Forrestal-class Aircraft Carrier

The Forrestal-class aircraft carriers were a four-ship class designed and built for the United States Navy in the 1950s. It was the first class of so-called supercarriers, combining high tonnage, deck-edge elevators and an angled deck. The first ship was commissioned in 1955, the last decommissioned in 1998. The Forrestal would be transferred to Canada and become HMCS Warrior (CV-24), Saratoga would replace the Essex-class USS Lexington as the USN's training carrier, Ranger became a museum ship, and Independence became an artificial reef in 2005.

Specifications

• Type: Supercarrier (Hull designation symbol CV, CVA, and CVB)
• Service Period: 1955-Present
• Characteristics
  • Length (Waterline): 990 feet (301.75 meters)
  • Length (Overall): 1,070 feet (326.14 meters)
  • Beam (Waterline): 130 feet (39.63 meters)
  • Beam (Overall): 270 feet (82.3 meters)
  • Draft: 35 feet 9 inches (10.9 meters)
  • Displacement: 60,000 tons (Standard); 81,101 tons (Full Load)
• Crew: 5,357 (3,126 ship crew, 2,089 air crew, 70 flag staff, 72 marines)
• Propulsion: 8 x Babcock and Wilcox boilers, 4 x Westinghouse geared turbines, four shafts, 280,000 shaft horsepower (210,000 kW)
• Range: 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 km) at 20 knots (37.04 km/hr), 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 km) at 30 knots (55.56 km/hr)
• Speed: 34 knots (62.97 km/hr)
• Sensor Suite
  • AN/SPS-10 Surface Search Radar
  • AN/SPS-48C 3D Air Search Radar
  • AN/SPS-49(V)5 2D Air Search Radar
  • AN/SPS-64 Navigation Radar
  • AN/SPS-67(V)1 Surface Search Radar
  • Mk.91 Missile Fire Control Radar
• Countermeasures:
  • AN/SLQ-29 Electronic Warfare Suite
  • AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite
  • Mk.36 SBROC Decoy Launcher
• Armament
  • 8 x Mk.42 5"/54-caliber naval guns (removed)
  • 2 x Mk.29 8-cell NATO Sea Sparrow Missile Launchers
  • 3 x 20mm Vulcan Phalanx CIWS
• Aircraft Carried: 70-90 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters
• Aircraft Supported: C-1 Trader, E-1 Tracer, C-2 Greyhound, E-2 Hawkeye, S-2 Tracker, S-3 Viking, A-4 Skyhawk, F-4 Phantom II, A-6 Intruder, EA-6B Prowler, A-7 Corsair II, F-8 Crusader, F-14 Tomcat, F/A-18 Hornet, SH-3 Sea King, SH-60 Seahawk, HH-60 Rescue Hawk
• Aviation Facilities: hangar, angled 326.1 x 82.3 meter flight deck, 4 steam catapults

Unit Run

• USS Forrestal (CV-59) - transferred to Canada and commissioned as HMCS Warrior (CV-24).
• USS Saratoga (CV-60) - refitted and recommissioned as training carrier USS Saratoga (AVT-60).
• USS Ranger (CV-61) - preserved as a museum ship on the Columbia River at the Chinook Landing Marine Park in Fairview, Oregon.
• USS Independence (CV-62) - sunk as an artificial reef in 2005.