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fighting ships of the world

UNITED STATES NAVY (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

AIRCRAFT CARRYING SHIPS

LONG ISLAND escort aircraft carrier (1941)

Long Island 1942

Long Island 1944

No Name Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Comm Fate
AVG1, 8.1942- ACV1, 7.1943- CVE1 Long Island (ex-Mormacmail) 185 Sun SB, Chester // Newport News 7.7.1939 11.1.1940 2.6.1941 aircraft ferry 2.1944, stricken 4.1946
  

Displacement standard, t

11300

Displacement full, t

14050

Length, m

141.7 wl 150.0 oa

Breadth, m

21.2 wl 31.1 oa

Draught, m

7.66 full load

No of shafts

1

Machinery

4 Bush-Sulzer diesels

Power, h. p.

8500

Max speed, kts

16.5

Fuel, t

diesel oil 1365

Endurance, nm(kts)  

Armament

1 x 1 - 102/50 Mk 9, 2 x 1 - 76/50 Mk 20, 4 x 1 - 12.7/90, 16 aircraft (F3F, F2A Buffalo fighters, SOC Seagull reconnaissance planes)

Complement

408

Aircraft facilities (fd - 2,337 m², ha - 493 m² / 2,615 m³): Flight deck: 109.7 x 21.3 m. Hangar: 29.9 x 16.5 x 5.3 m. There was 1 elevator in the center line (3.4 t, 11.6 x 10.4 m). There was 1 H 2 catapult. Aircraft fuel stowage: 379 000 l.    

Year fighters diving bombers reconnaissance planes
1941 --- 6 SBC 10 SOC
12.1941 7 F2A --- 17 SOC-3

Project history: First USN escort aircraft carrier, converted from C-3 type cargo m/s Mormacmail before the the USA joined the Second world war. Works on the conversion have begun 6.3.1941 and have been fulfilled for 88 days. The design reminded British Audacity (commissioned approximately at the same time), but represented more rigorous carrier. Long Island had a small hangar, elevator and a catapult. 1650t of lead ballast were laid into the hold for improving stability. The hull had primitive underwater protection including 25mm longitudinal bulkhead.

Ship protection:  Flight deck was 19mm thick.

Modernizations:  9.1941: - 4 x 1 - 12.7/90; + 4 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 4

1942: flight deck was lengthened to 127.4 m (2,714 m²), - 1 x 1 - 102/50; + 1 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 12, 16 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 4, SC radar

2/1944 as aviation ferry: catapult was replaced by more powerful, flight deck was lightened. - SC radar; + SC-2 radar.

1945: - 20 x 1 -20/70; + 20 x 2 - 20/70 Mk 4

1/1946: 1 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 30, 2 x 1 - 76/50 Mk 20, 20 x 2 - 20/70 Mk 24, 1 catapult, 16 aircraft, SC-2 radar

Naval service: In February, 1944 ship was converted to aircraft ferry: flight deck was lightened, catapult and arresting gear were removed.

Long Island 1944

© Ivan Gogin, 2014-15