Yorktown Class Carriers

Probably one of (if not) the best pre-WWII aircraft carrier in the world. These three ships were an enourmous help to the USN in the dark days of the Pacific war. Enterprise escorted Hornet for her famous launching Jimmy Doolittle on April 1942. Yorktown, in company with Saratoga class CV Lexington turned back the Japanese invasion fleet bound for Port Moresby, New Guiena. The Japanese sank Lexington and severely damaged Yorktown while they lost light carrier Shoho. Yorktown, after hightailing it back to Pearl, was hurridly repaired in time for Midway. There, these CV's and a handfull of CA's and DD's held the line against the IJN, sinking CV's Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, and Soryu along with heavy cruiser Mikuma while we only lost battered Yorktown, leaving the US with only 3 aircraft carriers in the pacific. (Enterprise, Hornet, Wasp). The latter two were lost in the Solomons and the Big-E was damaged several times. After the war, Enterprise was, sadly, scrapped.

General Characteristics, Yorktown Class

Builders: Newport News Shipbuilding
Power Plant: 9 Babcock and Wilcox express type boilers, 4 Westinghouse geared turbines
Length 810 feet
Flight Deck Length 750 feet
Beam 83 feet
Flight Deck Width 98 Feet
Displacement 25,484 tons
Speed 34 knots
aircraft 70-100 WWII planes Crew 2,702 Navy and Airwing
Armament 8 x 5"/38 in single mounts, 16 x 1.1" Pom-Pom in 4 quad mounts, 24 x 40mm Bofors in 6 quad mounts, 40 x 40mm Bofors in 6 quad/8 twin mounts, 44 x 40mm Bofors in 11 quad mounts, 24 x 50 cal HMG, 50 x 20mm Oerlikons (all single), 32 x 20mm Oerlikons (16 single,8 twin)

Vessels
Ships	Hull Numbers	Status
USS Yorktown	CV-5	Damaged bombs Coral Sea 5-8-42, hastily repaired Pearl Harbor for Midway, where she was again damaged by both bombs and torpedoes on June 4, 1942. Abandoned, but then reboarded for repairs, things were going good until torpedoed again by I-168 6-6-42, sank 6-7-42. Found by Dr. Robert Ballard in 1998/1999
USS Enterprise	CV-5	Participated in nearly every Pacific Action. Avoided Pearl Harbor disaster by a matter of hours, escorted Hornet and Jimmy Doolittle on April Japan bombings, missed Coral Sea but was at Midway as RADM Spruances flagship. Damaged at both Eastern Sollomons but repaired to fight and be damaged again at Santa Cruz. Quickly repaired at Noumea,New Guinea, she took part in the Nov, 13/14/15 42 battles off Guadalcanal, sinking several ships. Enterprise then headed for Pearl Harbor and Bremerton for overhaul, May-Oct 43. Returned for PacFlt ops for rest of war. Hit by Kamikaze off Okinawa May 14, 45. Return Pearl for repairs but weren't completed. She was never operational as a carrier again. Operation Magic Carpet 45. Decom Feb 17, 47, stricken Oct. 2, 58. Preservation efforts failed, sold for scrap July 1, 58
USS Hornet	CV-8	Took Jimmy Doolittle on his April raid on Japan, missed Coral Sea, participated at Midway. Sunk at Santa Cruz by Japanses Destroyers after US towing/scuttling efforts failed.

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