USN Destroyer Leaders: USS Mitscher, John Mc Cain, Willis A. Lee, Wilkinson The Mitscher class were four experimental large conventional destroyers, considerably larger than all previous one albeit more reasonable than the previous massive USS Norfolk (DL-1), earliest attempt of “fleet escort, destroyer”, cruiser-size. Due to their reclassifications as destroyers leaders (DL-2 to 5)they were … Read more
Conventional CATOBAR Aircraft Carriers (1960) USS Kitty Hawk, Constellation, America, John F. Kennedy (1955-2009) The Kitty Hawk class aircraft carriers (CV-63-66) were the second “supercarrier” serie and last conventional USN aircraft carriers. In between already was studied an enlarged nuclear-powered version from 1955, which ended with the famous USS Enteprise. In theory, to speed things … Read more
USS Norfolk (DL-1) Ocean Escort (Cruiser) The USS Norfolk (Destroyer Leader 1) was a new type of large oceanic escort vessel, a new generation of very large destroyer, later reclassified as a cruiser. Launched in 1951 and completed in 1953, the new ship was tailored to track and hunt down the Soviet “Whiskey” class submarines, … Read more
USS United States (1949) – The atomic carrier 1 laid down (April 1949) The missing link between the wartime Essex class fleet aircraft carriers, the next-gen Midway, and the supercarriers of the 1960s was a near-forgotten ship class that was projected under the Truman administration and that would have easily dwarf any other warship on … Read more
70+ submarine conversions 1947-1959 Guppy I, IA, IB, II, IIA, III, Fleet Snorkel The ‘Fleet Snorkels’ to the rescue Although the conventional submarine fleet of the USA was impressive in 1960, most models has been experimental or delivered in short series. The bulk of the active units was still the large, roomy, and battered Gato/Tench/Balao … Read more
Cold War USN Missile Cruisers 41 missile cruisers 1955-1964 USN Missile cruisers developed in the 1950s testing brand new weapons systems on existing hulls. The Boston, Cleveland and Albany classes are forgotten today, but these eleven missile cruisers formed the base of a lineage that is still going on today. Howeve the most impressive of … Read more
Cold War USN Frigates 150 Frigates 1955-1990 Introduction: Postwar USN ASW Policy The entire array of destroyers and escort destroyers inherited from WW2 was reclassified “ocean escort” (provided they had the range). This was a definitive ASW-oriented path and either escort and fleet destroyers were converted into ASW specialists, the DER, DET and FRAM in … Read more
Missile Cruiser USS Long Beach Nuclear-powered missile cruiser This great cruiser is probably as famous as the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, her ‘sibling’ in many ways. In fact, she was the first nuclear-powered cruiser ever built, the first USN cruiser built after the Second World War (the conventional Worcester and Des Moines were laid down … Read more
Forrestal class Aircraft Carriers (1954) USS Forrestal, Saratoga, Ranger and Independence (1954-57) The Forrestal class aircraft carriers (CV-59-62) were the first USN “supercarriers” of the USN, tailored to carry the generation of jet fighters. With the last commissioned in 1959, they served for the whole cold war, missing Korea but seeing Vietnam and all the … Read more
