Aircraft Carriers Essay

Aircraft Carriers became an essential part of Military History. They act as a mobile Sea base for Aircrafts to maintain a powerful Military wherever possible. Presence, influence, and options. These are three words that can describe and define a United States Naval Aircraft Carrier. They are floating cities with crews of thousands. They are the key player of any military strategy, they provide what has become the key to every battle fought since World War I. They present a presence in a region that is an automatic display of strength that no potential enemy can ignore. A 15-carrier force is required today to provide a full-time presence in three key regions where the Department of Defense considers a naval presence to be important: the Mediterranean, the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean/Persian Gulf. The primary mission of an Aircraft Carrier is to deploy and to recover aircrafts. Aircraft Carriers were the essential role in making the United Navy the strongest in the world. The Aircraft Carrier has had issues of controversy from early on and this is due to budgeting. So the Aircraft Carrier is a huge importance in the military alone, besides from the United States Navy. Updates, additions and improvements are always being made. I would like to explore these questions and others from the history of the Aircraft Carriers to what the future hold for this billion-dollar ship. The history of the aircraft carrier began on Jul. 11, 1919 the Naval Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1920 provided for the conversion of the collier Jupiter into a ship specifically designed to launch and recover airplanes at sea — an aircraft carrier — later to be named Langley. The engineering plans for this conversion were modified in November and included catapults to be fitted on both the forward and after ends of the â€Å"flying-off† deck. Mar. 20, 1922 – USS Langley (CV 1), converted from the collier USS Jupiter (AC 3), was placed in commission at Norfolk, Va., as the Navy’s first aircraft carrier. The ship’s executive officer, Cmdr. Kenneth Whiting, was in command. Apr. 1, 1922 – The specifications of arresting gear of the type later installed in early aircraft carriers were sent to various design engineers. â€Å"The arresting gear will consist of two or more transverse wires stretched across the fore and aft wires †¦ [and which] lead around sheaves placed outboard to hydraulic brakes. The plane, after engaging the transverse wire, is guided down the deck by the fore and aft wires and is brought to rest by the action of the transverse wire working with the hydraulic brake.†Jul. 1, 1922 – Congress authorized the conversion of the unfinished battle cruisers Lexington and Saratoga as aircraft carriers and as permitted under the terms of the Washington Treaty. Nov. 16, 1927 – USS Saratoga (CV 3) commissioned at Camden, N.J., Capt. Harry E. Yarnell, commanding. Dec. 14, 1927 – USS Lexington (CV 2) commissioned at Quincy, Mass., Capt. Albert W. Marshall, commanding. Jan. 11, 1928 – The first take off and landing aboard on the USS Saratoga (CV 3) was made by the ship’s Air Officer Cmdr. Marc A. Mitscher in a UO-1.Jan. 23-27, 1929 – The carriers Lexington and Saratoga took part in fleet exercises, attached to opposing forces. Saratoga was detached from the main force, and with an escorting cruiser, was sent on a wide southward sweep before turning north to approach within striking distance of her target, the Panama Canal. On the morning of the 26th, while it was still dark, she launched a strike group of 69 aircraft which arrived over the target undetected shortly after dawn and completed the theoretical destruction of the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks without opposition. This demonstration made a profound impression on naval tacticians. Apr. 9, 1929 – Operations aboard Langley and Saratoga confirmed that the fore-and-aft wires of the arresting gear were not needed. The Secretary of the Navy authorized their removal in September. All carrier aircraft, based on these tests, were equipped with brakes and wheel type tailskids. During the 1930 – USS Lexington (CV 2) completed a 30-day period in which she furnished electricity to the city of Tacoma, Wash., in an emergency arising from a failure of the city’s power supply. The electricity from the carrier totaled more than 4.25 million kilowatt-hours. Sept. 26, 1931 – The keel for USS Ranger (CV 4), the first ship of the U.S. Navy to be designed and constructed as an aircraft carrier, was laid at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry-dock Company in Newport News, VA. The ship was launched on 25 Feb. 1933, and commissioned 4 Jun. 1934 at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Capt. Arthur L. Bristol, commanding. Nov. 1, 1934 – The Naval Aircraft Factory was authorized to manufacture and test a flush-deck hydraulic catapult, Type H Mark I. This catapult was designed to launch land planes from aircraft carriers and was the Navy’s initial development of a hydraulic catapult, a type