'swashroomand showers

95 No.4boierroom 96 No.2 machineryroom 97 Aftauxilarymachnery

roonl 98 Bomb stowage 99 Rocket motor stowage 100 Aviatron stores

117 Wakwav 'l

8

Two s ngle 20 mm Oerlikon AA gun mo u nlrngs Two sing e 20 mm Oerlikon M gun mount ngs 120 10 slngle 20 mm Oerlikon AA gun mountrngs

1

121

5-in/3Btwin MK32DP

mou nti ng 122 5-ln/32 DP

mounting

123 40-mm Bofors mountlng 124 40 mm Bofors mounting 125 Ensign staff 126 MK4 radarantenna 121 SC anlenna 128 Ma st 129 Vedical ladder 130 Radar p

atform

T3l Banle gaff 132 YJ antenna

36

47 48 49 50

69

USS

/ntrepid in Action

Yorktown, Langley and lndependence. Next day they sailed to begin operations against the Japanese home islands, the final phase of the Pacific war. Now Ihe kamikaze aircraft were the only serious threat from the Japanese, for the once-mighty fleet of submarines and surface ships was largely immobilized by lack of tuel.

On

18

March the ship suffered sllght damaqe

when a kamikaze exploded only

15

m

(50 ft)

away showering her with burnlng debris,

However on 16 Aprrl she was not so lucky: two kamikaze aircraft chose her as their target, and atthough one missed by a few feet the second

crashed into her flight deck, The engtne

plunged through the planking tnto the hangar, causing a big fire and puttrng her out of action

once more. This tlme, however, casualties were lighter: 10 men killed and 87 wounded It was the end of the war for the

1n

freprd. She

returned to San Francisco and was back wrth TF 38 in July in time for the Japanese surrender

on

15 Augnrst.

.&.:. + ': :r lF. lr t.

Iu

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Ar Left: Smoke pours from tlre Intrepid during heavy air raids on Kyushu in theJapanese home islands. A

burningJapanese bomber burst into

flame 50Ieet away Irom thecarrier, showering her with fuel and debris.

From the light crur'ser Santa Fe jl

Iooked as if the carrier had blown up, but her damage control parties dealt swiftlywith the fires.

Below and right: Starboard profiIe and bow and stern views of the USS Intrepid. .Sft e ls painted in Camouflage Measure 32/3A, which she carried from J une ) 944, when she returned to the Pacific after repairs. D uring her th ree mon f/rs ln dock sle received three additional quad 40-

(

mm Bofors gunmountings below the island, and twomorewere resitedto improve sky arcs.

:j

lt il-

rli- t

l,il

llii iiir

iil::l ir -:--

iil iil i'i ilj ili Il i;!

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I

American Aircraft Carriers of the Pacific War rL:i

-f 'I

pour s from

Intrepid during heavy air raids on Kyushu in

L

eft : S m oke

fft e

the Japanese home is/ands.

--'t

A

burning J apanese bomber burst into flame 50 feet away from the carrier, showering her with fuel and debris. F rom the light cruiser Santa Fe jf looked as if the carrier had blown up, but her damage control parties dealt swittly with the fires.

Below and right: Starboard profile and bow and stern views of the USS Intrepid. Sft e r's p ainted in Camouflage Measure 32/34, which she carried trom J une I 944, when she returned to the Pacific after repairs. During her three months in dock she r eceiv ed three ad ditional qu ad 40 mm Botors gun mountings below the island, and two more were resited to unprove slq arcs.

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USA

USS

Franklin

The flfth unit of the 'Essex' class was authorized in 1940 but was not started until a year after Pearl Harbor as there were no shpways of the right lengrth

pled the light carrier Chiyoda and

Newport News Shipbuilding Company, made up for the delay by completing her in less than 14 months. The USS Franklh (CV, 13) was commissioned at the end of January 1944 and joined Task Group 58,2 exactly sx months later for an attack on the Bonu:r Islands, From then on she was constantly in action: during an attack on Formosa and the Ryukyus in October

attacked by five kamikaze aircraft which had broken through the flghter

flnished off the Zwkaku. The Franklin's run ofgood luck ended on 30 October, While defending the Leyte Gulf landing area she and the light carrier were

available. However, her builders,

screen: she lost 56 dead and 60 wounded, while 33 aircraft were destroyed by the fue which followed. She had to return to Bremerton Navy Yard for major repairs, and did not renrn ro active service untrl February 1945 As part of TF 58 the .FranlJrn attacked Kyushu in the Japanese home islands on 18 March. On the next day two Yokosuka D4Y'Judy bombers made a daring low-level attack and hit the

she was hit by a bomber which

crashed on deck, and hvo days later her deck-edge lift was hit by a bomb

which killed three men,

During the Battle of Surigao Strait on October 1944 the Franklin's aircraft sank a destroyer, and then attacked the giant battleship Musas}j in the Sibuyan Sea, On the next day, during the Battle of Cape Engano, they crip-

