Ships of the United States Navy | |
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Ships in current service | |
Ships grouped alphabetically | |
Ships grouped by type | |
Aircraft carriers are warships that act as airbases for carrier-based aircraft. In the United States Navy, these ships are designated with hull classification symbols such as CV (Aircraft Carrier), CVA (Attack Aircraft Carrier), CVB (Large Aircraft Carrier), CVL (Light Aircraft Carrier), CVE (Escort Aircraft Carrier), CVS (Antisubmarine Aircraft Carrier) and CVN (Aircraft Carrier (Nuclear Propulsion)). Beginning with the Forrestal class, (CV-59 to present) all carriers commissioned into service are classified as supercarriers.
The U.S. Navy has also used escort aircraft carriers (CVE, previously AVG and ACV) and airship aircraft carriers (ZRS). In addition, various amphibious warfare ships (LHA, LHD, LPH, and to a lesser degree LPD and LSD classes) can operate as carriers; two of these were converted to mine countermeasures support ships (MCS), one of which carried minesweeping helicopters. All of these classes of ships have their own lists and so are not included here.
The first aircraft carrier commissioned into the U.S. Navy was USS Langley (CV-1) on 20 March 1922. The Langley was a converted Proteus-class collier, originally commissioned as USS Jupiter (AC-3). [1] It was soon followed by the other pre-World War II classes: the Lexington class; USS Ranger, the first U.S. purpose-built carrier; theYorktown class, and USS Wasp. [2]
As World War II loomed, two more classes of carriers were commissioned under President Franklin Roosevelt: the Essex class, which is informally divided into regular bow and extended bow sub-classes, and the Independence-class ships, which are classified as light aircraft carriers. [3] Between these two classes, 35 ships were completed.[ citation needed ] The Navy also purchased two training vessels, USS Wolverine and USS Sable, which were given the unclassified miscellaneous (IX) hull designation. [4]
The Midway class and the Saipan class were built later in World War II, but entered service too late to serve in the war. The Midway class would serve during the entire Cold War. [5]
At the start of the Cold War, the first supercarriers, the United States class, were canceled due to the Truman administration's policy of shrinking the United States Navy and in particular, the Navy's air assets. The policy was revised after a public outcry and Congressional hearings sparked by the Revolt of the Admirals.[ citation needed ]
Later in the Cold War, supercarrier construction began with the Forrestal class, [6] followed by the Kitty Hawk class; Enterprise (CVN-65), the first nuclear-powered carrier; and John F. Kennedy (CV-67), the last conventionally powered carrier. These were followed by the Nimitz class and the modern-day post-cold war Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear supercarriers, the only two classes of supercarriers that are currently in active-duty service. [7] With the ten-ship Nimitz-class complete by 2009, October 2013 saw the launch of Gerald R. Ford, lead ship of the planned ten-ship Gerald R. Ford class. This was followed by the launch of John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) in October 2019, while construction is underway on Enterprise (CVN-80) and Doris Miller (CVN-81). [12]
Hull no. | Name | Image | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Service life | Status | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CV-1 | Langley | Langley (lead ship) | 20 March 1922 | 27 February 1942 | 19 years, 344 days | Sunk near Cilacap, Java in 1942 | [13] [14] [15] | |
CV-2 | Lexington | Lexington (lead ship) | 14 December 1927 | 8 May 1942 | 14 years, 145 days | Sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942 | [15] [16] | |
CV-3 | Saratoga | Lexington | 16 November 1927 | 26 July 1946 | 18 years, 254 days | Sunk as target ship near Bikini Atoll during Operation Crossroads in 1946 | [15] [17] | |
CV-4 | Ranger | Ranger (lead ship) | 4 June 1934 | 18 October 1946 | 12 years, 136 days | Scrapped in 1947 | [18] | |
CV-5 | Yorktown | Yorktown (lead ship) | 30 September 1937 | 7 June 1942 | 4 years, 250 days | Sunk in the Battle of Midway in 1942 | [19] | |
