Forrestal-class aircraft carrier
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| Forrestal-class aircraft carrier | |
|---|---|
 Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · source | |
| Name | Forrestal-class aircraft carrier |
| Caption | USS Forrestal (CVA-59) underway, 1955 |
| Country | United States |
| Type | Aircraft carrier |
| In service | 1955–1993 |
| Built | 1950s–1960s |
| Displacement | ~60,000 tons (full) |
| Length | 1,039 ft (317 m) |
| Beam | 252 ft (77 m) (flight deck) |
| Propulsion | Steam turbines |
| Speed | 33+ kn |
| Complement | air wing + ship's company |
Forrestal-class aircraft carrier The Forrestal-class aircraft carrier was the United States Navy's first post-World War II supercarrier, conceived to embark jet aircraft and large air wings. Designed during the early Cold War, the class combined innovations in Lewis Strauss-era policy, Naval Reactor-era propulsion concepts, and lessons from the Korean War, influencing carrier design through the Vietnam War and into the late 20th century. Four ships were completed, serving with major fleet formations and participating in prominent operations and crises.
Design and Development
Design work originated in the late 1940s within the Bureau of Ships, responding to requirements from CNO leadership and congressional oversight including the United States Congress defense committees. Influences included carrier lessons from the Battle of the Philippine Sea, carrier aviation advances driven by McDonnell Aircraft, Grumman Corporation, and Vought jet designs, and ordnance considerations traced to Operation Crossroads aftermath. Naval architects at Newport News Shipbuilding and the Bethlehem Steel design teams adopted an angled flight deck, steam catapults developed from Cleveland-class cruiser machinery, and reinforced hangar structures to support McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, Grumman F-14 Tomcat-era airwings. The design incorporated armored flight decks debates reminiscent of HMS Ark Royal discussions and electrical/automation concepts paralleling USS Nautilus (SSN-571) reactor-era innovations.
Construction and Commissioning
Keel laying and construction contracts were awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Bethlehem Steel yards under Secretary of the Navy oversight. The lead ship's naming honored James Forrestal, linking naval tradition to postwar civilian leadership. Launch ceremonies involved figures from the Department of Defense and Congressional delegations, echoing ship-naming precedents like USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and USS Midway (CV-41). Commissioning brought together commanders with training from Naval Air Station Oceana, Naval Air Station Pensacola, and carrier qualification pipelines through Carrier Air Wing squadrons, solidifying readiness for deployment with Sixth Fleet, Seventh Fleet, and Atlantic Fleet task groups.
Operational History
Forrestal-class carriers deployed extensively during the Cold War and the Vietnam War, operating in carrier battle groups alongside guided missile cruiser escorts, destroyer screens, and submarine support. They conducted power projection sorties in support of Operation Rolling Thunder, Operation Eagle Pull, and other contingency operations. Crews trained in Carrier Onboard Delivery logistics with Grumman C-2 Greyhound predecessors and executed cross-deck operations with allied navies including the Royal Navy, French Navy, Royal Australian Navy, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Engagements included participation in Cuban Missile Crisis readiness, Six-Day War maritime posture support, and multinational exercises such as RIMPAC and UNITAS. The carriers also took part in humanitarian missions coordinated with United States Agency for International Development and Naval Medical Research Center detachments.
Modifications and Upgrades
Throughout service, the class received major refits including angled flight deck reinforcement, installation of steam catapult improvements, modernization of radar suites from vendors like Raytheon and Northrop Grumman, and escape/flight-deck safety systems influenced by National Transportation Safety Board findings. Aviation facilities were altered to support evolving aircraft like Grumman A-6 Intruder, McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, A-4 Skyhawk, and early E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning platforms. Weapons and defensive systems evolved with additions of Phalanx CIWS, upgraded surface-to-air missile integrations mirroring trends from Standard Missile deployments, and electronic warfare suites influenced by AN/SLQ-32 development. Life-extension overhauls paralleled processes used on Essex-class aircraft carrier modernizations and utilized dock facilities at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
Incidents and Accidents
Notable incidents included flight-deck fires and ordnance mishaps similar in consequence to earlier carrier accidents, prompting investigations by Naval Safety Center and policy reviews in the Department of the Navy. One ship experienced a major flight-deck conflagration with multiple casualties, leading to changes in firefighting training informed by United States Fire Administration guidance and damage-control doctrine from Naval Damage Control School. Collisions, grounding events, and engineering casualties led to inquiries involving Judge Advocate General's Corps (United States Navy) procedures and revisions to operational safety directives promulgated by the CNO.
Decommissioning and Fate
By the late 20th century, evolving carrier design such as Nimitz-class aircraft carrier nuclear propulsion, CVN-68 program economies, and changing strategic priorities under Goldwater–Nichols Act reorganization rendered the Forrestal-class less economical to retain. Ships were decommissioned, struck from the Naval Vessel Register, and disposed of through sale for scrapping, museum proposals, or use as targets in SINKEX exercises coordinated by United States Pacific Fleet and United States Fleet Forces Command. Parts of the class entered civilian recycling streams overseen by Environmental Protection Agency regulations and salvage contractors registered with Maritime Administration (MARAD). Memorialization efforts involved veterans' associations, Naval Historical Center archives, and ship-plaque preservation through local municipal museums.