Franklin with two 25C-kg (551-lb)

bombs just as she u'as prepanng her

24

Tfie Franllin (C7. 13) was wtted by fire alter being hitby bombs off Kyushu on I 9 March I 945, but still got

second strike. At first the damage did not seem serious for the bombs had not penetrated below the hangar deck,

but as the aircraft caught fire their bombs and rockets, as well as the

spare ordnance in the hangar, started to explode. Toxic smoke was drawn through the ship's ventilation system,

with the result that many of the 724 dead were suffocated (another 265 were wounded). The ship lay dead in the water for three hous as the engine rooms and boiier rooms could not be manned, Finally the fires were put out and on the next day the Frankljn was able to get up steam once agarn, She limped back to Pearl Harbor and then across the Pacific to New York Navy Yard for Iengthy repairs, She did not reappear until after the end of the war, and never returned to full commission, being laid up permanently in resewe in Febru-

ary

1947.

home.

Specification USS Franklrn (CV.13) D-isplacement: 27, 100 tons standard, 36,500 tons tull load Dimensions: length 267.21 m (867 ft

Bin); beam 45.0m (147ft 8in)'over

fllght deck; drausht 9.40 m (30 ft l0 in) Machinery: 4-shaft geared steam tur-

bines delivering

(I50,000 shp) Speed: 33 knots

I I 1900 kW

Armour: belt 64-102 mm (2t/z-3in);

flight deck 38mm (l/zin); hangar deck

76

mm (3 in); main deck 38 mm

(ltlzin); turrets and barbettes 38mm

(IVzin) Aircraft: (1945) 74 fighters, 15 dive-

bombers and 30 torpedo-bombers. Complement: 3,240 oftcers and enlisted men Although cleaned up, tfte Franklin still shows her battle scars on her return to the USA. Shewas never recommissioned.

USA

USS Princeton To meet the acute shortage of carriers

after Pearl Harbor the US Navy dectded to complete nine 'Cleveland' class light cruisers as carriers. The Amsterdam (CL.59) Tallahassee (CL.61), New Haven (CL.76), Hunting-

ton (CL.77), Dayton (CI',78), Fargo

(CL.B5), Wilminston (CL.79), Buffalo (CL.99) and lVewark (CL.100) thus be-

came the USS lndependence

(CVL.22), Princeton (CVL.23), Belleau

Wood (CYL.24), Cowpens (CVL.25), M onterey (CYL,26), Langley (CYL,27),

Cabot (CVL.28), Bataan (CVL.29) and San Jacinto (CVL.30). Although rt was an ingenious conversion, the results were disappointing, for the small hanqar (65.5 m/215 ft by 17.7 ftt/58 ft) could accommodate fewer aircraft than that of the 'Sangamon' class CVEs, 33 instead of the 45 planned, However, this T h e P rinceton ( CYL. 2 3 ) w a s converted on the stocks from the hull of the light cruiser Tallalassee. Although cramped, the CVLs were fast and could keep up with the Fast Carrier Groups. Later they operated

nightfighters.

the Prrncelon, The bombs oassed through three decks before exploding, and the blast started fierce fires in the hangar. Sx armed Avengers caught

does, after the destroyer lrwin had missed her with four.

Specification

fire, and their torpedoes exploded,

USS

halfan hour after the attack, other ships were ordered alongside to take off all but essential fireflgrhters and damage control personnel. The light cruisers Birmingham and

0 in)

adding to the carnage, At 10.10, about

Reno lay alongside, pumping water and providing power for pumps, and all the while ships and friendly aucraft fought off Japanese air attacks, At 14.45 it appeared that all flres were out, but at 15.23 lhe Princeton blew up rn a huge explosion. The blast swept the

crowded decks of lhe Birmingham,

killing 229 men and wounding another 420; the carrier herself had over I00 men killed and 190 injured. Surprisingly the shattered hulk of the Princeton was still alloat, but wrecked beyond any hope ofsalvage. At 16,00 she was abandoned and the crurser Reno was ordered to sink her with two torpe-

Pnnceton (CVL.23) Displacement: 11,000 tons standard, 14,300 tors full load Dimensions: length 189.74 m (622f| 6 in) overall; beam 33,3 in (109 ft 3 in) over flight deck; draught 7.92m (26ft Machinery: 4-shaft geared steam tur-

brnes delivering

74600 kW

(100,000 shp) Speed: 3172 knots

Armour: belt 38-127mm (l/z-S-in):

main deck 76 mm (3 in); lower deck 51 mm (2 in) Armament: (1943) hvo 127-mm (S-in) AA, hvo quadruple 40-mm Bofors AA, nine twin 40-mm Bofors AA and 12 20mm AA gmns Aircraft: (1943) 24 Grumman F4F Wrldcat fighters and nine Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo-bombers Complement: 1,569 officers and enlisted men

E

n

The Bqtfle of legfe Gulf The so-called Battle of Leyte Gulf was in fact a series ofair-sea battles spread over a vast area,

it was not only the climax of the war in the Pacific but also the greatest naval battle of history. All the classic warship types were engaged, from battleships and carriers down to destroyer escorts, all fulfillinq their designed roles.

