Lexington-class battlecruiser

Lexington-class battlecruiser. The Lexington-class were a class of six battlecruisers planned for the United States Navy in the early 20th century. Authorized under the Naval Act of 1916, their construction was delayed by World War I and later limited by the Washington Naval Treaty. While none were completed as battlecruisers, two, USS ''Lexington'' and USS ''Saratoga'', were converted into the Navy's first large fleet aircraft carriers, playing pivotal roles in developing carrier doctrine and in the Pacific War.

Design and development

The design and development of the class stemmed from the U.S. Navy's General Board's desire for a new type of fast capital ship to serve as scouts for the battleship fleet and counter foreign battlecruisers like the British HMS Hood and the Japanese ''Kongō''-class. Initial concepts, influenced by the Battle of Jutland, evolved into a design with high speed and heavy armament but relatively light armor. The final design, approved in 1919, called for eight 16-inch guns in four twin turrets and a speed of 33 knots, making them among the most powerful and fastest capital ships ever planned. The lead ship, USS ''Lexington'', was named for the Battle of Lexington.

Description

As designed, the Lexington-class would have displaced approximately 43,500 tons and measured 874 feet in length. Their main battery consisted of eight 16-inch guns, with a secondary battery of sixteen 6-inch guns and an anti-aircraft suite of four 3-inch guns. Propulsion was provided by General Electric turbo-electric drive engines powered by 16 oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers, generating 180,000 shaft horsepower. This machinery was intended to propel the ships to a top speed of 33 knots, a requirement that necessitated a very long, slender hull form. Their armor scheme, a compromise for speed, featured a 7-inch main belt and up to 11 inches on the conning tower.

Construction and conversion

Construction on the six ships—''Lexington'' (CC-1), ''Constellation'' (CC-2), ''Saratoga'' (CC-3), ''Ranger'' (CC-4), ''Constitution'' (CC-5), and ''United States'' (CC-6)—began at yards including Fore River Shipyard, Newport News Shipbuilding, and New York Shipbuilding in 1920-1921. The signing of the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922 halted all work on the ships as battlecruisers. Under the treaty's terms, Lexington and Saratoga were selected for conversion into aircraft carriers, a process that began in 1922 and was completed in 1927. The remaining four hulls were formally cancelled and broken up on the building ways.

Service history

The service history of the class is defined entirely by the two converted carriers. USS ''Lexington'' (CV-2) and USS ''Saratoga'' (CV-3) were commissioned in 1927 and became instrumental in developing U.S. naval aviation tactics through the Fleet Problem exercises of the 1930s. During World War II, both saw extensive action in the Pacific Theater. Lexington was lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, the first U.S. fleet carrier sunk in the war. Saratoga survived the war, participating in key campaigns like the Guadalcanal Campaign, Battle of the Eastern Solomons, and Battle of Iwo Jima, before being used as a target in Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll in 1946.

Ships in class

The planned battlecruisers of the class were: * USS ''Lexington'' (CC-1) – Converted to aircraft carrier CV-2; sunk at the Battle of the Coral Sea, 1942. * USS ''Constellation'' (CC-2) – Cancelled 1923; scrapped incomplete. * USS ''Saratoga'' (CC-3) – Converted to aircraft carrier CV-3; sunk as a target in Operation Crossroads, 1946. * USS ''Ranger'' (CC-4) – Cancelled 1923; scrapped incomplete. (Name reused for the first U.S. carrier designed as such). * USS ''Constitution'' (CC-5) – Cancelled 1923; scrapped incomplete. * USS ''United States'' (CC-6) – Cancelled 1923; scrapped incomplete.

Category:Battlecruiser classes Category:Ships of the United States Navy