Midway-class aircraft carrier
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The ''Midway'' class was a
class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
of three
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
s. The
lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...
, , was commissioned in September 1945 and decommissioned in 1992. was commissioned in October 1945, and taken out of service in 1977. was commissioned in April 1947, and decommissioned in 1990.


History


1940s

The CVB-41-class vessels (then unnamed) were originally conceived in 1940 as a design study to determine the effect of including an armored flight deck on a carrier the size of the . The resulting calculations showed that the effect would be a reduction of air group size—the resulting ship would have an air group of 64, compared to 90–100 for the standard ''Essex''-class fleet carriers. As it progressed, the design also became heavily influenced by the wartime experience of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
's armored carriers: The concept went to finding a larger carrier that could support both deck armor and a sufficiently large air group. The weight-savings needed to armor the flight deck were achieved by removing the planned cruiser-caliber battery of guns and reducing the 5-inch antiaircraft battery from dual to single mounts. Unlike the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers, for which the armored deck was part of the ship structure, the ''Midway'' class retained their "strength deck" at the hangar deck level and the armored flight deck was part of the
superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...
. They would be the last USN carriers to be so designed; the immense size of the succeeding
supercarrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the capital ship of a ...
s would require a new deep-hulled design carrying the strength deck at the flight deck level to produce a stronger and lighter hull. The heavily subdivided arrangement of the machinery spaces was based on that of the , while the two inner propeller shafts were partially enclosed in skegs, similar to contemporary battleship construction. While the ''Essex''-class carriers had eight main engineering compartments, the ''Midway''-class had 26, including twelve boiler rooms well off the centerline and four widely separated engine rooms. More extensive use of electric arc-welding than in previous warships reduced the weight by about 10 percent of what would have been required for riveted structural assembly. The resulting ''Midway''-class carriers were very large, with the ability to accommodate more planes than any other carrier in the U.S. fleet (30–40 more aircraft than the ''Essex'' class). In their original configuration, the ''Midway''-class ships had an airwing of up to 130 aircraft. It was soon realized that the coordination of so many planes was beyond the effective command and control ability of one ship. However, their size did allow these ships to more easily accommodate the rapid growth in aircraft size and weight that took place in the early jet age. The forward flight deck was designed for launching 13-ton aircraft; and the aft flight deck was designed for landing 11-ton aircraft, assuming in-flight expenditure of fuel and ordnance. While the resulting ships featured excellent protection and unprecedented airwing size, they also had several undesirable characteristics. Internally, the ships were very cramped and crowded. Freeboard was unusually low for such large carriers; in heavy seas, they shipped large amounts of water (only partially mitigated by the fitting of a hurricane bow during the SCB-110/110A upgrades) and corkscrewed in a manner that hampered landing operations. The follow-up ''Forrestal''-class featured a deeper hull that had more freeboard and better seakeeping. In contrast with the earlier , and -classes, the beam (width) of the ''Midway''-class carriers meant that they could not pass through the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
. Although they were intended to augment the US Pacific fleet during World War II, the lead ship of the class, , was not commissioned until 10 September 1945, eight days after the
surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
. While ''Midway'' and ''Coral Sea'' followed the US Navy's policy of naming aircraft carriers after battles (two s gave up their names for the larger ships), USS ''Franklin D. Roosevelt'' inaugurated the policy of naming aircraft carriers after former US Presidents that the US Navy generally follows today.


1950s

None of the class went on war cruises during the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. As the three ships became essential to the Navy's strategic nuclear weapons role in Europe, they were mainly deployed to the
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
and
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
. Until the availability of the ''Forrestal'' class, they were the premier commands sought by senior naval aviators. They were "admiral makers" for many of their commanding officers including future
Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...
George Whelan Anderson Jr. George Whelan Anderson Jr. (December 15, 1906 – March 20, 1992) was an Admiral (United States), admiral in the United States Navy and a diplomat. Serving as the Chief of Naval Operations between 1961 and 1963, he was in charge of the US blockad ...
and David L. McDonald. During the 1950s, ''Midway'' and ''Franklin D. Roosevelt'' underwent the SCB-110 modernization program (similar to SCB-125 for the ''Essex'' class), which added angled flight decks,
steam catapult An aircraft catapult is a device used to help fixed-wing aircraft gain enough airspeed and lift for takeoff from a limited distance, typically from the deck of a ship. They are usually used on aircraft carrier flight decks as a form of assist ...
s, mirror landing systems, and other modifications that allowed them to operate a new generation of larger and heavier naval aircraft. ''Coral Sea'' had a variant modernization program called SCB-110A with an angled deck 3 degrees greater than the other two.


