Forrestal 1955
Forrestal 1963
Ranger 1975
Forrestal 1979
Ranger 1990
Saratoga 1990
Ranger 2000
| No | Name | Yard No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comm | Fate |
| CVA59, 6.1975- CV59, 2.1992- AVT59 | Forrestal | 506 | Newport News | 14.7.1952 | 11.12.1954 | 1.10.1955 | TS 2.1992, stricken 9.1993 |
| CVA60, 6.1972- CV60 | Saratoga | New York N Yd, Brooklyn | 16.12.1952 | 8.10.1955 | 14.4.1956 | stricken 8.1994 | |
| CVA61, 6.1975- CV61 | Ranger | 514 | Newport News | 2.8.1954 | 29.9.1956 | 10.8.1957 | stricken 3.2004 |
| CVA62, 2.1973- CV62 | Independence | New York N Yd, Brooklyn | 1.7.1955 | 6.6.1958 | 10.1.1959 | stricken 3.2004 |
|
Displacement standard, t |
61163 |
|
Displacement full, t |
78509 |
|
Length, m |
301.8 wl 316.7 oa |
|
Breadth, m |
39.4 wl 76.2 ext |
|
Draught, m |
10.3 |
|
No of shafts |
4 |
|
Machinery |
4 sets Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 8 Babcock & Wilcox boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
CVA59: 260000 CVA60-62: 280000 |
|
Max speed, kts |
CVA59: 32 CVA60-62: 33 |
|
Fuel, t |
oil 8570 |
| Endurance, nm(kts) | 12000(20) |
|
Armour, mm |
belt summary: 150, flight deck: 45, gallery deck: 25, hangar deck: 37, main deck: 37, torpedo bulkhead: 76 |
|
Armament |
CVA59: 8 x 1 - 127/54 Mk 42, 90 aircraft (F4U/FG/F3A, F7F, F8F, FJ, F2H, F9F, F3D, F7U fighters, AU, AD, AJ attackers, F2H-P, F9F-P, AJ-P, OE, F7U-P recon planes, S2F ASW planes, AD-Q ECM planes, AD-W EW planes, TF cargo planes, HO4S, HRS, HUP, HO5S, HSL, HSS helicopters) CVA60: 8 x 1 - 127/54 Mk 42, 90 aircraft (F7F, FJ, F2H, F9F, F3D, F7U, F3H, F4D fighters, AD, AJ, A3D attackers, F7F-P, F2H-P, F9F-P, AJ-P, OE, F7U-P recon planes, S2F ASW planes, AD-Q ECM planes, AD-W EW planes, TF cargo planes, HO4S, HRS, HUP, HO5S, HSL, HSS, HOK helicopters) CVA61: 8 x 1 - 127/54 Mk 42, 90 aircraft (FJ, F2H, F9F, F3D, F7U, F3H, F4D, F11F, F8U fighters, AD, AJ, A3D, A4D attackers, F2H-P, F9F-P, AJ-P, OE, F7U-P recon planes, S2F ASW planes, AD-Q ECM planes, AD-W EW planes, TF cargo planes, HO4S, HRS, HUP, HSL, HSS, HUS, HOK, HUL, HR2S helicopters) CVA62: 8 x 1 - 127/54 Mk 42, 90 aircraft (FJ, F2H, F9F, F3D, F3H, F4D, F11F, F8U fighters, AD, AJ, A3D, A4D attackers, F2H-P, F9F-P, AJ-P, OE, A3D-P, F8U-P recon planes, S2F ASW planes, AD-Q, F3D-Q ECM planes, AD-W EW planes, TF cargo planes, HO4S, HRS, HUP, HSL, HSS, HUS, HOK, HUK, HUL, HR2S helicopters) |
| Sensors |
SPS-8A, SPS-12, SPS-10, SPN-6, SPN-8, SPN-12, 3 x Mk 35 radars, SLR-2 ECM suite |
|
Complement |
4676 |
Aircraft facilities (CVA59, 60) (fd - 18,600 m², ha - 6,945 m² / 52,785 m³): Flight deck: 310.2 x 73.0m. Hangar: 225.5 x 30.8 x 7.60 m. There were 4 deck-edge elevators (34t, 19.5 x 15.8m). There were 2 C7 and 2 C11 catapults. Aircraft fuel stowage: 2 840 000 l of petrol and 2 970 000 l of JP-5 jet fuel. Aviation ordnance stowage was 1650t.
(CVA61, 62) (fd - 18,600 m², ha - 6,945 m² / 52,785 m³): Flight deck: 310.2 x 73.0m. Hangar: 225.5 x 30.8 x 7.60 m. There were 4 deck-edge elevators (34t, 19.5 x 15.8m). There were 4 C7 catapults. Aircraft fuel stowage: 2 840 000 l of petrol and 2 970 000 l of JP-5 jet fuel. Aviation ordnance stowage was 1650t.