CV-6 | Enterprise | Yorktown | 12 May 1938 | 17 February 1947 | 8 years, 281 days | Scrapped in 1960 | [20] | |
CV-7 | Wasp | Wasp (lead ship) | 25 April 1940 | 15 September 1942 | 2 years, 143 days | Sunk during the Guadalcanal campaign in 1942 | [21] | |
CV-8 | Hornet | Yorktown | 20 October 1941 | 27 October 1942 | 1 year, 7 days | Sunk in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in 1942 | [22] [23] | |
CV-9 | Essex | Essex (lead ship) | 31 December 1942 | 20 June 1969 | 26 years, 171 days | Scrapped in 1975 | [24] | |
CV-10 | Yorktown | Essex | 15 April 1943 | 27 June 1970 | 27 years, 73 days | Preserved at the Patriot's Point Naval & Maritime Museum—Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, USA | [25] | |
CV-11 | Intrepid | Essex | 16 August 1943 | 15 March 1974 | 30 years, 211 days | Preserved at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum—New York City, New York, USA | [26] | |
CV-12 | Hornet | Essex | 29 November 1943 | 26 May 1970 | 26 years, 187 days | Preserved at USS Hornet Museum—Alameda, California, USA | [27] | |
CV-13 | Franklin | Essex | 31 January 1944 | 17 February 1947 | 2 years, 351 days | Scrapped in 1966 | [28] | |
CV-14 | Ticonderoga | Essex (extended bow) | 8 May 1944 | 1 September 1973 | 29 years, 116 days | Scrapped in 1975 | [29] | |
CV-15 | Randolph | Essex (extended bow) | 9 October 1944 | 13 February 1969 | 24 years, 127 days | Scrapped in 1975 | [30] | |
CV-16 | Lexington | Essex | 17 February 1943 | 8 November 1991 | 48 years, 264 days | Preserved at USS Lexington Museum on the Bay— Corpus Christi, Texas, USA | [31] | |
CV-17 | Bunker Hill | Essex | 25 May 1943 | 9 July 1947 | 4 years, 45 days | Scrapped in 1973 | [32] [33] [34] | |
CV-18 | Wasp | Essex | 24 November 1943 | 1 July 1972 | 28 years, 220 days | Scrapped in 1973 | [35] | |
CV-19 | Hancock | Essex (extended bow) | 15 April 1944 | 30 January 1976 | 31 years, 290 days | Scrapped in 1976 | [36] | |
CV-20 | Bennington | Essex | 6 August 1944 | 15 January 1970 | 25 years, 162 days | Scrapped in 1994 | [37] | |
CV-21 | Boxer | Essex (extended bow) | 16 April 1945 | 1 December 1969 | 24 years, 229 days | Scrapped in 1971 | [38] | |
CVL-22 | Independence | Independence (lead ship) | 14 January 1943 | 28 August 1946 | 3 years, 226 days | Sunk as target ship near the Farallon Islands in 1951 | [39] | |
CVL-23 | Princeton | Independence | 25 February 1943 | 24 October 1944 | 1 year, 242 days | Sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944 | [11] | |
CVL-24 | Belleau Wood | Independence | 31 March 1943 | 13 January 1947 | 3 years, 288 days | Scrapped in 1960 | [11] | |
CVL-25 | Cowpens | Independence | 28 May 1943 | 13 January 1947 | 3 years, 230 days | Scrapped in 1960 | [11] | |
CVL-26 | Monterey | Independence | 17 June 1943 | 16 January 1956 | 12 years, 213 days | Scrapped in 1971 | [11] | |
CVL-27 | Langley | Independence | 31 August 1943 | 11 February 1947 | 3 years, 164 days | Scrapped in 1964 | [11] | |
CVL-28 | Cabot | Independence | 24 July 1943 | 21 January 1955 | 11 years, 181 days | Scrapped in 2002 | [11] | |
CVL-29 | Bataan | Independence | 17 November 1943 | 9 April 1954 | 10 years, 143 days | Scrapped in 1961 | [40] | |
CVL-30 | San Jacinto | Independence | 15 December 1943 | 1 March 1947 | 3 years, 76 days | Scrapped in 1972 | [11] | |
CV-31 | Bon Homme Richard | Essex | 26 November 1944 | 2 July 1971 | 26 years, 218 days | Scrapped in 1992 | [41] | |
CV-32 | Leyte | Essex (extended bow) | 11 April 1946 | 15 May 1959 | 13 years, 34 days | Scrapped in 1970 | [11] | |
CV-33 | Kearsarge | Essex (extended bow) | 2 May 1946 | 15 January 1970 | 23 years, 258 days | Scrapped in 1974 | [42] | |
CV-34 | Oriskany | Essex (extended bow) | 25 September 1950 | 20 September 1979 | 28 years, 360 days | Scuttled as artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico in 2006 | [11] | |
CV-35 | Reprisal | Essex (extended bow) | — | — | — | Cancelled during construction. Scrapped in 1949 | [43] | |
CV-36 | Antietam | Essex (extended bow) | 28 January 1945 | 8 May 1963 | 18 years, 100 days | Scrapped in 1974 | [44] | |
CV-37 | Princeton | Essex (extended bow) | 18 November 1945 | 30 January 1970 | 24 years, 73 days | Scrapped in 1971 | [ citation needed ] | |
