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U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History

For the past forty years, aircraft carriers have been the mainstay of U.S. seapower. They remain both the most impressive and the most controversial of warships, often criticized for their size but always valued for the image of power they can project throughout the world.

This account of U.S. carrier development, based on the internal files of the U.S. Navy, presents a complete evolutionary design history at a level of detail and accuracy never before approached. The author, a recognized authority on U.S. warships, uncovers the reason behind the issues behind the emergence of today's carrier, explaining the reasons for the periodic but always aborted attempts to trim back its dimensions. As a result, U.S. Aircraft Carriers is relevant to both current and future plans for new carrier construction.

Norman Friedman points out many features of carrier design that have recurred over the years. For example, he shows how recent interest in the conversion of merchant hulls to limited-capability ASW carriers harks back to a major conversion program of the 1930s and to the escort-carrier program of World War II. Both programs are fully described here, as are those for the proposed VSTOL carrier, the sea-control ship, and the VSTOL support ship.

This book treats the reader to detailed information on every U.S. carrier class, from the gigantic warships of the Nimitz class to the "side-wheeler" training carriers that operated on the Great Lakes during World War II. Included in this comprehensive history are flight deck plans, outboard profiles, sketches of major design studies, and descriptions of several unique carrier proposals that never got beyond the designer's table but still had a major influence upon contemporary design thinking.

Here, too, is Friedman's lucid explanation of the changing function of U.S. carriers, from their origin as auxiliaries to their present role as the main components of the battle force. The post-World War II controversy over the role of carrier operations is also covered. Extensive appendices provide additional data on the carriers and synopses of developments in the design of their catapults and arresting gear.

The talented draftsman A. D. Baker III has drawn carefully detailed scale profiles and plan views for each major class of carrier. Numerous photographs, many before never published, also complement the text.

U.S> Aircraft Carriers is essential reading for those concerned with the future of the U.S. Navy. Naval historians and architects alike will find this the most comprehensive reference available on the subject and a fitting companion to Friedman's U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History.

  • Format
  • hardcover
  • Pages
  • 424
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9780870217395
  • Characters
  • Robert McNamara, Elmo Zumwalt, Ernest King, Marc Mitscher
  • Genres
  • history, aviation, maritime
  • Release date
  • 1983