Once the Marianas had fallen in Augmst 1944 the Japanese high command knew that deieat stared the country in the face, A1l that could be hoped for was a gambler's throw, an all-out offensive by the remaining capital ships and carriers agalnst the next big amphibious landrng, As soon, therefore, as Aliied forces were reported moving into Leyte Gulf in the Phrlippines, Plan 'Sho-l'was put into action. It called for the Japanese forces in North Borneo and eisewhere to divide into three forces. From Borneo, Force 'A', a portion of the First Strike Force under Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita, was to pass through the San Bernardino Strait to attack the US landing forces from the north off Samar; a Second Strike Force, commanded by Vice Admiral Kiyohide Shima, was to join with Force 'C' (also from Borneo and part of the First Strike Force) under Vice Admiral Shaji Nishimura) to pass through Surigao Strait to attack the landings from the south, finally the main carrier force, the First Mobile Fleet from Japan under Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa (whose carriers had hardlv anv aircraft) was to lure the American carriers iway from the Phihppines while the First and Second Strike Forces dealt with the landings and their warship support before dealing with the returning US carriers with the 460-mm (18. I-1n) guns of the super-battleships Yamato and Musashl, part of Force 'A', Like other complex Japanese battle plans, it went wrong almost from the beginning. Off Palawan Force 'A' was ambushed by two US submarines, which radioed the news and also Right: A blazing kamikaze plane hurtles towards the flight deck of ffte Essex assfi e vainly tries to

alter course. Below:Japanese shells falling arnong the escort -carrieis of Carrier Division 25 during the battle off Samar. On tfie

riglt

St 1,6 ca n

be seen burning.

torpedoed three heavy cruisers, Admiral Kunta's ships came under heavy air attack as they passed through the Sibuyan Sea, and eventually the mighty Musashi succumbed to an esti-

mated total oi 19 torpedo hits. However, her sister )zamalo and the smaller battleships Nagato, Kongo and Haruna survived and con-

tinued to plough towards San Bernardino Strait. Thanks to a mix-up in communications, the US fast carriers left the small escort carriers off Samar to face a ferocious bombardment from Kurita's ships while they chased after Ozawa's empty carriers, Fortunately for the Americans therr Jeep carriers', destroyers and destroyerescorts put up such a stout resistance that Kurita eventually withdrew and missed the chance to destroy the vulnerable invaston force. The Americans now took a terrible revenqe on the Japanese Ozawa's carriers were hunted down off Cape Engano the Chjtose, Chiyoda, Zuikaku andZuiho w-ere all sunk. While trying to force their way through Surigao Stralt Nishimura's and Shrma s forces came under a with-

enng nlght attack frcm Admiral Oldendorls oid battleships, some ci :nem salvaged veter-

A signalman on the tlight deck of a carrier of the Fast Carrier Group, with a 'Washington'-class battleship in the background. ans of Pearl Harbor,

andwere all butwiped out.

Leyte was the end of the Imperial Japanese Navy as an effective force, With no fuel for operations and no aircrew to man new aircraft, the remaining carriers were reduced to swinging idly at thelr moorings, waiting for the inevitable air attacks which would sink them.

USA

ffi-=

USS Bogue

The urgent need for air cover for convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic was

met by converting mercantile hulls

rnto small aircraft-carriers. In the summer of 1941 both the British and the

Americans converted merchantmen into the flrst experimental 'escort carrrers or CVEs, and when these Proved t.lreir worth orders went out for the fllst oroduction class of 21 CVEs from US .:hLpyards. Of these I I went straight to ::re Royal Navy as the 'Attacke/ class,

support grroup sank no fewer than 13 U-boats, while planes from her sisters Card, Core, B\ock Island andCroatan helped to sink another 20. The USS Bogue joined the Atlantic Fleet in February 1943 as the Battle of the Atlantic reached crisis point. On her fourth crossing of the Atlantic her aircraft sank their first U-boat; two more followed on her next trip. On the seventh crulse, lale in July 1943, her

'.','hile ihe rematnder became the US lrlavy s 'Bogme' class, Being conver-

aircraft sank one U-Boat, and one ofher escorting destroyers sank another, The worst point of the battle was

:red

against the U-boats. The hunter-killer gioups could not take the offensive against U-boats farther out in the Atlantic, and in November-December 1943 the Bogue and her qEoup accounted for three U-boats, After a short break early in 1944 to ferry aircraft to the UK she returned to submarlne-hunting,

sioni of partially completed hulls' the Boqrue' class was a great improvement :n the prototypes, and had a full-lenqth :anoai. with tvvo centreline lifts The USS-8ogue (CVE.9) and her sisters lard (CVE, 11) and Core (CVE 13) :','en had tv\ro catapults, They carried :3 aircraft, and the Bogue was launtn January

1942.

