US Navy Submersibles, 3 sub-classes (1933-45): USS Porpoise, Pike | Shark, Tarpon | Perch, Pickerel, Permit, Plunger, Pollack, Pompano The porpoise class are the first of a serie of ten submarines built on the same basic specifications, the Porpoise, Shark and Perch groups, separated by most authors and seen here in one go for practical … Read more
US Navy Submersible (1932-45) The Cachalot-class were two medium-sized oceanic submarines built for the United States Navy built, last V-Boats, but first under the tonnage limits of the London Naval Treaty of 1930. Laid down as V-8 and V-9, they were loosely related to the others and under an extensive study to determine the optimum … Read more
US Navy Submersible (1932-45) USS Dolphin (SS-169) was a single experimental submersible of the interwar, V-7 and later SF-10/SC-3, earning 2 battle stars in WW2. She was indeed the penultimate V-Boat, a serie of experimental submarines that were instrumental to reinvent the type in US service and made a solid basis for future developments: The … Read more
USN (1927-30)- USS Narwhal, Nautilus (V-5, 6, later SS-167 and 168) 1930-1945 The Narwhal class was known as V5 class when authorized in 1926, wuth USS Narwhal and Nautilus built 1928-1931 as smaller but improved non-minelaying versions of the very large USS Argonaut. The trio was the only one attempt of the US to produce … Read more
3,261 LCT-1 to LCT-8 1940-1945 SPECIAL D-DAY 80th Yr Anniversay ! Of the main landing vessels that made the Armada of Operation Overlord on June, 6th, 1944, were many LCTs, especially the LCT-5/6 family of landing craft. Denominaiton at that stage was “Landing Craft, Tank” and they constituted a missing link between the infantry alone … Read more
US Navy (1918-47) – Converted fleet carriers: USS Saratoga, Lexington The Lexington class aircraft carriers: Return on the largest warships of their time, first USN fleet carriers, only one to feature a 80-aircraft group. They were born almost by accident, converted from the impressive Constellation class Battlecruisers projected in 1916 and built from 1917. The … Read more
Cruiser submarine (1925-1943) The unique V4, SM-1, SS-166 or USS Argonaut was an experimental US Navy cruiser submersible, and world’s largest until the French Surcouf, or the Japanese STO class in WW2. She was the very reason the cruiser submersible was not adopted, despite two smaller vessels, V5 and 6 being built afterwards. She would … Read more
US Navy 19 Escort Aircraft Carriers (1943-45) 35 planned, 16 cancelled) CVE-105 – CVE-123: Commencement Bay, Block Island, Gilbert Islands, Kula Gulf, Cape Gloucester, Salerno Bay, Vella Gulf, Siboney, Puget Sound, Rendova, Bairoko, Badoeng Strait, Saidor, Sicily, Point Cruz, Mindoro, Rabaul, Palau There were two types of mass-produced escort carriers during WW2: Those based on … Read more
USA (1945) USS Saipan (CVL-48), Wright (CVL-49) – service 1947-1980 Light Carriers based on heavy cruisers Two light carriers, Saipan (CVL-48) and Wright (CVL-49), were built for the USN during the war, and these were conversions, just like the nine Independence-class light carriers, based on cruiser hulls to gain a precious time in construction. However, … Read more
US Navy Fleet Destroyers (1944-90): 104 vessels The Gearings were the last American destroyers of the war. They mirrored the Sumner specifications for armament, but with a new, longer hull for extra oil storage and extended range. The initial program included 116 ships but in the end, 106 were completed, roughly half in the last … Read more
