Essex-Class Carriers: World War II's Unmatched Naval Powerhouses

Summary and What You Need to Know: The Essex-class aircraft carriers proved their worth in World War II, setting a standard for naval aviation. Built without tonnage restrictions, they incorporated the best features from previous designs like the Yorktown and Wasp classes.

-With enhanced flight deck size, deck-edge elevators, formidable anti-aircraft defenses, and improved survivability, they were instrumental in numerous Pacific battles from 1943 onward. None were lost to enemy action during the war.

-Post-WWII, they participated in the Korean and Vietnam wars and served as recovery ships for the Space Race. The last of the class, USS Lexington, was decommissioned in 1991 after 44 years of service.

Essex-Class Carriers: The Unbeatable Warships of WWII and Beyond

The Second World War was a proving ground for many new technologies and strategies. At its advent, aircraft carriers were as-yet untested in battle but that would soon change. Several significant engagements proved their worth, few more than the venerable Essex-class. 

Some historians even argue the Essex-class could even be considered the best aircraft carriers ever. 

Pre-war Carriers

While the First World War saw no major sea battles, in its aftermath major world powers still sought to curtail the production of warships to prevent a major arms race. In the first of a series of meetings in the 1920s and 30s, the United States, Britain, France, Italy, and Japan signed the Five-Power Treaty, limiting naval expansion. While the treaty placed limitations on capital ships such as dreadnought battleships and battlecruisers – primarily in the form of a tonnage ratio and cap – it also limited both the total tonnage of carriers each country could have as well as the maximum tonnage of each individual vessel.

The U.S. Navy website states, “With regards to aircraft carriers (defined as a warship designed exclusively for launching and landing aircraft), the Five-Power Treaty allotted the US and Great Britain 135,000 tons each, Japan 81,000 tons, and France and Italy 60,000 tons each. For the US, the Five-Power Treaty limited each individual aircraft carrier to 27,000 tons and a maximum of 10 heavy guns.[13] Articles IX and X of the treaty allowed each signatory to utilize the hulls of two already-existing capital ships for aircraft carriers, each limited to a displacement of 33,000 tons.”

These restrictions resulted in several different varieties of carriers, from the Lexington-class of converted battlecruisers to the purpose-built Yorktown-class, which would serve as the predecessor to the Essex-class. Lessons learned from the construction and operation of the Yorktown directly contributed to the design features of the Essex.

In 1936, Japan and Italy abandoned the naval treaties in favor of expansionist colonial agendas. At that point, the gloves were off and the U.S. was free to build carriers unrestricted. The result was the Essex class. 

Essex-Class Design

Essentially, designers were able to combine the best features of the various preceding classes to create the Essex-class. With tonnage restrictions removed, they displaced 30,800 tons as compared to the 19,800 of the Yorktown. In addition, the flight deck was over 60 feet longer and 10 feet wider, which allowed the ships to carry and operate a larger air wing. 

Another major feature was the deck-edge elevator from the USS Wasp. The Wasp had been constructed to fill the remaining tonnage allotment in the naval treaty and as such designers worked hard to pack as many aircraft as they could onto a smaller ship. By using a platform on the edge of the deck instead of in the hangar to move aircraft up and down from the flight deck, naval architects were able to preserve space and weight while also increasing the flight deck area. Further, because the elevator was not set into the deck itself, it would not impede operations if it was knocked out of operation due to malfunction or damage. 

In addition to the air wing, the Essex class boats all mounted a formidable anti-air defense of their own. Twelve 5-inch guns, seventeen 40mm Bofors quad anti-aircraft guns, and sixty-five 20mm cannons were capable of putting out a ferocious wall of lead against any attacking aircraft. 

Should an enemy aircraft, ship, or submarine come close enough to actually put ordnance on one of these carriers, their survivability was far greater than that of their predecessors. Improved layouts to their propulsion spaces reduced the risk of fire or explosion following a torpedo strike while an armored hangar deck protected against bombs dropped from above. 

Battles

While no Essex-class boats were present at the Battles of Coral Sea or Midway, the two seminal engagements for aircraft carriers as well as those that shifted the tide of the war in the Pacific, they were present in nearly every battle that followed from 1943 onward. In each battle, they served with distinction and were tough to sink, with not a single carrier being lost to enemy action during the war. 

Of the twenty-six Essex boats laid down, eleven also participated in the Korean War, launching aircraft to perform air superiority, reconnaissance, and close air support missions. Some Essex-class even made it all the way to service in Vietnam however their role there was far more limited as it was deemed they were too small to field many of the large heavy jets like the F-4 Phantom or A-6 Skyraider. 

Essex-Class: Other Notable Activities

Despite being children of one arms race, the Essex-class boats also stood in service of another race, the Space Race. In the 1960s and early ‘70s, they served as recovery vessels for the crewed and uncrewed capsules of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. In July of 1969, the USS Hornet (CV-12, fourth ship in class) recovered the Apollo 11 astronauts, the first humans to visit the moon. 

One of the longest-serving ships in the fleet, the last in her class USS Lexington, was finally decommissioned in 1991 after forty-four years of service. From 1962-1991, she served as a training vessel for the U.S. Navy, teaching future Naval Aviators the bread and butter of their career: how to land on a ship.

Author Expertise 

Maya Carlin is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. 

All images are Creative Commons.