Untitled Document
Essex Aircraft Carrier
Carriers of that class were rightfully called the “victor carriers”. It was them who ensured US both naval and air supremacy. They participated in almost every operation in the Pacific. Their success was so great, that they were often called the “American Champions”, the “Masters of the Pacific” etc. The carrier aviation can boast of hundreds of shot aircraft and tens of sunken ships. According to the official data, the marine air forces destroyed 9249 Japanese aircraft in the air and 3019 on the ground. Most of the American planes took off from the Essex class carriers.
But the success was rooted in the events that happened before the WWII: the US Congress ratified the so-called Winson – Tremmel Act, thus increasing overall displacement of the navy by 20%. On January 31, 1940 the draft project was approved, and on July 3, the first contract for 3 ships was signed. The project was well-balanced, although it had several flaws: the ship was equipped with a poor anti-torpedo protection system, and was not navigable enough. Frankly speaking, the ship wasn’t better designed than the Japanese Taiho or the British Illustrious.
The answer to this mystery lies as usual in the great production power of the US. At first only three ships were ordered; after France capitulated seven more vessels were requested; after the Pearl-Harbor attack another two were commissioned. And in August, 1942 there was an order to construct 10 carriers at once! The total of 26 ships was laid down, each being 265 meters long with 34.000 tons of displacement, and the maximum speed of 32 knots. Each ship was able to carry up to 103 aircraft! Before the war ended 17 ships were completed, 14 taking part in the actions. The first ship of this class was laid down on April 28, 1941, and was to be finished in March 1944. But due to the shipbuilders’ Herculean efforts, the ship was completed 15 months earlier, on December 31, 1942! It took 20 months to build her, and the minimum time for building a ship of this class was only 14.5 months (Bethlehem VC-19)!
Essex Aircraft Carrier in the "Pacific Storm"
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