CV-38 | Shangri-La | Essex (extended bow) | 15 September 1944 | 30 July 1971 | 26 years, 318 days | Scrapped in 1988 | [45] | |
CV-39 | Lake Champlain | Essex (extended bow) | 3 July 1945 | 2 May 1966 | 20 years, 303 days | Scrapped in 1972 | [ citation needed ] | |
CV-40 | Tarawa | Essex (extended bow) | 8 December 1945 | 13 May 1960 | 14 years, 157 days | Scrapped in 1968 | [ citation needed ] | |
CVB-41 | Midway | Midway (lead ship) | 10 September 1945 | 11 April 1992 | 46 years, 214 days | Preserved at the USS Midway Museum—San Diego, California, USA | [46] | |
CVB-42 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Midway | 27 October 1945 | 1 October 1977 | 31 years, 339 days | Scrapped in 1978 | [47] | |
CVB-43 | Coral Sea | Midway | 1 October 1947 | 26 April 1990 | 42 years, 207 days | Scrapped in 2000 | [48] | |
CV-44 | No name assigned | (no image available) | Midway | — | — | — | Cancelled before construction began. | [49] |
CV-45 | Valley Forge | Essex (extended bow) | 3 November 1946 | 15 January 1970 | 23 years, 73 days | Scrapped in 1971 | [ citation needed ] | |
CV-46 | Iwo Jima | Essex (extended bow) | — | — | — | Cancelled during construction. Scrapped in 1949 | [50] | |
CV-47 | Philippine Sea | Essex (extended bow) | 11 May 1946 | 28 December 1958 | 12 years, 231 days | Scrapped in 1971 | [ citation needed ] | |
CVL-48 | Saipan | Saipan (lead ship) | 14 July 1946 | 14 January 1970 | 23 years, 184 days | Scrapped in 1976 | [ citation needed ] | |
CVL-49 | Wright | Saipan | 9 February 1947 | 15 March 1956 | 9 years, 35 days | Scrapped in 1980 | [11] | |
CV-50 – CV-55 | No names assigned | (no images available) | Essex | These hulls were all cancelled before construction began. | [49] | |||
CVB-56, CVB-57 | Midway | |||||||
CVA-58 | United States | United States (lead ship) | — | — | — | Cancelled during construction. Scrapped on slip in 1949 | [51] | |
CV-59 | Forrestal | Forrestal (lead ship) | 1 October 1955 | 30 September 1993 | 37 years, 364 days | Scrapped in 2015 | [52] | |
CV-60 | Saratoga | Forrestal | 14 April 1956 | 20 August 1994 | 38 years, 128 days | Scrapped in 2019 | [55] | |
CV-61 | Ranger | Forrestal | 10 August 1957 | 10 July 1993 | 35 years, 334 days | Scrapped in 2017 | [56] | |
CV-62 | Independence | Forrestal | 10 January 1959 | 30 September 1998 | 39 years, 263 days | Scrapped in 2019 | [57] | |
CV-63 | Kitty Hawk | Kitty Hawk (lead ship) | 29 April 1961 | 12 May 2009 | 48 years, 13 days | Undergoing scrapping | [58] [59] | |
CV-64 | Constellation | Kitty Hawk | 27 October 1961 | 7 August 2003 | 41 years, 284 days | Scrapped in 2017 | [62] | |
CVN-65 | Enterprise | Enterprise (lead ship) | 25 November 1961 | 3 February 2017 | 55 years, 70 days | Struck, to be scrapped | [63] | |
CV-66 | America | Kitty Hawk | 23 January 1965 | 9 August 1996 | 31 years, 199 days | Sunk as target ship in the Atlantic Ocean in 2005 | [64] | |
CV-67 | John F. Kennedy | John F. Kennedy (lead ship) | 7 September 1968 | 23 March 2007 | 38 years, 197 days | Sold for scrap in 2021 | [65] | |
CVN-68 | Nimitz | Nimitz (lead ship) | 3 May 1975 | — | 48 years, 342 days | Stationed at Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington | [66] | |
CVN-69 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Nimitz | 18 October 1977 | — | 46 years, 174 days | Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia | [67] | |
CVN-70 | Carl Vinson | Nimitz | 13 March 1982 | — | 42 years, 27 days | Stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California | [68] | |
CVN-71 | Theodore Roosevelt | Nimitz | 25 October 1986 | — | 37 years, 167 days | Stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California | [70] | |
CVN-72 | Abraham Lincoln | Nimitz | 11 November 1989 | — | 34 years, 150 days | Stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California | [72] | |
CVN-73 | George Washington | Nimitz | 4 July 1992 | — | 31 years, 280 days | Stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California | [73] | |
CVN-74 | John C. Stennis | Nimitz | 9 December 1995 | — | 28 years, 122 days | Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia (Undergoing Maintenance) | [74] | |
CVN-75 | Harry S. Truman | Nimitz | 25 July 1998 | — | 25 years, 259 days | Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia | [75] | |