1960s

All three of the ''Midway'' class made combat deployments in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. deployed to the
Gulf of Tonkin The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin ( northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern co ...
six times, deployed on three occasions, and made one combat deployment before returning to the Mediterranean. In the late 1960s, ''Midway'' underwent an extensive modernization and reconstruction program under SCB 101.66, which proved to be controversial and expensive and thus was not repeated on the other ships. While $82 million had been budgeted for the modernization, the actual cost was $202 million, in comparison to $277 million for simultaneous construction of the brand-new . ''Roosevelt'' instead received an austere $46 million refit (SCB 103.68), enabling her to operate the Grumman A-6 Intruder and LTV A-7 Corsair II. In July 1968, ''Roosevelt'' entered
Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility ...
for her 11-month modernization program. The forward centerline elevator was relocated to the starboard deck edge forward of the island, the port waist catapult was removed, the crew spaces were refurbished, and all of the four remaining anti-aircraft turrets were removed. ''Roosevelt'' set sail with 4 - 5" guns, 2 on either side controlled by 3 Mk 56 Gunfire control systems and one Mk 37 System. ''Roosevelt'' also received a deck edge spray system using the new seawater compatible fire-fighting chemical, Light Water. She put to sea again on 26 May 1969.


1970s

By the 1970s, ''Franklin D. Roosevelt'' and ''Coral Sea'' were showing their age. All three retained the
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bower ...
in their air wings, being too small to operate the new
Grumman F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic aircraft, supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twin-tail, all-weather-capable variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for t ...
fleet defense fighter or the
S-3 Viking The Lockheed S-3 Viking is a four-crew, Twinjet, twin-engine turbofan-powered jet aircraft designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Corporation. Because of its characteristic sound, it was nicknamed the "War Hoover" ...
anti-submarine jet. In 1977, ''Franklin D. Roosevelt'' was decommissioned as she was the least modernized and in poor condition compared to the others in her class. On her final deployment, ''Roosevelt'' embarked AV-8 Harrier jump jets to test the concept of including
VSTOL A vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft is an airplane able to take-off or land vertically or on short runways. Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft are a subset of V/STOL craft that do not require runways at al ...
aircraft in a carrier air wing.


1980s

''Coral Sea'' was rescued from imminent decommissioning by the election of
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
as president of the United States in 1980. Reagan's proposed 600-ship Navy gave the remaining ships a new lease on life. ''Coral Sea'' underwent extensive refits to address the ship's poor condition. When the
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, fighter and attack airc ...
became operational in the mid-1980s, the Navy quickly deployed them to the ''Midway'' and ''Coral Sea'' to replace the older F-4s. On 15 April 1986, aircraft from ''Coral Sea'', as well as USAF F-111Fs from
RAF Lakenheath Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, UK, north-east of Mildenhall, Suffolk, Mildenhall and west of Thetford. The insta ...
in the UK, struck targets in Libya as part of "
Operation El Dorado Canyon The United States Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps carried out air strikes, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, against Libya on 15 April 1986 in retaliation for the West Berlin discotheque bombing ten days earlier, which U.S. President Ron ...
". The Hornets went into action for the first time, flying several ship-to-shore air strikes against Libyan shore installations that were harassing the fleet. During this action, the Hornets from ''Coral Sea'' attacked and destroyed the SA-5 missile site at
Sirte Sirte (; , ), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, almost right in the middle between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups and loyal ...
which had been "painting" US aircraft with its radars. This was the combat debut for the Hornet, and incidentally marked the first combat use of the
AGM-88 HARM The AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) is a tactical, air-to-surface anti-radiation missile designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems. It was originally developed by Texas Instruments ...
anti-radiation missile An anti-radiation missile (ARM) is a missile designed to detect and home in on an enemy radio emission source. Typically, these are designed for use against an enemy radar, although jammers and even radios used for communications can also be ta ...
. The Hornets attacked the SAM sites in bad weather and at wave top heights. All of them returned without mishap. A 1986 refit for ''Midway'' removed her 6" armor belt and bulged her hull to try to increase freeboard. While successful in this regard, the bulges also resulted in a dangerously fast rolling period that prevented ''Midway'' from operating aircraft in heavy seas. The bulging was therefore not repeated on ''Coral Sea''.


1990s

The Reagan era reprieve could not last. In 1990, ''Coral Sea'', which had long since earned the nickname "Ageless Warrior", was decommissioned. ''Midway'' had one last war in which to participate, and was one of the six aircraft carriers deployed by the U.S. against Iraq during
Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
.AR 600-8-27 p. 26 paragraph 9–14, p. 28 paragraph 2–14 A few months after the campaign, ''Midway'' was decommissioned. ''Coral Sea'' was slowly scrapped at Baltimore as legal and environmental troubles continually delayed her fate. ''Midway'' spent five years in the mothball fleet at
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before being taken over by a museum group. The ship is now open to the public at the USS ''Midway'' Museum in
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
.


Ships in class

Hull code The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a hull classification symbol (sometimes called hull code or hull number) to identify their ships by type and by in ...
s; *CV – Fleet/Multi-purpose carrier *CVA – Attack carrier *CVB – Large carrier


See also

*
List of aircraft carriers This list of aircraft carriers contains aircraft carriers listed alphabetically by name. An aircraft carrier is a warship with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft, that serves as ...
* List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy *
Naval aviation Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of Military aviation, military air power by Navy, navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves ''navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seab ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Midway Class Aircraft Carrier Aircraft carrier classes Midway-class aircraft carriers Midway-class aircraft carriers