which was to be the primary means of launching land planes from carriers. Apr. 21, 1937 – Following a four-month conversion period, the Navy’s first carrier USS Langley was converted to a seaplane tender and reclassified as AV-3. Sept. 30, 1937 – USS Yorktown (CV 5) was placed in commission at the Norfolk Naval Operating Base Norfolk, Va., with Capt. Ernest D. McWhorter in command. The ship’s keel was laid on 21 May 1934 and it was launched on 4 April 1936. May 12, 1938 – USS Enterprise (CV 6) was placed in commission at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry-dock Company, Newport News, Va., Capt. N. H. White commanding. The ship was launched 3 Oct. 1936. Jun. 11-13, 1939 – USS Saratoga (CV 3) and the tanker USS Kanawha (AO 1) conducted underway-refueling tests off the coast of southern California, demonstrating the feasibility of refueling carriers at sea. Apr. 25, 1940 – USS Wasp (CV 7) was placed in commission at the Army Quartermaster Base, Boston, Mass., Capt. John W. Reeves, Jr., commanding. The ship’s keel was laid 1 Apr. 1936, at Quincy, Mass., by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co., and the ship was launched 4 Apr. 1939. Jun. 2, 1941 – USS Long Island (AVG 1), the Navy’s first escort carrier, commissioned at Newport News, Va., Cmdr. Donald B. Duncan in command. The ship was originally built as Mormacmail, a cargo ship, by Sun Shipbuilding and Dry-dock Company, Chester, Pa., and converted in 67 days to a flush-deck carrier. She was reclassified as CVE-1 on 15 Jul. 1943. Oct. 20, 1941 – USS Hornet (CV 8) was placed in commission in Norfolk, Va., Capt. Marc A. Mitscher in command. The ship was launched 14 Dec. 1940 at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry-dock Company. Dec. 7, 1941 – Carrier aircraft of the Japanese Imperial Navy launched a devastating attack on Pearl Harbor and on the military and air installations in the area. The three aircraft carriers of the Pacific Fleet were not present. USS Saratoga (CV 3), just out of overhaul, was moored at San Diego. USS Lexington (CV 2) was at sea about 425 miles southeast of Midway toward which she was headed to deliver a Marine Scout Bombing Squadron. USS Enterprise (CV 6) was also at sea, about 200 miles west of Pearl Harbor, returning from Wake Island where she had delivered a Marine Fighter Squadron. These were some of the early experiences of Aircraft Carriers and we could determine how to divide carriers up from their makeup and function. U.S. aircraft carriers were named traditionally for older American warships and battles except for the first carrier the Langley, which was named after aviation pioneer Samuel P. Langley. Your first class of Aircraft Carriers began with the Essex class. These were 24 ships of World War II and these carriers were the backbone of the US carrier strength from 1943 through the Korean War. They operated alongside the larger Midway and Forrestal class ships through the Cold War and the Vietnam War. The Lexington was the last active ship, serving as a trained carrier until decommissioned in November 1991. After World War II, carriers were being modified to being designated as the Hancock class carriers. The Antietam was the first carrier in the US modified to an angled-deck configuration. Out of 32 ships 24 were completed during 1940 -1942. They were all originally designed to be CV and then later changed to CVA in 1952. Your list of carriers in the Essex’s class were from (CV 9) – (CV 40); Essex (CV 9), Yorktown (CV 10), Intrepid (CV 11), Hornet (CV 12), Franklin (CV13), Ticonderoga (CV 14), Randolph (CV 15), Lexington (CV 16), Bunker Hill (CV 17), and the Wasp (CV 18). (CV 40) Hancock (CV 19), Bennington (CV 20), Boxer (CV 21). List of light carriers that was from (CVL 22) – (CVL 30 Independence – class light carriers (CVL 22) – (CVL 30) and then continue back to your Essex class from (CV 31) – (CV 40); Bon Homme Richard (CV 31), Leyte (CV 32), Kearsarge (CV 33), Oriskany (CV 34), Reprisal (CV 35), Antietam (CV 36), Princeton (CV 37), Shangri-La (CV 38), Lake Champlain (CV 39) and Tarawa (CV 40). The next class of carriers was the Midway class large carriers (CVB 41) – (CVB44), and (CVB 56-57). The Midway (CV 41) was the last World War II era warship in commission in the Navy. She was decommissioned in 1992. The Midways were the largest warships designed by the US Navy during World War II. They were larger than the Essex class. They had a larger aircraft capacity and heavier gun battery and they were the first US carriers with an armored flight deck. Each ship was built had two haudralic catapults and aircraft capacity of 137. They were the first US warships constructed with a beam too great to permit passage through the Panama Canal. The Midway hangar deck is 692 feet long, 85 feet wide and 17  ½ feet high. Her flight deck is canted 13 degrees to port and is 682 feet long. The Midway carried Carrier Air Wing which operated three F/A Hornet squadrons, two A-6E Intruder Squadrons and an SH-3H Sea King squadron and plus combat support aircraft. Six Ships of this class were