CVN-76 | Ronald Reagan | Nimitz | 12 July 2003 | — | 20 years, 272 days | Stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base, Yokosuka, Japan | [76] | |
CVN-77 | George H.W. Bush | Nimitz | 10 January 2009 | — | 15 years, 90 days | Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia | [77] | |
CVN-78 | Gerald R. Ford | Gerald R. Ford (lead ship) | 22 July 2017 | — | 6 years, 262 days | Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia | [78] [79] | |
CVN-79 | John F. Kennedy | Gerald R. Ford | c. 2025 | — | — | Fitting out | [8] [80] [81] | |
CVN-80 | Enterprise | Gerald R. Ford | c. 2028 | — | — | Under construction | [8] [82] [9] | |
CVN-81 | Doris Miller | Gerald R. Ford | c. 2032 | — | — | Under construction | [8] [83] [84] | |
CVN-82 | TBA | Gerald R. Ford | c. 2034 | — | — | Ordered | [8] |
During World War II, the United States Navy purchased two Great Lakes side-wheel paddle steamers and converted them into freshwater aircraft carrier training ships. Both vessels were designated with the hull classification symbol IX and lacked hangar decks, elevators or armaments. The role of these ships was for the training of pilots for carrier take-offs and landings.[ citation needed ] Together the Sable and Wolverine trained 17,820 pilots in 116,000 carrier landings. Of these, 51,000 landings were on Sable. [85]
# | Name | Image | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Service life | Status | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IX-64 | Wolverine | n/a (converted side-wheel steamer) | 12 August 1942 | 7 November 1945 | 3 years, 2 months and 26 days | Scrapped in 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | [10] [11] | |
IX-81 | Sable | n/a (converted side-wheel steamer) | 8 May 1943 | 7 November 1945 | 2 years, 5 months and 30 days | Scrapped in 1948 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | [10] [11] | |
USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is the tenth and final Nimitz-class supercarrier of the United States Navy. She is named for the 41st President of the United States and former Director of Central Intelligence George H. W. Bush, who was a naval aviator during World War II. The vessel's callsign is Avenger, after the TBM Avenger aircraft flown by then-Lieutenant George H. W. Bush in World War II. Construction began in 2003 at Northrop Grumman, in Newport News, Virginia and was completed in 2009 at a cost of $6.2 billion. Her home port is Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.
The Nimitz class is a class of ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the United States Navy. The lead ship of the class is named after World War II United States Pacific Fleet commander Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who was the last living U.S. Navy officer to hold the rank. With an overall length of 1,092 ft (333 m) and a full-load displacement of over 100,000 long tons (100,000 t), the Nimitz-class ships were the largest warships built and in service until USS Gerald R. Ford entered the fleet in 2017.
USS Forrestal (CVA-59), was a supercarrier named after the first United States Secretary of Defense James Forrestal. Commissioned in 1955, she was the United States' first completed supercarrier, and was the lead ship of her class. The other carriers of her class were USS Saratoga, USS Ranger and USS Independence. She surpassed the World War II Japanese carrier Shinano as the largest carrier yet built, and was the first designed to support jet aircraft.
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is the eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, named after the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman. She is homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.
The Forrestal-class aircraft carriers were four aircraft carriers designed and built for the United States Navy in the 1950s. The class ship was named for James Forrestal, the first United States Secretary of Defense. It was the first class of supercarriers, combining high tonnage, deck-edge elevators and an angled deck. The first ship was commissioned in 1955, the last decommissioned in 1998. The four ships of the class were scrapped in Brownsville, Texas, between 2014 and 2017.
