NAVYPEDIA

Photo

Saratoga 1975

Ships

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

Technical data

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)
Electronic equipment	SPS-8A, SPS-12, SPS-10, SPN-6, SPN-8, SPN-12, 3 x Mk 35 radars, SLR-2 ECM suite
Complement	4676

Air group

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

Standard scale images

Graphics

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: 310.2x 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.

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.