Wrth a good outfit of air-warning

::dar and more space than the

des': -'lers and frtgates, the escort carrlers :.ade giood flagships for'hunter-killer' antt-submartne suPPort groups, '.',:rch were betng established rn the 1-rrlrr1r of 1942. The Boque and her

::

now over, and the tide had turned

and in March helPed to sink U-575 Three more U-boats were sunk bY

Specification USS 8osrue (CVE.9)

Speed: iB knots Armoru: none Armament: two 127-mm (S-rn) AA, four twin 40-mm Bofors AA and 12 2O-mm

r

-'

]

'- -:- " ::5sl>J --- r-\ dlrl ^-'l were im-

:-- -:i -f cilnerstructures - .. .-:. :::.','elsLonlastingsx

Displacement: I1,000 tons standard, Port profile of the 'Bogae' class,

i

t

r -.. L

showing the ex-mercantile hull clearly. Despite lft eriaustere desr'gn they were agreal success, p ar ticularly in a n ti- s u bm arine warfare in the Atlantic.

ings in North Afrrca in October and November 1942, and then transferred to the Pacific, where they operated

USS Sangamon

:1?:l oul of

l5 400 tons full load Dimensions: Iength 151. I m (495 ft B rn)

for the Iast of 13 U-Boats, U-546, when

on traintng duties, Her last hunterkiller mission in April 1945 accounted

USA

- ::

carrier Bogne (CVE.9)

overall; beam 34.0 m (l 1 1 ft 6 in) over fliqht deck; draught 7.92 m (26 ft 0 tn) Machinery: l-shaft geared steam turbrne delivering 6340 kW (8,500 shP)

-J/

- : .-"'::sLon of escort carrters was :rtorlty in 1942, but the rate - :- -: -:.=se useful utility carriers : ...:.-. ::'. ar:rght Lnto service was li-: - . - r : :-:: ,-.':mber of hulls available : :.-'.'.',-, r':rlt US Narry oilers, the --: - - :: --.: -:.3 2B), Santee (AO 29) 3l) and Suwannee , . . ,; - -:-l ' commssion

sons, but wrth the collapse of Japan she

The escort

with Grumman Avenger TBFs on her wooden flight deck.

was re-assrgned to the 'Magrrc Carpet' operations, ferryrng PoWs and servicemen back to the United States,

R.;

:;

Barrier Force. In the closinq months of the war the Bogrue was sent to the Paciflc, ferrytng arrcraft and slores to oullylng garriJ. Dufek's Second

September 1944, when the Bogue retumed to the United States for a period

iir I

::'

she was operatrng as part of Captarn G.

22 in the South Pacific,

AA gnrns Aircraft: (1943)

12

Grumman F4F Wtld-

cat frghters and 12 Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo-bombers

Complement: 890 officers and enlisted men

rugqed enough to be returned to servlce.

The

Iess interference wlth flying opera-

with CarDiv

installed untll 1944, and a number of Iarge openings in the sides provided good ventilation for the hangtar' - The Sanlee (AVG.29, later CVE29)

Azores and off the coast of Brazil with a

Displacement: 10,500 tons standard,

as the great 'island-hopping' drive

Dimensions: lenqth 168,71 m (553 ft 6 in) overall; beam 34,82 m (l14 ft 3 in) over fligiht deck; draught 9.32 m (30 ft

tions. Provision was made ior two catapults, although the second unit was not

was the first to be commissioned, on 24

Auenrst 1942, followed a day later by

the USS Sangamon (CVE.26); the

Suwannee (CVE.27) was commls-

sioned on 24 September, five daYs after the Ciena.nEro (CVE.2B), The acute shortage of cairiers in late 1942 and earlv 1943. combined wlth their good

turn of speed and aircraft capacity

meant that these new carliers were used with the main fleet more than other CVEs, and frequently operated together. AII four supported the land-

Sanlee returned to the Atlantic in March 1943, operating south of the

hunter-killer gEoup, but rejoined her sisters in the Pacific in February 1944, across the Pacific got under waY.

All four took part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, forming'Taffy One' (under Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague) as part ofTask Group 77.4. On 25 October the .Santee was badly damaqed bY a kamikaze attack, and shortly afterwards by a torpedo hit from the submarrne ,l-56, but managed to survive, Then a kamikaze hit the Suwannee, having missed the Sangramon, In spite

ofthese hits all three were operational by the spring of 1945. The Sangamon was badly damaged by a kamikaze hit off Okinawa on 4 May i945, and lost I l dead, 2l serrously wounded and 25 missing, but like her sisters, proved

Specification

USS Sangamon (CVE.26) 23,875 tons fuI] load

7 in)

Machinery: 2-shaft gteared steam tur-

bines delivering

10070 kW

(13 500 shp)

Speed: IB knots Armour: none

Amament: two l27-mm (S-in) AA, 1wo quadruple 40-mm Bofors AA, seven tu/1n 40-mm Bofors AA and 21 20-mm AA gnrns Aircraft: (1942) i2 Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters, nine Douglas SBD DauntIess dive-bombers and nine Grumman