authorized in 1942- 1945: CVB 41-44, 56 and 57. The CVB 44 was cancelled on 1 Nov. 1943; the CVB 56 and CV 57 were cancelled on 28 March 1945. None had been laid down. The Roosevelt (CVB 42) was commissioned in 1945 and remained active her entire career. The Coral Sea (CVB 43) was commissioned in 1947 and pretty much active until decommissioned in 1990. Your next class was the Ticonderoga class the Valley Forge (CV-45). The Iwo Jima (CV 46) was cancelled in 1945. Then back to the Essex class Philippine Sea (CV 47) and (CV 50-55) were also Essex class were cancelled in 1945. Saipan class light carriers (CVL 48-49); Saipan (CVL 48) and the Wright (CVL 49). Then picking up after your Midway large class carriers was the United States heavy carriers. There were fours ships of this class and they were intended to primarily operate nuclear strike aircraft and the lead ship, the United States (CVA 58), was authorized in 1948 but canceled in 1949. Even though she was never completed she served as a design to the Forrestal and large US aircraft carriers. The United States design provided for a flush-deck configuration that could launch two heavy attack aircraft and two fighters from a pair of forward catapults and a pair of waist catapults simultaneously. Your next class was the Forrestal and modified Forrestal classes (CV 59-64), and (CV 66-67). Forrestal (CV 59), Saratoga (CV 60), Ranger (CV 61), Independence (CV 62), Kitty Hawk (CV 63), and the Constellation (CV 64). Modified Forrestal class America (CV 66) and the John F. Kennedy (CV 67). The Forrestal class was the world’s first aircraft carrier design to be constructed from the keel up after World War II. The ships were intended to operate heavy and high-performance turbojet attack aircraft. Four ships originally were to be completed from 1955 -1959. The classification taken from the Independence was that this class of ship was built as an attack aircraft carrier, and then changed to a multi-mission aircraft when modified to operate S-3A Viking ASW aircraft and SH-3 Sea King ASW helicopters. The Forrestal was modified during construction to incorporate the British developed angled flight deck. The hangar deck is 740 feet, 101 wide and 25 feet high. These were the last aircraft carriers built with a minor gun armament. The USS Enterprise (CV 65) was the world’s second nuclear-propelled surface warship, and at the time of construction she was the world’s largest and most expensive. The estimated cost was 444 million dollars. The Enterprise is classified as an attack aircraft carrier and was later changed to a multi-mission carrier. She was built to modify the Kitty Hawk but in her original configuration she had an island structure because of the arrangement of radar antennas. Her hangar deck is 860 feet long, 107 feet wide and 25 feet high. The Enterprise was involved in the Pacific Fleet in 1965 which she conducted air strikes over North Vietnam in November. That made her the first nuclear ship to enter combat. The next class of aircraft carriers is the Nimitz class from (CV 68-77). Nimitz (CV 68), Eisenhower (CV 69), Vinson (CV 70), Roosevelt (CV 71), Lincoln (CV 72), Washington (CV 73), Stennis (CV 74), Truman (CV 75), Reagan (CV 76) and George H. Bush (CV 77). These are the largest warships ever built. A program to construct the first three CVNs of this class was approved by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara during the Vietnam War as replacements for the three Midway class carriers to provide a force of 12 large carriers. The Nimitz and the Eisenhower were to ordered as attack carriers and then changed to multi-mission aircraft carriers in 1975. These ships are similar to the Kitty Hawk class in regards to the flight deck. The hangar deck is 684 feet long, 108 feet wide and 26  ½ feet high. This class has been in production longer than any other carrier design in history. These were also the first aircraft carrier combatant ships to have women assigned to them. The Eisenhower was the first to deploy with women in 1994 with 367 women aboard for a six-month deployment. All of these ships are still active in the fleet. A future aircraft carrier as of right now is The Gerald R. Ford class is the future aircraft carrier replacement class for USS Enterprise and CVN 68, or Nimitz class aircraft carriers. Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the John F. Kennedy (CVN 70) was ordered from Newport News Shipbuilding on Sept. 10, 2008, and is scheduled to be delivered in 2015. The Gerald R. Ford class will be the premier forward asset for crisis response and early decisive striking power in a major combat operation. Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carriers and carrier strike groups will provide the core capabilities of forward presence, deterrence, sea control, power projection, maritime security and humanitarian assistance. The structure of the future aircraft carriers as of right now is to consist of the Nimitz class flight deck. But the deck has been re-arranged to increase sortie rates and improve weapons movement. In order for this to happen the island has been designed differently and there is to be three instead of four aircraft lifts. Other features include electromagnetic aircraft launching system, new integrated warfare system and an advanced nuclear power plant. The electrical generating capacity is to be at least 2  ½ times that of the Nimitz class to support new fighting technologies such as energy weapons and also to support high communications. With discussing the future carriers many have suggested going away from the highly expensive and vulnerable super carriers toward smaller, light carriers. The new super carrier is going to expensive to maintain with the high sortie technology and electromagnetic aircraft launch system. This is an idea for future aircraft carriers because of budgeting and vulnerability. Aircraft carriers will remain the cornerstone of the United States Navy regardless of their change. Aircraft carriers and their embarked air wings are the most important weapons systems in the Navy. These large ships never operate alone but as core of a carrier battle group that consists of cruisers, destroyers, frigates and submarines, which safeguard the carrier. At its most basic level, an aircraft carrier is simply a ship outfitted with a flight deck and a runway area for launching and landing airplanes. This concept dates back almost as far as airplanes themselves. The new carriers allowed military forces to transport short-range aircrafts all over the world. Today super aircraft carriers are a crucial part of almost all major U.S. military operations. While the ship itself isn’t especially useful as a weapon, the air power it transports can make the difference between victory and defeat. One of the major obstacles of using air power in war is getting the planes to their destination. To maintain an air base in a foreign region, the United States has to make special arrangements with a host country, and then has to abide by that country’s rules, which may change over time. No matter if aircraft carriers change for technology or for budgeting they will remain. They carry a huge punch and presence wherever they go. Their range, power and weaponry create a powerful image to the enemy that cannot be ignored. Without the creation of the aircraft carrier in the United States Navy we would not be the most powerful Naval force in the World today. We have seen over time from the very beginning aircraft carrier, the evolving technology, design and configuration change. But the main purpose for the aircraft carrier is being able to deploy aircrafts at anytime and to maintain the aircrafts. Each aircraft carrier is a self-sustained floating airport that’s sovereign U.S. territory. When deployed, they operate with their own ZIP code, post office, hospital, dental clinic, barbershops, athletic facilities and chapels. More than 18,000 meals are prepared daily and each of the crew has e-mail access. That is why they are seen, as a floating city and it is essential to maintain their protection. The carrier’s mobility allows them to be deployed wherever needed to support ongoing or sudden conflicts. The ships are routinely sent to international waters, and the air wing teams that travel with each carrier are available to perform a variety of missions ranging from surveillance to strikes. So again aircraft carriers will remain an essential value to the United States military. Throughout military history they have played a major role especially since World War I and causing major conflictions on the enemy. So we will continue to enhance our technology to aircraft carriers and the air wings to remain the strongest in the world. We will do so to maintain air superiority and superiority of the United States. Regardless of controversy or budgeting the United States will continue to make aircraft carriers or make modifications to existing aircraft carriers in the fleet. The United States Navy has shown it power and force through aircraft carriers. The ability to execute at anytime or anywhere with it powerful mobilization of aircrafts. But behind the aircraft carrier is the crew who operates it and maintain. Thank you United States Navy! Works Cited Morris, James. Readings in American Military History. Pearson, ISBN-13: 978-0-13-182516-1 Millett, Allan, and Peter Maslowski. For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States. 2nd Edition: Free Press, ISBN-13: 978-0- 02-921597-5. Chambers, John W., and G. Kurt Piehler. Major Problems in American Military History. Houghton Mifflin, ISBN-13: 978-0-669-33538-5. Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. 6th Edition. Bedford/ St. Martin’s, ISBN-13: 978-0-312-53503-2. Polmar, Norman. The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet. 6th Edition. United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN: 1-55750-686-8 Clancy, Tom. Carrier A guided tour of an Aircraft Carrier. Berkley publishing group, ISBN: 0-425-16682-1 Sanders, Stephen. Jane’s Fighting Ships 2011-2012. 114th edition. United States Naval Institute, Annapolis Maryland. ISBN: 978-0710629593