| Year | fighters | attackers | recon, EW, ECM | ASW and auxiliary | helicopters |
| 1960, Saratoga | 14 F3H, 14 F8U | 24 A4D, 12 AD-6, 12 A3D | 4 F8U-1P, 4 AD-5W | - | - |
| 1967, Forrestal | 24 F-4B | 24 A-4E, 12 A-6A | 3 RA-5C, 3 RA-3B, 4 E-2A | 3 KA-3B | 4 UH-2A |
| 1973, Saratoga | 24 F-4J | 28 A-7A, 14 A-6A | 4 RA-5C, 4 E-2B | 4 KA-6D | 8 SH-3D |
| 1973, Forrestal | 24 F-4J | 24 A-7A, 12 A-6A | 3 RA-5C, 4 EA-6B, 4 E-2B | 4 KA-6D, 10 S-3A | 8 SH-3H |
| 1987, Independence | 24 F-14A | 42 A-6E | 4 E-2C, 4 EA-6B | 10 S-3A, 4 KA-6D | 8 SH-3H |
| 1998, Independence | 20 F-14A, 36 F/A-18A/B | --- | 4 EA-6B, 4 E-2C | 8 S-3A | 4 SH-60F |
Project history: These four ships were a major fruit of the revival of naval shipbuilding during and after the Korean War. Forrestal was originally designed as a somewhat smaller version of the cancelled United States. Senator Vinson having decreed that he would approve any carrier short of 60000t. Thus the design called for a flush (island-less) flight deck with four catapults, so that four aircraft could be launched simultaneously, with two in the bow and one angled out from each side in the waist. In order to launch heavy aircraft at high speed, the catapults were to be of a new explosive type, and the stowage of catapult charges was a major design problem. Compared to previous carriers, the sheer capacity of their magazines and aircraft fuel tanks was enormous.
As redesigned with an angled flight deck, they have two catapults in the waist, to port, so that aircraft can be spotted simultaneously, although they must be launched in succession. In the first two ships the waist catapults were C-11s, as in the steam-catapult Essex-class modernizations, whereas the two bow catapults were C-7s.
Ship protection: Armour protection consisted of 4 protected decks and distributed vertical armour (side armour and longitudinal bulkheads). Also there was a box-shaped protection of magazines and vital zones. Underwater protection included 5 longitudinal bulkheads (4th bulkhead was 76mm-thick). Bottom was also protected.
Modernizations: early 1960s, Forrestal, Saratoga, Independence: - 4 x 1 - 127/54 (fwd), fwd gun sponsons were removed
1967, Forrestal: - 4 x 1 - 127/54, 3x Mk 35 radars; + 1 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (8 RIM-7), Mk 51, SPS-58 radars
1960s, all: - SPS-12, SPS-8A, SPN-6 radars, SLR-2 ECM suite; + SPS-29, SPS-30, SPN-10, LN-66 radars, WLR-1, ULQ-6 ECM suites
1973, Independence, 1974, Saratoga: - 4 x 1 - 127/54, 3x Mk 35 radars; + 2 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (16 RIM-7), 2x Mk 51, SPS-58 radars
1970s, all: - ULQ-6 ECM suite; + WLR-3, WLR-11 ECM suites
mid-1970s, Ranger: - 2 x 1 - 127/54
1976, Forrestal: + 1 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (8 RIM-7), Mk 51 radar
1977, Ranger: - 2 x 1 - 127/54, 3x Mk 35 radars; + 2 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (16 RIM-7), 6x Mk 95, SPS-58 radars
1980s, all: - SPS-10, SPN-8, SPN-10 radars; + SPS-64(v)9, SPS-67(v)1, SPN-41, 2x SPN-42, SPN-43A radars, 5x Mk 36 SRBOC decoy RL, SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo decoy
1983, Saratoga: - 2 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (Mk 25 launcher) (16 RIM-7), 2x Mk 51, SPS-29, SPS-30, SPS-58 radars, WLR-1, WLR-3 ECM suites; + 3 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (Mk 29 launchers) (24 RIM-7), 3 x 6 - 20/76 Mk 15 Phalanx, 6x Mk 95, Mk 23 TAS, SPS-48C, SPS-49, SPS-65, SPS-37, 3x Mk 90 radars, WLR-1H, WLR-8, SLQ-17A ECM suite (forming SLQ-29 system), 3x Mk 36 SRBOC decoy RL, NTDS CCS; kevlar armour was added; elevators can lift up to 45t aircraft.
1985, Ranger: - SPS-29, SPS-30, SPS-58 radars, WLR-1, WLR-3 ECM suites; + 3 x 6 - 20/76 Mk 15 Phalanx, SPS-64(v)9, SPS-67(v)1, Mk 23 TAS, SPS-49(v)5, SPS-48C, SPN-44, 3x Mk 90 radars, WLR-1H, WLR-8, SLQ-17A ECM suite (forming SLQ-29 system)
1985, Forrestal: - 2 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (Mk 25 launchers) (16 RIM-7), 2x Mk 51, SPS-29, SPS-30, SPS-58 radars, WLR-1, WLR-3 ECM suites; + 3 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (Mk 29 launchers) (24 RIM-7), 3 x 6 - 20/76 Mk 15 Phalanx, 6x Mk 95, Mk 23 TAS, SPS-48C, SPS-49, SPS-58, SPS-43A, 3x Mk 90 radars, WLR-1H, WLR-8, SLQ-17A ECM suite (forming SLQ-29 system), 3x Mk 36 SRBOC decoy RL, NTDS CCS; kevlar armour was added; elevators can lift up to 45t aircraft.
1988, Independence: - 2 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (Mk 25 launchers) (16 RIM-7), 2x Mk 51, SPS-29, SPS-30, SPS-58 radars, WLR-1, WLR-3 ECM suites; + 3 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (Mk 29 launchers) (24 RIM-7), 3 x 6 - 20/76 Mk 15 Phalanx, 6x Mk 95, Mk 23 TAS, SPS-48C, SPS-49(v)5, SPS-58, SPS-43A, SPN-44, 3x Mk 90 radars, WLR-1H, WLR-8, SLQ-17A ECM suite (forming SLQ-29 system), 3x Mk 36 SRBOC decoy RL, SLQ-25A Nixie torpedo decoy, NTDS CCS, TFCC (Tactical Flag Command Center); kevlar armour was added; elevators can lift up to 45t aircraft.
Naval service: No significant events.
Saratoga 1975
Ranger 1993
© Ivan Gogin, 2015