TBF Avenger torpedo-bombers

Complement: 1,100 officers and enIisted men

!i

1,,

{f*

USA

The success of the converted CVEs .:d to a fresh destgn being prepared lom the keel up', using a mercantile iesign as a basrs but tailorinq it to meet IVE needs, rather than adapting a hull :r the slipway, These adaptations '.','ere more concerned with ease of :rnstruction than any radtcal improve:.ent in operational capability. In all, 50 ::rts of the 'Casablanca' class (CVE.55. 14) were authorized late in 1942. -:-lihough the flight deck was short -

r00 fV152,4 m by 108 fV32,9 m), two -is and a catapult were provided, and

rs there were two propeller

shafts

.:.ere was qreater manoeuvrability

::.an with one shaft. To speed up manu-

:acture, triple-expansion steam

:-achinery was chosen, but in other ::spects the'Casablanca' design took

:.e best of the'Sanqamon', 'Bogue'and ?rLnce Wrlliam' classes, and was a ::nsiderable success, (CVE,63) was laid The USS Sf j:wn as the Chaptn Bay (AVG,63) at

,6

:enry Kaiser's Vancouver shrpyard in

-:nuary

but in April she was re:zmedMidway in honow of the recent :attle and entered sewice under that .=.ame in October 1943, The name was .:.:n allocated to a much bigger car-

:-er

::r

1943,

as it was

f/u

American Aircraft Carriers of the Pacific

uss st Lo and had supported the amphibious

landings in Sarpan, Eniwetok, Tinian

and Morotai. In October 1944 she

formed part of 'Taffy Three', part of the vast armada which fought the Battle of

Leyte Gulf, 'Taffy Three', the most northern group of escort carriers

covering the amphibious landing, had already suffered a qrmellinq bombardmen from Japanese surface warships for the best part of 3 hours durinq the morning of 25 October i944, After a Iull

ofabout t hour thekamrkazes made

a

low-level attack, flve Zeros comtng in at low level before climbing rapidly to I525 m (5,000 ft) and then drving straight onto the flight deck. One of a parr attacking the Fanshaw Bay suddenlv switched to the Sf 16, strikrng

her ilioht deck aft. The two bombs slung u"nderneath the Zero set offgaso-

line, bombs and ammunitron in the hangar, and wrecked the ship, The kamikaze hil at 10.53, and five minutes later a hugte explosion devastated the carrier. She sank about I hour later, with 100 dead and many injured, the first American shrp sunk by kamt' kaze attack.

Specification

uss sr 16 (cvE.63)

Displacement: 7,800 tons standard, 10,400 tons full load Dimensions: length 156. 13 m (512 ft 3 tn) overall; beam 39,92 m (108 ft 0 in) over flight deck; draught 6,BO m (22 ft 6 in)

Machinery: 2-shaft vertical tripleTJ"

considered too important

expansion delivering 6715 kW (9,000 ihp) Speed: 19 knots

such a minor warship, and on 15 September 1944 CVE,63 became the ISS StI6. The little carrier had already :ade two ferry tdps out to the Pacific

Armour: none Below: The port profile of the 'C asablanca' class,' fhese shrps were an improved version of fhe Bogn:e design, tailored for faster

construction.

'i

The new escort carrier-!,7tara': (CVE.63), which was subseq;.:'-t renamedSt L6 to release tie.::-:e

{or

a

bigger carrier.

Armament: one ----::.: erght twin 40-mm B::::: -:-:. 20-mm AA guns

,:Aircraft: (October 19;; .- l:* .: : F4F Wrldcat fighters ar.: - l: --:..- 'TBF Avenger torpedc-: :: :.:, Complement: 860 ofhcc:-: ::.r :.

.

men B

ottom : The Sl L6 blow s u p af t e :

being set on fire byJapanese

during the battle off Samar October 1944.

n

v:::::

Baffle ol the Philippine Secl ":,:

::r, i-!tl,.

q I

:t

,!"1,:n:*:'

.:r:rii.il-.

:'i I

l.i:r

''

-

.1.i.',

J

-"-

Itr'.

;;#r" r!4.$ik

rt@!P.iz:rya:.'.,rt;.. .f;,:*&

stead the Amerrcan Admiral Raymond

Spruance had launched heavy attacks on the Japanese arrfields, wiprng out the aircraft on Guam and Rota, What remains unexplained to thrs day is the fact that Kakuta failed to warn Ozawa of this failure rn the plan, and continued to reassure him that the

A Japanese aircraft plummets into the

sea

over the

sinall carrierKitkun Bay (CIIE.71) during the invasion of S aipan in J une I 9 44.

