Aircraft carriers - U.S. Navy (up to 1945): books (2/2)

Essex-Class Aircraft Carriers 1945-91 (Osprey)

A history of the enduring Essex-class ships, the US Navy's finest and most numerous fleet carrier during World War II, which were modernized repeatedly and served with distinction.

The Essex class was the USN's war-winning ship class of the Pacific War. Of the 24 ships completed, 14 saw action, making the Essex class the largest class of fleet aircraft carriers ever built. These ships had a fine balance of striking power, protection, and speed and were modernized during and after the war.
There were five distinct programs carried out, adding not only angled flight decks for jet operations, but repeated upgrades to sensors, weapons, and equipment.

Essex-class carriers were used in a number of roles and provided the vast majority of US Navy air power in the Korean War, and a sizeable proportion of air power in the Vietnam conflict. However, as the "super carriers" began to enter service in the early 1960s, the Essex class was relegated to secondary roles - a single Essex carrier served until 1991 as the US Navy's training carrier.

Using detailed artwork and photos, this book provides an in-depth portrait of this important and enduring class of ship, and looks at its development and modifications while considering the many and varied actions it took part in.

Essex Class Aircraft Carriers, 1943-1991 - Rare Photographs from Naval Archives (Images of War)

Essex-class aircraft carriers played an essential role in the victory of the United States over Japan in the Second World War, and Leo Marriott's photographic history is a fascinating introduction to them. Without these remarkable ships, the island-hopping campaign of American forces across the Pacific towards Japan would not have been possible. They also took part in the Korean and Vietnam wars that followed.

During the Second World War they were at the centre of the powerful task groups that could put up hundreds of aircraft to support forces on the ground. They were also prime targets for Japanese air attacks, in particular the kamikaze suicide missions. A total of twenty-four were eventually commissioned including several after the end of the war.

The selection of rare photographs and the expert text cover the evolution of US aircraft carrier design prior to the Second World War and look at the factors which shaped the design and construction of the Essex class.
Included are dramatic action shots of the new breed of naval aircraft that were launched from their flight decks, including Hellcat and Corsair fighters that took on the Japanese and the carrier-borne jets that flew over Korea and Vietnam.

USS Intrepid (CV-11/CVA-11/CVS- 11): From World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to Museum Ship (Legends of Warfare)

USS Intrepid, the "Fighting I," was one of America's longest-serving aircraft carriers. Launched during WWII, Intrepid and her crews weathered kamikazes, torpedoes, and typhoons throughout three years of heavy combat.
Decommissioned after WWII, Intrepid was recommissioned in 1955 and designated as an attack carrier (CVA), and in 1961 as an antisubmarine warfare carrier (CVS). In the early 1960s, Intrepid served to retrieve some of the nation's first astronauts during the pioneering Mercury and Gemini spaceflights.
In 1966, Intrepid made the first of three deployments to the Tonkin Gulf for combat operations with Carrier Air Wing 10 during the Vietnam War.
Intrepid cruised throughout the North Atlantic and Mediterranean in the early 1970s while patrolling for Soviet submarines in antisubmarine operations during the Cold War.

With her days at sea over, Intrepid first hosted the Navy exhibits during the US bicentennial celebrations in 1976, before finding a new home as the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on the Hudson River waterfront in New York City.

USS Lexington (CV/CVA-16) - From World War II to Present-Day Museum Ship (Legends of Warfare)

USS Lexington (CV-16), a member of the famed Essex class of carriers that made up the backbone of the US Navy's carrier force in WWII, served its nation from WWII into the 1990s. With almost a half-million arrested landings recorded, arguably more naval aviators have landed on its decks than on any other aircraft carrier in the world.
Scarred in battle during WWII, the Lexington earned considerable distinction in that war, participating in the sinking of over a million tons of enemy ships and downing hundreds of Japanese aircraft.

The history of this famed vessel is presented through over 200 photographs and accompanying narrative. These photos, coupled with descriptive and informative captions, put the reader on the deck of this historic warship throughout its history.

Geleitflugzeugträger - USA, England, Japan 1939-1945 (Typenkompass)

Ce livre de référence présente les porte-avions d'escorte utilisés par les marines des Etats-Unis, le Japon et le Royaume Uni pendant la Deuxième Guerre Mondiale.

Chaque type est présenté à l'aide d'une photo, d'une description historique et d'une fiche technique.

Aircraft Carriers of the United States Navy - Rare photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War)

In 1922 the US Navy commissioned its first small experimental aircraft carrier. This was followed into service by two much larger and capable carriers in 1927 with five more being built prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor including three large Yorktown class.

To take the offensive against the Japanese Navy, the American Congress funded by far the largest carrier building programme in history based on the Essex class, a larger version of the pre-war Yorktown vessels.
Of the twenty-six ordered, fourteen were commissioned in time to see Second World War service. These were joined by many smaller classes of carriers, including light carriers and escort carriers.

Post-war ever larger and more capable carriers were commissioned. Since 1975, when the first of a fleet of ten nuclear-powered Nimitz class carriers was commissioned, they have epitomized United States superpower status and worldwide power projection. These are due to be replaced in the decades to come with the even more sophisticated nuclear-powered Gerald R. Ford class.

Compiled and written by Michael Green, "Aircraft Carriers of the United States Navy" contains superb images of all the different types of classes of carriers employed by the US Navy since 1922. These and its highly informative text and captions give the reader a broad overview of this fascinating subject.

USN Carriers vs IJN Carriers - The Pacific, 1942 (Osprey)

The IJN was a pioneer in naval aviation, having commissioned the world's first carrier, which was used against the US fleet at Pearl Harbor. The Americans followed suit, initiating a huge aircraft carrier development program. As the War in the Pacific escalated into the largest naval conflict in history, the role of the carrier became the linchpin of American and Japanese naval strategy as these rival vessels found themselves locked in a struggle for dominance of this critical theater.

This book provides an analysis of the variety of weaponry available to the rival carriers, in particular the embarked aircraft as well as the powerful ship-borne guns.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design & Development - The strategic situation - Technical Specifications - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics & analysis - Aftermath Conclusion - Bibliography.

US Navy Carrier Aircraft vs IJN Yamato Class Battleships - Pacific Theatre 1944-45 (Osprey)

As the Pacific War approached a crescendo, the clashes between swarming US Navy carrier aircraft, and the gigantic Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) Yamato-class battleships became symbolic of the fortunes of the two nations. They also served as a metaphor for the profound changes in naval technology and doctrine that the war had brought about.

The two opposing forces were the most powerful of their kind - the Japanese Yamato and Musashi were the biggest most heavily armored and armed battleships ever built, while US carrier aviation had evolved into a well-oiled, war-winning machine.

With detailed analysis of the technical features of the opposing war machines and a gripping account of the fighting itself, this vividly illustrated work presents views from the cockpits of US Navy Divebombers, and down the sights of IJN anti-aircraft guns, during two of the most dramatic naval engagements ever fought.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and Development - Technical Specifications - The Strategic Situation - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics and Analysis - Aftermath - Further Reading.