GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Number Built:

24

Displacement:

30,800 tons standard (38,500 tons full load)

Dimensions:

Length: 786 (pp.), 840 (w.l.), 888 (o.a.), Franklin 878 (o.a.), Bunker Hill, 879 (o.a.), Bennington, Lexington, Tarawa, Valley Forge, 889 (o.a.), Essex 898 (o.a.) Hornet, Lake Champlain, Wasp 899 (o.a.) feet.
Flight deck: 876 feet.
Hangar: 720 feet
Beam: 93 Hornet, Lake Champlain, Wasp 101 (hull), 113 feet (over sponsons).
Width: Hangar 93 (max.), Ship 136 feet (extreme). Wasp, Antietam 154 feet (including angled deck).
Draft: 30-2/3 (max.) feet

Aircraft:

35 to 107, according to size and type. CVS carried 20 fixed wing aircraft, 16 ASW helicopters (see General). Boxer and Princeton carried 30 to 40 HR2S helicopters.

Machinery:

Geared turbines. 4 shafts. S.H.P.: 150,000 = 33 kts.

Boilers:

8 Babcock & Wilcox

Complement:

CVS Allowance: 87 officers, 1,430 men (excluding air group personnel). Accommodation for 340 officers, 2,890 men

General:

The first ship of this class was ordered in 1940. The designed displacement was 27,100 tons. The original capacity, with smaller aircraft, was 85 to 100, and 107 were carried by close stowage. Essex was built in 20 months, Yorktown in 17½ months. Later ships of this class were of improved design, with stronger flight decks, and more thoroughly sub-divided. Princeton launched the "Regulus" guided missile at sea. CVSs underwent conversion for anti-submarine warfare. As Amphibious Assault Ships Boxer and Princeton were adapted to carry 30 HR2S helicopters and a Marine detachment of 10 officers and 323 men, with accommodation for 1,650 troops, but no structural alterations were made.