The New York Shipbuilding Corporation was an American shipbuilding company that operated from 1899 to 1968, ultimately completing more than 500 vessels for the U.S. Navy, the United States Merchant Marine, the United States Coast Guard, and other maritime concerns. At its peak during World War II, NYSB was the largest and most productive shipyard in the world. Its best-known vessels include the destroyer USS Reuben James (DD-245), the cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35), the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), the nuclear-powered cargo ship NS Savannah, and a quartet of cargo-passenger liners nicknamed the 4 Aces.
The Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are currently being constructed for the United States Navy, which intends to eventually acquire ten of these ships in order to replace current carriers on a one-for-one basis, starting with the lead ship of her class, Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), replacing Enterprise (CVN-65), and later the Nimitz-class carriers. The new vessels have a hull similar to the Nimitz class, but they carry technologies since developed with the CVN(X)/CVN-21 program, such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), as well as other design features intended to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs, including sailing with smaller crews. This class of aircraft carriers is named after former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford. CVN-78 was procured in 2008 and commissioned into service on 22 July 2017. The second ship of the class, John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), is scheduled to enter service in 2025.
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is an aircraft carrier for the United States Navy and the lead ship of her class. The ship is named after the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford, whose World War II naval service included combat duty aboard the light aircraft carrier Monterey in the Pacific Theater.
USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is the second Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier built for the United States Navy. The ship was launched on 29 October 2019, and christened on 7 December 2019.
United States ship naming conventions for the U.S. Navy were established by congressional action at least as early as 1862. Title 13, section 1531, of the U.S. Code, enacted in that year, reads, in part,
The vessels of the Navy shall be named by the Secretary of the Navy under direction of the President according to the following rule: Sailing-vessels of the first class shall be named after the States of the Union, those of the second class after the rivers, those of the third class after the principal cities and towns and those of the fourth class as the President may direct.
Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing whose operational history spans from the middle of World War II to the end of the Cold War. Established in 1943 as Carrier Air Group Seventeen (CVG-17), it would be re-designated several times during its establishment, including Carrier Air Group Six (CVG-6) as the second unit to be so designated. The first Carrier Air Group Six served for just over two years during World War II, but drew on the history of the Enterprise Air Group established in 1938 and active in the early battles of the Pacific War, being disestablished after the first year of the conflict. During its time in USS Enterprise (CV-6), it was the Navy's only carrier-based air group to carry out three complete tours of duty during World War II.
Carrier Strike Group 5, also known as CSG 5 or CARSTRKGRU 5, is the U.S. Navy carrier strike group assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet and permanently forward deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet. The Strike Group Flagship is the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) which also embarks Strike Warfare Commander, Carrier Air Wing Five and its nine squadrons. As of June 2015, CSG 5 includes three Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Destroyer Squadron Fifteen, which serves as the Sea Combat Commander and is responsible for seven assigned Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
USS Enterprise (CVN-80) will be the third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier to be built for the United States Navy. She will be the ninth United States naval vessel and third aircraft carrier to bear the name, and is scheduled to be in operation by 2028. Her construction began in August 2017 with a steel-cutting ceremony.
The Essex class is a retired class of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy. The 20th century's most numerous class of capital ship, the class consisted of 24 vessels, which came in "short-hull" and "long-hull" versions. Thirty-two ships were ordered, but as World War II wound down, six were canceled before construction, and two were canceled after construction had begun. Fourteen saw combat during World War II. None were lost to enemy action, though several sustained crippling damage. Essex-class carriers were the backbone of the U.S. Navy from mid-1943 and, with the three Midway-class carriers added just after the war, continued to be the heart of U.S. naval strength until supercarriers joined the fleet in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Several of the carriers were rebuilt to handle heavier and faster aircraft of the early jet age, and some served until well after the Vietnam War. Of the 24 ships in the class, four have been preserved as museum ships.
USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) will be the fourth Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. Doris Miller is scheduled to be laid down January 2026, launched October 2029 and commissioned in 2032. She will be built at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginia.
The United States Navy sent their naval forces in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf including six Aircraft Carriers to take part in Operation Desert Storm, including others that arrived before or after the war started and ended.
In 1989, the United States Navy was on the verge of massive cuts to military spending cuts including ship and aircraft procurement. These forces were expected to fight the Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact and other potential adversaries in case of a war breaking out. At this time, the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) of the Pacific Fleet was out of commission for Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) modernization leaving the 3rd Fleet with less carriers.
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