Americanswere suffer-

ing a heavy rate of attrition. Nor were

the

Americans short of intelltgence about Ozawa's movements, for their submarines had spotted the carriers moving through the Phtlipptnes,

The Japanese carrier force was out in

strength: the light carriers Zuiho, Chttose,

Chiyoda, Hiyo, Junyo andRyuho and the fleet carners Tatho, Shokaku and Zuikaku, as well as frve battleshrps, 12 crutsers and 27 destroyers, and 24 submarines. But this force was dwarfed by Task Force 58: the light carriers Langley, Cowpens, San Jacinto, Pnnceton, Monterey, Cabot, Belleau Wood andBataan, the fleet carriers Hornet, Yorktown, Bunker Hill, Wasp, Enterpnse, Lexington andEssex, as well as seve! battleshrps, 21 cruisers, 62 destroyers and 25

- i -- --'-i-r

:-::la:: ir-

submarrnes. Even these heavy odds were lengthened by the superior trainrng of the American aircrews, for the Japanese ptlottralning progrramme had totally failed to keep up wrth wartime attntion, and many of Ozawa's

The Japanese carrier Zuho under attack from the air group of the Enterprise durin g the Batt]e of the Philippine Sea. Note the unusual camouflage and

deckmarkings.

American Aircraft Carriers of the Pacific War landing on board

June the 'Great Marianas Turkey Shoot'. Even when stretched to the limit, the US Navy's pilots

Spruance divided his force into four task

were more skilled: after the strike on 20 June the aircraft returned to their carriers al 22.45, many of them virtually out of fuel. In a ciassic siqnal Vice-Admiral Mitscher ordered the carriers to turn on their landing iights, to make swe that the pilots could find a friendly deck in the darkness. Losses were heavy, but 116 aircraft landed safely. The remaining 80 crash-

!ilots were barely capable -_rerr carrlers.

of

jrroups (TGs 58.I, 58.2, 58.3 and 58.4) and a tsattle Line (TG 58.7) under Admiral Willis A' air-ee, To attack the carriers the Japanese :raft would first have to fly through a barrage of ::rti-aircraft fire ftom the Battle Line, and then ight off each carrier task group's combat air catrol and face the fire from their escorts. The -and attacks had done nothing to weaken this lefence in depth, but Ozawa had no idea of -,vhat sort of

ng. On

opposition his pilots would be fac-

landed or 'ditched' nearby, allowing destroyers to pick up the majority of the aircrew.

Double talk, double think

June the main Japanese force moved

In retrospect it is difficult to criticize Ozawa's handling of the battle. The major tactical error,

cetached the van force of three ligtht carriers ':nder Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita, with the in-

attacking the Battle Line, was the result of the naval pilots' Iack of experience. The extraordinary lies told by Kakuta led Ozawa to believe that his four strikes would have much more effect than they did, and he was even misled into believing that his aircraft were safe in Guam, whereas in fact they had been destroyed, Given those circumstances, and the fact that he was vastly outnumbered it would have been difficult to do better, Even iJ Ozawa had been biessed with better Iuck and a more capabie subordinate he would

18

:rto position to the west of the Marianas, and

:ention of launching the first strikes next mornng. When the Van Force launched its strike of 16 fighters and 53 bombers it was detected by jre Battle Line on radar, givlng time for the US carriers to launch every available fighter. They :nflicted grievous losses on the Japanese (42 aircraft) and the only damage achieved was a bomb hit on the battleship South Dakota.

The Marianas Turkey Shoot A second strike was launched from the six

carriers of the Main Body: 48 fighters and 62 bombers, but 10 minutes after the launchseguence had begnrn, the US submatrne Albacore torpedoed the carrier Tarho. Once again ihe massed anti-aircraft fire of the Battle Line

slaughtered the air strike, shooting dovm 79 out of the tIO aircrafl and all that was achieved was a near-miss. A third strike of 47 aircraft managed to avoid the Battle i:ine but found very few targets, and lost only seven planes. A fourth strike launched from 11,30 also lost its way; only 33 out of82 aircraft iound TG 58.2, and sulfered heavy losses,

The Japanese carriers had made the

strongest possibie effort and had failed to inilict more than trifling damage on TF 58. Al 12.22

Ozawa suffered a further setback when the submarine USS Cavalla put four torpedoes into the Sfiokaku, She blew up and sank at 15.10, foilowed shortly afterwards by the Talho. But Ozawa had no intention of giving up, for he still believed that Kakuta's land-based forces had inilicted heavy casualties, and he therefore felt that his 102 remaining aircraft could turn the tables on Spruance. In addition Kakuta had told him that many of the survivors of the carrier strikes had landed safely on Guam. Next day the two opposing fleets were mov-

ing to the north west on roughly parallel

coruses. When Spruance learned of Ozawa's position it was late in the afternoon, and he was faced with a difficult choice. A strike against the Japanese carriers would be at maximum distance, and the return flight to the carriers would have to be made in darkness. Nevertheless at 16.20 he ordered an all-out strike by 85

fighters, 77 dive-bombers and 54 torpedo-

bombers, The Japanese could oniy launch 80 aircraft bef,ore TF 58's tempest overwhelmed them, The light cawier Hiyo was sunk by two torpedoes; the Zuikaku, Junyo and Chiyoda were badly damaged, and other ships were damaged. Ozawa managed to extricate the remnants of his forces without further loss, but he had lost what he knew to be the iast chance ofa decisive victory. His inexperienced pilots had been shot down in such numbers that the American pilots had called the air battle on 19

have needed a miracle to give him victory against TF 58. The best that could have happened would have been a few US carriers

Curtiss SB2C H elldiver dive-

bombr.

