G. World War II–Era U.S. Aircraft Carriers (CV1–CV21)

Early aircraft carrier construction was done on a ship-by-ship basis. Langley was a conversion from a collier; Lexington and Saratoga were initially laid down as battle cruiser hulls; Ranger was a transition from these to the four carriers that saved the Pacific—Yorktown, Enterprise, Wasp, and Hornet. Then came the Essex-class carriers. It might well be argued that these twenty-four carriers, quickly mass-produced with only minor modifications, were the determining factor in winning the war in the Pacific. Japanese industry simply could not match this outpouring of construction. Note: Do not confuse carriers bearing the same name. The first Lexington (CV-2), Yorktown (CV-5), Wasp (CV-7), and Hornet (CV-8) were sunk and replaced with Essex-class namesakes.

Ship Name (No.) Commissioned–Decommissioned Disposition
Langley (CV-1) March 22, 1922–February 27, 1942 Sunk off Indonesia
Lexington (CV-2) December 14, 1927–May 8, 1942 Sunk at Coral Sea
Saratoga (CV-3) November 16, 1927–July 26, 1946 Sunk as postwar target
Ranger (CV-4) June 4, 1934–October 18, 1946 Scrapped
Yorktown (CV-5) September 30, 1937–June 7, 1942 Sunk at Midway
Enterprise (CV-6) May 12, 1938–February 17, 1947 Scrapped
Wasp (CV-7) April 25, 1940–September 15, 1942 Sunk at San Cristóbal Island
Hornet (CV-8) October 20, 1941–October 26, 1942 Sunk at Santa Cruz Islands
Essex (CV-9) December 31, 1942–June 20, 1969 Scrapped
Yorktown (CV-10) April 15, 1943–June 27, 1970 Memorial, Charleston, SC
Intrepid (CV-11) August 16, 1943–March 15, 1974 Memorial, New York, NY
Hornet (CV-12) November 20, 1943–May 26, 1970 Memorial, Alameda, CA
Franklin (CV-13) January 31, 1944–February 17, 1947 Scrapped
Ticonderoga (CV-14) May 8, 1944–September 1, 1973 Scrapped
Randolph (CV-15) October 9, 1944–February 13, 1969 Scrapped
Lexington (CV-16) February 17, 1943–November 8, 1991 Memorial, Corpus Christi, TX
Bunker Hill (CV-17) May 25, 1943–July 9, 1947 Scrapped
Wasp (CV-18) November 24, 1943–July 1, 1972 Scrapped
Hancock (CV-19) April 15, 1944–January 30, 1976 Scrapped
Bennington (CV-20) August 6, 1944–January 15, 1970 Scrapped
Boxer (CV-21) April 16, 1945–December 1, 1969 Scrapped

Note: CVL-22 through CVL-30 were classified as “light aircraft carriers” and designated CVL. Bon Homme Richard (CV-31), commissioned November 26, 1944, led the final eleven of the Essex-class CVs commissioned between 1945 and 1950. Despite the fine carriers now preserved as floating museums—Yorktown (CV-10), Intrepid (CV-11), Hornet (CV-12), Lexington (CV-16), and the postwar Midway (CV-B41)—it is a shame that the venerable Saratoga (CV-3) and Enterprise (CV-6) were not preserved. Saratoga met its end in a trial atomic blast in 1946, and Enterprise, despite many efforts to save the ship during the late 1940s and 1950s, was finally given up for scrap with the understanding that its proud name would live on in the navy’s first nuclear-powered carrier, CVN-65.

Source: Adapted from “The Carriers” at www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/carriers/cv-list.asp