Yokosuka D4Y I J udy' dive - bom ber.

badly damaged ot even sunk, That would have

resulted in a short respite, but the Japanese were now being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Not only were trained pilots in short supp-

Iy; even the raw materiais and oil for which

Japan had gone to war were difficult to transport to Japan, because of the lack of shipping. It was now impossible for Japanese shipyards to

maintain shipping at pre-war levels. The fleet could not get sufficient refined oil, and was forced to use volatile oil from Borneo - a major cause of the explosions which destroyed the Talho and Sho.kaku, On the American side there were bitter recriminations against Spruance, particularly by Adiniral William Halsey and his supporters. They felt that the caution of Spruance had lost TF 58 the opportr:nity to sink all Ozawa's carriers, and thus eliminate the ImperialJapanese Navy, What the critics cotild not accept was that Spruance's dispositions at all times took account ofthe overriding need to prevent Ozawa from evading his task erroups and getting at the vulnerable amphibious forces off Saipan, No mercy would have been shovrn to Spruance il his carriers had lost Ozawa, and massive

MitsubishiAiM3 'Zero', based in the Philippines.

Abomberloses awing after being stilckby a S-inch shell from lIe carrierYorktown of tie Island otKwaialein.

Dicrg of the I'larionas Turkeg Shoot The lapanese paid dearly for thefu attempt to ofuttzd the invasion of the Maianas. T ask F oree 5 8 utder Admiral Sptaance held off and then stttck

2, Aftertwo days ofaerial essault US naval tnits clqsed into bombardJapanese grotnd defences. Seven battleships and more than 20 cruisers pounded the enemy positions for 48 hours prior to the assault.

back at Ozawa's Fitst Mobile Fleet. While the Anterj,can viclory may not have seemed decisive in view of the fact that the lapanese managedto exticate most of their fotce, the fact that the maiortty of Eained Japanese aituew lay with thefu aircraft wrder the Philippine Sea meant that the Imperdlal Narry would never again he able to wage effective canier wat.

?x

L At ftust light on I I June 1944 TaskForce 58 under Admtal Spnance unJeashed an aerial bomb atdment against the Japanese air forces onthe Marianas. Hellcats, Avengers and Helldivers shot up the enemy

warphnes

and

^&

G\,

iil,i:*,,tj$"i'::ili::'i'r'L,1,,,.:,,".

completely

neutrclized any aerialthreat to the US invasion force kom the J ap anes e - he ld islands.

ii ].'rl:-1.

ia,...,

lSJune l944Japanese

l.

lstMobileFleet

riil;:

sails fromPhilippines

'.',.

I

,

rl{i:}r-

'a *t

500miles west.

,:

. :ja.

,.*"

15.32hours l9June

Tj

Taihosinks

+4

" :

i' '*.,rl.i".,tili,l.-'i f;-'ir:

15.24hours J9June

SftokakusirJcs

Y{'.'.-' F\

-.;

)

a(

:F.i+j n-''

)>:?!&r

=

S.Coming

witfinrangeof the UStask forcethe app r o ac hing Jap anes e Ile et

Iiunchedmissiveairshkesagar'nst

\-

X ,

---=::- : the Americans at 08.30 (5A), 09.00 and 14.00 (5C) on 19 June. They had hoped to catch the tls fleet unawares, but they met with a mutderous cuttain of anti-aircraft fte. Those that got thrcugh then contended with US Helhcats. Japanese air Iosses were 253 against 30 Ameilcan,

(58)

7B

\< .\1 '+:,:>;!\.-

KtS---.

6. Unseen by the Japanese, two US su.bmafines

had been shadowing the opposing fleet on 19 June the submarines torpedoed the cafii$ Taiho (6A) and at 12.18 a similarfate befel Shokaku (68). Both sank by mid-afternoon.

At

09.00

\t'

:\

3,

A

Alertedbythe

4, uS Marines stormed ashore on Saipan on the morning of l5 June.

N

stufircd afidpunjshed forces onthe

Despitethefow.daysofsoftening'up,welldug'

Maianas, a counter force ofJapanese ships sailed east

ftomthe Phiippines on 15

Jwetobattlewith Task Force 58.

?2a4 34i44+

.

-:.-

G l7.00hours 19June

llJune

1944

Task Force 58 spearheads US inv asion o f

Marianas.

theretwningus ?F-:-i5 ,: '-.,-.aircraft :.!--';

had to find

their

-. sluPsand landinthedatk. '...:. Risking torpedo attack by Japanese subs, Admiral il.1{1 Mitscherorderedlandingt ; :';< ':: ',. ights to be switched onto recover ;.,-

.::

the bulk of his strike force. 80 aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed, but I 16 got safely home.

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Armed Forces of the World

Theancient kingdom ofJordan has possessed an established army from the time when most European nations were still throwing sharpened stones at one another, and over the

centuries the kingdom has remained a remarkable bastion of stability in a turbulent region.

Today the Jordanian 'armed forces are"still manned on an all-volunteer basis for well trained units that are now in a state of transition from what was once a British-orientated establishment into a more outwardJooking formation using equipment from the USSR on one side and from the USA and UK on the other side of the superpower divide.

The Jordanian army ln terms of equipment ihe Jordanian army

is

one of the most powerful in the Middle East,

and is mechanized to a high degree. lt has recently undergone a major re-equipment programme with new American M60 MBTs, and with new 155-mm and 203-mm selfpropelled artillery, and still has some M60

MBTs to be delivered. However, the main tank force still consists of M47 , M48 and Centurion MBTs, though these are currently being replaced by the British RoF Khalid MBT, an ex-

port model of the Chieftain MBT. These tanks are backed up by Ferret scout cars, a large force of about 850 M113 tracked APCs and-a small remaining batch of Saracen wheeled APCs. Some towed artillery still remains, as do large numbers of heavy mortars and recoilless rif les, but air def ence depends on a mix of 'l 00

Vulcan 20-mm cannon, M42 40-mm selfpropelled Bofors guns, Redeye and SA-7

'Grail' man-portable missiles, and a force of

lmproved HAWK, 54-6 'Gainful' and SA-9

'Gaskin' batteries. Anti-tank defence is pro-

vided by TOW and Dragon ant -tank missiles.

The primary striking forces using these weapons are organized mainly at brigade

strengths. One of these brigades is an lndependent Royal Guards Brigade, whrle the bulk of the armour is centred in the f ive arnro;red and six mechanized briqades. n receri Vears the army has been mucli concerned w tn .ternal security, chiefly concern'rg t^e aci \ r es of the PLO, and recently sorie 3,OOO ar--1 volunteers have been involved on the lrac side in the lran-lraq conflict. lnternally the army can call upon some 65,000 regular personnel, 3,550 wellarmed and comprehens vely organized Mobile Police Force personnel and a further 7,500 Civil Militia.

The Jordanian navv The naval element of the Jordanian forces is small (300 personnel) and based at the southern port of Aqaba. lt has nine small patrol craft with a further three about to be delivered.

The Jordanian air force The Jordanian air force has some 7,500 personnel, and is currently in the process of con-

verting its three interceptor squadrons to a mix of Dassault-Breguet Mirage F.1s and Northrop F-5Es and F-SFs, and the last few

Northrop F-5As are about to be retired. A furthF-SE squadron is devoted to the groundattack role. At the same time all air force bases are being 'hardened'and extra dispersal fields are being constructed. 54-6'Gainful'and SA-9

er

'Gaskin' missile sites are being established to

defend the airfields alongside lmproved

HAWK missiles and gun installations A single transport squadron uses an unusual mix-of aircraft including Lockheed C-130 Hercrles, CASA C-212 Aviocars and Rockwel Sabrel ner 75As. The Royal Flrght has a Boerng 727 ae,d a Riley Dove for King Hussein's use. A /arge

helrcopter squadron is based on rre Aerosoatiale Alouette lll, Siko's
TOW anti-tank missiles Training aircraft nclude Cessna T-37C let rra rers, a number of BAe Bulldogs and six Pitts S-2s; Jordan has one of the few air forces to operate this last type, a highly aerobar c tra ner. The f ull combat aircraft strength of the Jordanian air force ls 94 aircraft. As far as is known none of tl-,ese are used in lraq, but

The CASA C-2I2 Aviocar provides thelight tansport element of ]ordan's single air transport squadron. The aircraft is well suited to 'hot and high' operations in the Middle East.

Order of Battle

Army

One independent Foyal Guards Brigade Five armoured brigades Six mechanized brigades

Two infantry brigades

16 artillery battalions Two anti-aircraft defence brigades

some transport aircraft have been operated in

Three airborne battalions Air Force Three interceptor squadrons (F-5, Miraqe One strike squadron (F-5) One OCU (F-5) One transport squadron One helicopter squadron One Royal Flight

'o'ces Vo'e l-proreo Hawk missiles have been offered bV tre U.ited States for airfield

Jordanian Khaltd fanks are som e of the most powerful armoured tighting vehicles in the Middle East. Essentially a late model Chieftain modified to

serv ce.

/aleslandmost accurate

sLpport of Jorda^ a^ troops with the lraqi

defence to oJSt tne ex-Soviet missiles now in

F.1

suitJordanian requirements, the Khalid has the of fire control systems.

)